Who we are
Dr Charles Eid Founder Sendiäna Wines
Born in Lebanon, Charles was sent to the UK for education at the outbreak of the Lebanese Civil War in 1975. He went on to study medicine in London, and subsequently specialised in surgery, which he practiced for several years.
In 1995 Charles joined Honeytop Speciality Foods, a fledgling family bakery business producing flatbreads. In the 16 years that followed, Charles, along with his brother organically grew the business to a market leadership position and sold it to a Swiss Multinational in 2011.
With a passion for fine wine and now with time on his hands, Charles began his dream of setting up a winery in his motherland, Lebanon, where he knew he could utilise the perfect climate and terroir to produce the best wines that Lebanon had to offer. With this in mind, Sendiäna Wines was established in 2012.
Ulrich Hoffmann Wine Consultant
Ulrich was born and grew up in Berlin, soon realising that not beer but wine was his passion, he moved to South Germany in 1999 to work for the prestigious Wine Estate Rolf Willy in Baden- Wuerttemberg while completing a two and a half years trade examination degree to become a qualified winemaker.
He finished top of all classes in Germany and received a further grant to study oenology and viticulture at the State Research Institute for Viticulture and oenology in Weinsberg.
Ulrich brings a personal wealth of vinification and vineyard technology expertise, from an impressive international 18 year career, working in Germany, Spain, California, France and England.
Ulrich is a senior judge at the IWC and regularly judges for the IWSC and other international competitions.
Father Charbel Hajjar Principle Wine Maker
Wine is intricately tied to the life of a priest, and the Monastery St Jean where Father Charbel resides has been making wine for its own consumption and the local villages since 1720.
Father Charbel is known locally as a charismatic monk who is in love with his land and the wine that he makes. So it was of no surprise that when he was sent to Paris in 2001 to study Biblical Theory he took the opportunity to enhance his studies with that of Viticulture and Oenology.
On his return to the Monastery in 2004, Father Charbel began to prepare and plant the land in the Monastery’s grounds with vines. In 2005 he renovated an old goats shed and converted it into a professional winery, where since 2006 he has been producing wines for local consumption.
Working closely with Charles and Urlich with a combined passion for wine and a unified vision to produce the best wine that Lebanon has to offer, Sendiana wines came to be.