This blend of a Lebanese indigenous grape and two noble southern varieties presents an elegant swirl of golden glittering robes.

Viognier is the least of its components by a small margin, at 30%, alongside Muscat and the indigenous Obeidy (35% each), but it's the Viognier that puts its stamp on the nose most clearly in aromas of honeysuckle, white peach, cream, citrus and a pinch of ginger. The palate is an attractive combination of good structure, generous, rounded texture, peachy fruit and a freshening squeeze of grapefruit-peel acidity and bitterness. Ixsir's winemaker and co-founder, Gabriel Rivero, says that the structure and complexity come from the Obeidy. The freshness comes, very obviously, from the altitude of the vineyards which, at 1,800 meters, are said to be the highest in the northern hemisphere.

Ixsir was launched in Lebanon in 2008 when a group of friends, including French-Lebanese tycoon Carlos Ghosn, invested in a winery that would shake up the local wine scene. Located in the Batroun region in the north of the country, the building has won several awards, including Green Good design in 2011. But it's the winemaking strategy that has won this challenger the hearts of the Lebanese and foreign publics alike (40% of its sales are abroad): the team has chosen vineyard plots from all over the country, so that its wines can express all the rich diversity and complexity of the Lebanese terroir.