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Drinking in a Muslim CountryJordan has Many Surprisesby Marguerite JordanCastles, monasteries, vineyards. Vineyards? Wait a second, this is Jordan, a Muslim country, right? For a second, I thought I was in Italy.
Still, there they were, a few beautiful vineyards, green vistas and ruins of European-style fortified towns and castles, some left over from the Crusades, some even from earlier times. For at least four thousand years, grapes have been growing in many of the regions of the Middle East. In fact, the Bible speaks frequently of wine, including the miracle at the wedding feast at Cana, when Jesus turns water into wine. For several of us on our tour, the fact that alcohol was to be found at all did seem like a miracle. Some countries of the Middle East forbid drinking any time any place.
The best-known Jordanian vineyards are those surrounding Mount Nebo, a site that is a holy place for Jews, Muslims and Christians, among them the Springs of Moses. Perhaps it is this water source that gives the wine its pure flavor. Finely delineated clusters of grapes cover the floor of the church of Saints Lot and Procopious at the summit of Mount Nebo. The beautiful ancient mosaics have as a continuing motif scenes of grape-harvesting, grape-crushing and rabbit and lion hunting. The tableaux are housed in a Franciscan church built in the 1930’s. For seventy years the Christian monks have been tending the holy sites and growing grapes and leading archeological digs. We ate mainly in restaurants connected with tourist hotels, where the food was fresh and the wines plentiful. Imported items, such as American beers, or French cognac tend to be pricey.
Several Jordanian and Palestinian reds are on the menu and are usually labeled "Holy Land." The one red I tried was dry, the equivalent to a house wine found in small Italian villages—perfectly adequate, but nothing to write home about. It stood up well to my rich lamb dish. But the biggest surprise of all was that there are not one but two Irish pubs in Amman. Guinness, Smithwicks and numerous other Irish and British labels were offered, along with the eclectic collections of music by Britney Spears, the Beatles and Billy Ray Cyrus. The young pub patrons are every bit as friendly as those found in my ancestral hometown in County Westmeath. Nearly every Jordanian I met wanted to discuss marrying one of my daughters so that they would be able to come to the United States. They watched more American TV than I do, and they were very well informed about U.S. politics and sports. Jordanians almost everywhere are in fact a very warm and welcoming people. Tourism is especially important here in one of the few countries in the Middle East that has no oil. I met several young men from County Roscommon; some lads from England (engineers working for a water distillation project); some American GI’s stationed in Amman; and a whole host of Arabic young people, who seem not to have heard about the ban on drinking. Or, they may not have been Muslim. (Approximately 10 % of the population is Christian, Circassian or other religions.) Visiting historic sites around this beautiful country is thirsty work. When you dine at your hotel, it’s good to know that the end of the day you can enjoy a taste of grape or Guinness. But still, who would have expected Irish pubs and good local wines in Jordan? For further information, contact the Jordanian Tourism Office Photographs courtesy of the Jordanian Tourism Office |
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TM
As our tour bus brought us from the capital, Amman, on a journey to the hidden city of Petra, the Dead Sea and the Red Sea-port town, Aqaba, my companions and I were far more likely to catch glimpses of rocky deserts, the Jordan River and the many fascinating sites of biblical times.
But in Jordan they not only allow it, they make it. Not just wine, but beer too. There is even a local brewing company, a division of Amstel beer; Henninger beer is popular here too. There’s also a locally-produced fortified spirit, anis-flavored arak, which resembles ouzo. Just don’t expect to find alcohol served everywhere. Only the tourist restaurants (mainly in Amman, the Petra area, and Aqaba) offer selections; drinking in small towns and out of the way eating places would offend local sensibilities. 
I found the Mt. Nebo white wine to be fresh-tasting, crisp and flavorful. It went especially well with the largely vegetarian dishes I was choosing: marinated vegetables, baba ghanooj, hummus, and a fresh local salad made with garlicky pita bread croutons that were flat and crunchy.