Chapter Nine, page 180

 

Zumot Winery and Vineyards, Amman

 

Modern Jordan’s wine industry, as small as it is, began in 1954 when Bulos Zumot, an Amman businessman and the father of the current owner, Omar Zumot, decided to make and sell his own wines. Jordan had a few small wineries, including some affiliated with local monasteries. But, as in neighbouring Lebanon, many growers were Muslim and concentrated on table grapes. Bulos Zumot dreamed of putting Jordanian wine back on the map, of reviving the quality and renown the country had earned two millennia before.

The Zumots found their inspiration in the wonderful mosaics and atmosphere of Madaba’s Byzantine monuments and churches. After much exploration they found a perfect vineyard plot not far from the Church of Saint-George, giving the new winery’s wines their brand name. The Zumot Winery and Vineyard was setup in 1996, and the first wines arrived in 1999. From the beginning Omar Zumot wanted a noninterventionist policy in the vineyard – the Zumot vineyards would be farmed organically, and that practice continues today.

Omar Zumot says, “There was no one really to learn from, since no one had wine grapes.” He had studied abroad, drunk widely of French wines, and toured vineyards in many countries. He began importing wines, opened a wine store in Amman, and hosted tasting for visiting scholars, diplomats, and business people. He became friendly with like-minded young new producers from Lebanon, Israel, and France; knew what good wine should be; and was aware of the challenges of making fine wine in Jordan. Omar Zumot learned from everyone and in time the Saint-George wines got better, while sales grew along with demand.

Soon after the turn of the twenty-first century Zumot Winery bought land in two radically different northern Jordan sites, one on the forest slopes above the ancient Roman city of Jerash and the other on the Syrian border at Sama.

The vineyard above Jerash is at 3,200 feet (1,000 m) and sits on terra rossa limestone and some clay. The altitude, with its cooler temperature and southeast-facing slopes, gave Omar Zumot the idea to plant Pinot Noir here; the results were remarkable, he notes. Maybe it’s not Burgundy, but the site has proved quite suitable for that finicky variety, as well as for Chardonnay.

Harvest in Jordan, Zumot observes, is all done by hand and usually starts in early August. Canopy management to protect the clusters from sunburn is critical to success, he adds.

The Sama vineyard is on fairly flat ground composed of clay, basalt, and limestone at an elevation of 2,000 feet (600 m) and requires irrigation from aquifers. “We brought the property in 2003-2004” Omar Zumot notes, “when it was originally a military base. There was the house here, for officers, which we have updated and use for events and guests. When you look north toward Syria, you see a small guardhouse up on the rise there – that’s the Syrian border and a Jordanian border patrol guardhouse. Our harvesters are from the local Bedouin village, as well as Syrians who come over to help in the fields – at least they did before the current crises of the past year (2011) in Syria.” As part of his organic farming Zumot planted thousands of wild herbs to encourage predator habitat for beneficial insects. He uses cover crop to fix the nitrogen in the soil, a vital issue in the depleted aridity of the region, where soils often have low organic compounds levels.

Organic farming and irrigation have greatly aided him in achieving his goals. The result: many Zumot Saint-George wines have won medals and positive recommendations at major international wine judgings and from key wine critics worldwide.

“Unfortunately, the mind-set that everybody had was that Jordanian wine was mediocre wine”, he told CNN interviewer Arwa Damon on Inside the Middle East in 2010, “but Jordan is like its wine. You come to Jordan, and you are always pleasantly surprised. The country is welcoming, just like its wines.”

Zumot uses the best equipment and barrels for his wines, and in a few years he has created an estate with more than 540 acres (220 hectares) dedicated to most of the classic varieties, as well as experiments with Sangiovese, Carménère, and even Chenin Blanc grapes.

Favourite wines: 2010 Saint-George Winemaker’s Selection Viognier (14%)

Zumot’s Viognier reveals typically opulent, over floral, juicy peach, and ripe apricot aromas. Flavourwise it is fleshy, with deep near-tropical flavours that are balanced by solid acidity, minimal oak character, and good length. The intense character is in the same league as similar wines from better producers in Lebanon and California.