Serge Hochar

The Path

Wine work asks for study, then repetition, then the patience to let time do its part. Serge Hochar trained at St.-Joseph University in Lebanon and the University of Bordeaux, two academic stops that helped frame a career later defined by vineyard cadence, cellar discipline, and the long continuity of a single estate. In 1958, he began working as worker at Musar in Lebanon, starting at ground level and learning the business through daily labor. By 1959, he had advanced to winemaker at Chateau Musar in Lebanon, a shift that placed Serge Hochar in a role where technique, judgment, and timing mattered as much as formal training. The move from worker to winemaker set the terms of an early rise and tied his name closely to the house. A more consequential turn came in 1974, when Serge became owner / took control of the winery at Chateau Musar in Lebanon. That responsibility continued through 2014, giving the estate a long stretch of continuity under his oversight. He also served as president at Lebanese Institut de la Vigne et du Vin in Lebanon until 2014, extending that influence beyond the winery and into Lebanon’s wider wine conversation.

The Work Today

The span is plain enough on paper, but it marks decades of direct involvement with one name, one place, and the day-to-day demands of keeping a winery’s standards intact over time.

Signature

Serge's signature dishes include Chateau Musar's Rouge bottling. Read as a signature, it is less a label than a house expression shaped under Serge Hochar’s judgment and sustained attention.

In Their Words “I never worry. For the last five years, I've told myself, be happy, be positive, be funny.” The line is direct, and it carries the kind of composure that can matter in long-form wine work. It suggests a temperament built for steadiness, not display.

Acclaim

The line that best sums up his temperament is: "I never worry. For the last five years, I've told myself, be happy, be positive, be funny." It fits a career at Chateau Musar in Lebanon and a presidency at Lebanese Institut de la Vigne et du Vin in Lebanon until 2014, both carried with a measured, unforced consistency.