Jordan is a country in the Middle East (or Western Asia, as it is officially labeled by the UN) bordered by Iraq and Iran to the east, Syria to the north and Israel to the west.
The country takes its name from the Jordan river, which since biblical times has been a vital source of water in this desert area. The Jordan rises in the Golan Heights (in the Anti-Lebanon Mountains between Syria and Israel) and flows southwards for 155 miles (250km) through Lake Galilee and into the Dead Sea. The river now serves as the northern half of the border between Jordan and Israel. Jordanian agriculture is largely dependent on irrigation from the Jordan, and most of the nation's crops are grown in the fertile lands along the river's eastern banks.
Jordan's location in the cradle of civilization makes it an obvious candidate for a long history of viticulture and winemaking. After all, neighboring Israel and Syria both have winemaking in their history, reaching back thousands of years; Israeli wine is also enjoying increasing success in the early 21st century. But there is surprisingly little evidence that the lands which make up modern-day Jordan have ever been used for viniculture. Table grapes figure among Jordan's exports, alongside olives, citrus fruits and orchard fruits, but the nation's agriculture has been declining so consistently since the 1950s that these products now represent just 5% of Jordan's gross national product (GNP).
When Bulos Zumot and his son George Zumot set up the Saint George winery in the 1950s, agriculture represented almost 40% of GNP. It was the first winery in modern Jordanian history. Despite the subsequent decline of the nation's agriculture, the Zumot family has increased its vineyard holdings over the decades. The original vineyard site is in Madaba (20 miles/32km south-west of the capital Amman), near the ancient Church of Saint George from which the winery took its name. Two other sites were later acquired, where the clay, basalt and limestone soils combine the advantages of alluvial and volcanic-type soils – a combination not commonly available to the world's vignerons. The finest of these two is the Sama vineyard, located right on the Jordan-Syria border 40 miles (65km) north of Amman, at an altitude of 1950ft (595m).
Whatever grape varieties were once grown in Jordan are believed to have been lost forever, leaving a gap in the world's wine history. Jordan's wines are now made from the Vitis vinifera varieties which have become household names in recent decades: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz and Pinot Noir for reds; Chardonnay, Muscat, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer and Chenin Blanc for whites. The latter four have strong associations with the coolest vineyards of France (Alsace and the Loire Valley), so it is unusual that these varieties do well in the desert at latitudes as low as 29 degrees. Even Fiano, the southern Italian white of Fiano di Avellino fame, has found a place in modern Jordanian wine.
As is true of most Islamic countries, particularly those in the Middle East, Jordan produces some arak, the strong anise spirit whose name is Arabic for 'condensation'. Traditionally arak is consumed in the same way as the French anise drink of pastis: one part arak to two parts water. It is not to be confused with arrack, the distillate made from various fruits and flowers in Southeast Asia. Although the two share an etymology and a great deal of history, their varied ingredients make them quite different drinks.
