Winemaker
Dr. Dargham Touma
- Discipline
- Winemaker
- Based in
- Bekaa Valley, Lebanon
i. Biography
From Kab-Elias, where the Touma family established one of Lebanon’s first 19th-century wineries and distilleries in 1888, to the present-day cellars of Château Héritage in the Bekaa Valley, Dr. Dargham Touma’s work carries a family line into bottled form. The arc runs through Arak, modern table wines first released in 1997, and a current range that treats Lebanese wine as both inheritance and task.
Beginnings
The Touma family story begins in Kab-Elias in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, where one of the country’s first 19th-century wineries and distilleries was established in 1888. Early production focused on Arak, placing distilled grape spirit at the center of the family’s work before the estate released its first modern table wines in 1997. That foundation matters in the shape of Dr. Dargham Touma’s cellar today. His work includes Arak Touma, a brandy made from distilled grape spirit, alongside still table wines in red, white, rosé and dessert styles.
The Rise
At Château Héritage, the stated ethos is to be the best representation of true Lebanese wine. Grapes are sourced from the Bekaa Valley, giving the work a direct relationship to the region that has shaped the family’s production since Kab-Elias. The range is broad, but several wines show how specific the craft can be. Vinoix is a fortified dessert wine made from Muscat: the grape must is macerated with crushed green walnuts for six months to extract colour and tannin, then fortified with neutral spirit to 20% alcohol by volume. Its family story is just as precise. Vinoix is made from a secret family recipe passed down through generations of the Touma family to current winemaker Dr. Dargham Touma, with green walnuts named as the mystery ingredient. The red program gives another view of the house style. Château Héritage Family Reserve is a rich, deep wine made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah; de-stemmed fruit is fermented and matured in new French oak barriques for 12 months. Touma has spoken plainly about those grapes: "Red varieties and namely the best two are Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. They are the most convenient for the Lebanese Climate." Nine takes a different route through the same landscape. It is an unoaked red wine made from the nine red grapes that grow in the Bekaa Valley, a bottle built around variety rather than oak.
Today
Dr. Dargham Touma serves as winemaker of Château Héritage in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, and also holds the role of CEO at Chateau Heritage. The dual responsibility places the bottles and the business under the same hand, with the family’s 1888 origin, the 1997 arrival of modern table wines, and the present range all moving through one name. His current work stays focused on Lebanese expression: red, white, rosé, dessert wine and Arak, each tied to the valley’s grapes or the family’s distilling history. In that sweep, the old Kab-Elias line continues not as nostalgia, but as a working cellar practice.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Dr.
Where did Dr. Dargham Touma begin their career?
Dr. Dargham Touma’s work is rooted in the Touma family’s Château Héritage history in Kab-Elias in the Bekaa Valley, where the family established a winery and distillery in 1888.
What roles has Dr. Dargham Touma held?
Dr. Dargham Touma has held roles at Château Héritage as winemaker and CEO.
What is Dr. Dargham Touma doing now?
Dr. Dargham Touma is the winemaker of Château Héritage in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, working across still table wines and Arak Touma.
