# Jaffa Crush Merwah & Muscat Orange Wine (2024)

- **Producer:** Mersel Wine
- **Colour:** orange
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Merwah, Muscat
- **Region:** North Lebanon, Lebanon
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 11.5%
- **Average price:** €25
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 10–12 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** blossom, orange, lemon, grapefruit, peach

## About this wine

Mersel Wine, founded by enologist Eddie Chami, produces low-intervention artisanal wines using indigenous grape varieties in high-altitude Lebanese terroirs. The name 'Jaffa Crush' pays homage to the historic 19th-century Jaffa Shamouti orange cultivated by Palestinian Arab farmers, serving as a tribute to Levantine agricultural heritage. The grapes are sourced from two distinct microclimates: 150-year-old ungrafted Merwah bush vines grown in Dimane within the Qannoubine Valley at 1,600 meters elevation, combined with young-vine Muscat from Deir El Ahmar in the Bekaa Valley at 1,200 meters elevation.

## Interesting facts

- Named in honor of the 19th-century Jaffa Shamouti orange developed by Palestinian Arab farmers.
- Features Merwah grapes from 150-year-old ungrafted ancient bush vines grown at 1,600m altitude.
- Carbonic maceration occurs with Muscat berries submerged in fermenting Merwah juice inside clay amphorae.

## Food pairing

The vibrant acidity and fine skin-contact tannins cut cleanly through fried dishes like falafel and rich textures like grilled halloumi. Its exotic floral and citrus aromatics mirror Levantine spice blends like sumac and za'atar while framing fresh citrus dressings and pomegranate notes in grain salads.

## Wine making process

Winemaking begins with direct-pressed Merwah juice fermented on skins for 10 days using indigenous wild yeasts. Whole-cluster Muscat grapes are subsequently submerged directly into the fermenting Merwah juice inside traditional Lebanese terracotta amphorae to undergo 10 days of whole-berry carbonic maceration. Fermentation takes place naturally without artificial temperature controls, followed by 100% natural malolactic fermentation. The wine ages in clay amphorae and is bottled unfined and unfiltered with minimal added sulfites.