Wine can seem tremendously unimportant at a time of war. At what is a torrid time in the Middle East, we wanted to check in with three winemakers - from Palestine, Israel and Lebanon - and ask: can wine really be a source of positivity during troubled times?

What we hear in this episode may surprise you. It's a departure from our regular format - a bonus extended edition - because we wanted to give proper airtime to these powerful, nuanced, important interviews. Wine has more history in the Levant than in almost every other place on earth, bar the Caucasus. Its revival in recent years has been intriguing and exciting. So what is its place now that conflict is raging?

Wine is a conversation starter. There is value in talking. We wanted to take the time to listen - and so we thank Sari Khoury (Philokalia), Eran Pick MW (Tzora Vineyards) and Faouzi Issa (Domaine des Tourelles) for taking the time to talk and share their forthright views with us.

Here are a few sample quotes: 'We have so many things to do in this beautiful world rather than killing people,' 'I'm extremely confused - we're in shock, a post-traumatic period that we don't have any solution,' 'The biggest challenge is to make wine during war,' 'Survival comes first,' 'We're quite minimalistic with our expectations,' 'I'm sure wine could bring people together - it's a fact,' 'I'm making the wine - but the wine is making me in the process,' 'Try to taste our wines - and understand the story from all sides,' 'Let the wines speak.'

Thanks for tuning in. We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe. Or you can find contact info, together with all details from this episode, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S5 E23 - Wine and War: Palestine, Israel and Lebanon

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