A wine-making monk – not a phrase you hear every day, but that’s exactly what Brother Hanna Ghantous has been doing in Yenda for this vintage.
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Have a look at him in action in the lab at Casella Family Brands in the video below:
He shares his journey to Yenda in an interview with The Area News.
Coming to the MIA
Brother Ghantous is a monk from Lebanon who has studied viticulture and wine making in Wagga Wagga, and proving true the saying it’s not what you know but who you know, had the opportunity to learn the tips and tricks of the trade at Casella Family Brands.
“In 2015 a friend got me in contact with a winemaker at Casella’s with a Lebanese background too, because he would like to meet me. I said of course!”
“I didn’t have a chance to meet him until 2016 July. I came from Sydney to Wagga to present my thesis I did for my Masters, and he came to meet me there.”
After the meeting they remained in touch, sharing tips and tricks Brother Ghantous started applying at his monastery's winery.
Brother Ghantous spent five seasons as the monk winemaker at Saint Moussa Maronite Monastery (Deir Mar Moussa) in Beirut, Lebanon.
The Saint Moussa Monastery is located on the outskirts of Beirut and produces the fashionable Adya brand of wines.
Brother Ghantous was encouraged to come to Casella’s to do work experience, and after seeking permission from the Abbotts, came back to the MIA to work as a Laboratory Assistant.
As one of the biggest wineries in Australia, Brother Ghantous has enjoyed seeing all of the machinery and equipment at Casella’s he had previously only read about.
“When we study we see all of the information on papers, but we don’t see these machines, and I have seen all of them in action here at the winery and in the laboratory.”
Background
So you may be thinking, how could a monk learn about wine-making and be involved with a vintage here?
The tradition has been passed down by monks of his order, the Lebanese Maronite Order, since 1695.
However Brother Ghantous’ journey into wine making took several turns to lead him here.
After hearing the call to join the church and joining the order in 2000, he had a decision to make: become a priest or a monk.
He took eight days off from his job as a cook and stayed in the monastery of his village to see how they lived, and found the life as a monk to be the one for him.
He then studied Theology and Philosophy, and followed it up by studying English and English Literature.
While studying English, he decided continuing his studies in the field were not for him, and he felt in his heart he was destined to be involved somehow in food production.
After doing a vintage in 2006 with the monastery and their own vines, he found his love of the wine-making process.
A search ensued for the correct degree for him to do, and Brother Ghantous got permission from the Assistant General of the order to commence a degree in Viticulture and Wine-making at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga.
Enter a fellow friend, and his journey in the MIA continued from there.
Reflections on his time in the MIA
“The winemakers, the staff in the lab, everyone here is very helpful.”
“I’ve learned a great many things in a short time. I spent five seasons in Lebanon before I came to study here. I didn’t learn from the winemaker nearly 10 per cent as much as I have learned in two months at Casella’s.”
And as for living in Griffith, he said it is “very interesting.”
“I have had a very good time, the people here are amazing - Father Grace and Father Christian, the nuns, and the wider parish.”
“I have a great impression in my heart of the people, I can’t forget my time here.”
