El Sabban

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Rami Bassil El-Sabban is a former sommelier turned nomadic winemaker exploring Lebanese terroir through native grapes, natural fermentation, and a négociant approach to winemaking.

Rami began his career as a sommelier in Miami, working under Karina Iglesias, who gave him the freedom to develop a wine program that reflected both his identity and his values. He became particularly passionate about Lebanese and Palestinian wines, using them as a means of storytelling while building relationships with producers back home. One of those relationships was with Mersel winemaker Eddie Chami.

In 2022, Eddie invited Rami to return to Lebanon and make wine. What began as an opportunity to work alongside a friend and mentor quickly became a new career. Today, Rami makes wine at Mersel's facility and in Mount Lebanon at Château Cana, where he works alongside Joanna Gerges.

El-Sabban's wines are an exploration of Lebanese terroir shaped by Rami's nomadic approach. Rather than working from a single estate, he seeks out fruit and vineyards that allow him to better understand the country's varied landscapes, indigenous grapes, and winemaking traditions. The wines range from high-altitude, mineral-driven expressions to deeper, more textural styles. Rami works naturally, relying on native yeasts and simple, old-school cellar techniques while allowing instinct and vintage to guide each wine. His approach is progressive without abandoning tradition, looking at Lebanon's winemaking heritage as something living rather than fixed.

Years spent as a sommelier taught Rami how wine can carry culture, memory, and a sense of place. As a winemaker, he now explores those ideas firsthand, making wines that speak quietly of their origins while feeling distinctly contemporary and entirely his own.