Arak Brun
Bekaa, Lebanon
53% abv 
Vegetarian, Vegan
According to some, best thing with mezze isn't wine—it's arak. This aniseed spirit, drunk diluted with water and ice, cleans the palate and sharpens the appetite so you're ready for a bite of something different.
 
The grapes for arak production are mainly obaideh and merwah but also some cinsault. The grapes are gently pressed and the juice run off for fermentation in enormous concrete tanks. No sulphur can be added or it would be accentuated during distillation, and they use wild yeasts for fermentation. They use a 19th-century copper alembic that was made in Aleppo in Syria for distillation. The aniseed comes from Syria too, from a village called Hina. The wine is distilled twice to create an eau-de-vie and then once more with aniseed. They then age Arak Brun for one year.
Food match
Perfect with Mezze and Mediterranean plates.