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Lessons in wine-region survival

Graffiti on a Tbilisi wall highlights the aspirations of Georgians who see a better future with NATO and the EU than under the Russian yoke (Credit: Michael Karam)

Journalist and Lebanese wine expert Michael Karam considers how Georgia and Lebanon, two of the world’s oldest and most geopolitically fraught wine regions, have managed not only to preserve their winemaking culture but also to gain international admiration for their wines despite intense economic and political challenges. Above, graffiti he photographed on a recent trip to Tbilisi that highlights the aspirations of Georgians who see a better future with NATO and the EU than under the Russian yoke.

Georgia and Lebanon play a major part in the story of wine – the former claims to be the first to...