Claudine Lteif and Michelle Chami are neighbours turned friends, turned mothers, turned makers. An iconic transition. Both started helping out with harvest at nearby Mersel Wine and fell hard for the process. Soon they were experimenting with natural ferments and playing with apples, grapes, and whatever else they could get their hands on. Michelle’s partner, Eddie Chami (Mersel’s winemaker), encouraged them to bottle their first blend, and Heya was born in 2022. Claudine brings her background in nutrition to the table - precise, considered, and detail-driven - while Michelle is all hands-on, heart-first energy. Together, they’re carving out a space for women in Lebanon’s wine scene that’s full of joy, integrity, and genuine care for the land and the makers.

Heya Wines is Lebanon’s first all-women-produced wine label. Helllllo! Based in the Qannboubine Valley, their ethos is simple: natural wines made with heart, transparency, and community at the core. The name Heya means “she” in Arabic, a nod to the Syrian and Lebanese women behind the vines. Every label features the real faces of these women, so cool! Heya’s mission is to honour the overlooked labour of harvest workers, champion equality, and keep winemaking honest: organic farming, low yields, native fermentations. No greenwashing either - the pomace goes straight to local goats, and every bottle is labelled by hand. Heya is proof that wine can be joyful, radical, and deeply rooted all at once.