Domaine des Tourelles has grown to a massive operation featuring around 124 acres of land dedicated to grapes. It produces around 300,000 bottles of wine each year and exports to 17 countries including the U.S., U.K., France and Japan.

Faouzi Issa, 33, co-owns the winery.

“We are considered to be the youngest winemakers running the oldest winery in Lebanon,” said Issa, who started there at age 26 when his family and another got together to buy Domaine des Tourelles.

The purchase followed the death of Pierre Brun, Francois Brun’s great-grandson.

Faouzi Issa Michael Downey / for NBC News

Things remain quite similar. The current owners even kept the room where Pierre Brun would relax during the harvest — with the same old chair perfectly positioned among bags of anise seeds to take in the aroma that almost lulls one into a daze. It’s become an escape from reality, a portal to a different time.

The anise is used to make a local speciality called “arak.”

This summer’s harvest is finally done. It’s been a stressful one as workers race to get all the grapes in before the weather changes. In October, Lebanon’s dry summer comes to an end with torrential rain, and a surprising biting cold.

“We’ve finished all the wines and now we’re preparing ourselves to attack the arak,” Issa declared with a smile.

A map showing the location of Lebanon’s Domaine des Tourelles winery. Google Maps

Arak is an alcoholic drink made from a combination of grapes and anise. At 100 proof, it packs a punch.

Domain des Tourelles’ brand of arak, Araq Brun, is almost a staple of the Lebanese culture and widely found across the region.

Issa grabs a small glass and scoops some fresh arak straight from the container that collects it from the copper still, which is over 150 years old and from the Syrian city of Aleppo. He adds some water and instantly the color changes to a milky opaque, as if he’s practiced some form of alchemy.

The distilled arak will sit in jars for anywhere from 18 months to five years, increasing in strength and flavor.

Before he returns to bottling, Issa shows off his winery’s collection of wines: Red Classic, White Classic, Rose Classic, 100 Percent Cinsault, Marquis de Beys Red, Marquis des Beys Chardonnay and Syrah du Liban, along with the standard Araq Brun and the Araq Brun Five Years Reserve.

“We have some issues [in Lebanon] — problems, instability — in the region, a lot of negative things but people are eager to see some of the beautiful things,” Issa said. “Like the wine. It’s the most beautiful thing of Lebanon.”