Cloud Nine White Wine

Karam Cloud Nine White Wine

Why Cloud Nine?

like to reflect sitting in my garden in Jezzine, glass of wine in hand. I keep having the same flashbacks to defining moments during my early years as a pilot. Most of my fond memories took place in my favorite bar Cloud Nine, located in the heart of Beirut. Being there at that time gave me a lot of pleasure and after blending my dry white wine, drinking it gave me similar pleasure. It was then that I decided to name it “Cloud Nine”. As a pilot, the clouds were my second home and my lucky number is nine. Everything fit! I hope this fresh, crisp, fruity and dry white wine will give you equally pleasurable moments. Have a sip, close your eyes and enjoy it! – Captain Habib Karam

Wine Content-type: White wine
Grape Variety: Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier and Semillon

Appellation: Jezzine, Southern Lebanon
Fermentation:  100% in stainless steel, No malolactic fermentation
Serving: Best served at 7 - 10°C
Decanting: No decanting is necessary prior to savoring

Winemaking & Tasting Notes

This wine exudes an aromatic bouquet of passion fruit, green apples, pineapples, hints of lychee and grapefruit coupled with a fully fruity palate and a trademark crisp acidity, resulting in great balance, length and depth.
Vintage 2013 is the Winner of SPECIAL PRIZE SOMMELIERS – Citadelles du Vin, Bordeaux (2015)

Food Pairing: As an apéritif and with all content-types of seafood, pasta, white meat, light cheeses and green salads.

Find this and more exceptional selections at Kaasak.

Arak Fakra is an extra special baladi Arak, distilled in keeping with the ancestral Lebanese traditions with a selection of clusters of grapes and top-quality aniseed. It is then aged until maturity in baked clay jars which gives it a taste unlike any other.

Arak is the national Lebanese beverage. Today, over 100 years later, this family's descendants perpetuate the traditions of the Lebanese mountain by producing with the same method and according to the same formula that rare arak bearing the name of Arak Fakra, a name inspired by a prestigious site of that mountain situated at an altitude of more then 1500 meters. Already long before our era, the Romans had chosen this area to raise temples devoted to their divinities among which that of Venus and monuments honoring emperor Claudius (10AC - 54AD) whose name was Baalgalassos. The shadow of these temples' ruins still hands today over the cellars where Arak Fakra comes to maturity.

Said Touma came from a family with a long history in the alcohol business and founded Clos St. Thomas in 1997. The winery was named after the chapel of St. Thomas, found in the heart of the vineyards.

Arak Touma is distilled four times using a variety of grapes and quality aniseed.

Arak Baladi  is initially a pretty new arak varieties.

This Lebanese arak, however, belongs to the favorites among the compatriots already. Thus, however, this is also becoming more and more famous!

Finally, the Arak Baladi  is both strong and elegant.

The strong aroma is clearly noticeable in the bouquet as well as in the taste. In this respect, this brandy also has an honest and traditional effect on the drinker. Accordingly, gentle nuances of licorice unfold here again.

A really clear and honest arak from Lebanon. And despite its intense and impulsive personality, this arak still seems very approachable. Accordingly, even a little too seductive. Because once you start drinking it, some people might find it hard to stop. Especially if the the arak is drunk chilled and of course with ice cubes in the summer.

However, this brandy can be drunk with numerous dishes. Among them, of course, raw meat such as tartar or carpaccio. However, this arak is indeed one of the few varieties that can be drunk on its own.

Winemaking: The grapes are manually harvested, totally stemmed and transferred to tank in order to achieve the alcoholic fermentation. The Cinsault is shortly vatted to keep the freshness, the Syrah and Mourvedre are kept for a longer time to extract the aroma and spices, and the Cabernet-Sauvignon undergoes long skin contact to express length and elegance. The free flowing and press wine achieve the malolactic fermentation in different vats.

Maturing: The grape varietals are matured separately in vats for 14 to 18 months before being blended, fined and bottled. Taste: Its bright intense ruby red colour, with an exotic fruity aroma along with spicy and licorice notes make it a wine to remember. The mellow and supple tannins produce a persisting length on the Palate Ageing It can be drunk upon purchase or kept for 2 to 3 years in a good cellar.

Serving: Its easy flowing taste suits daily consumption and goes along very well with leg of lamb and stew

Find this and more exceptional selections at Kaasak.