(TDB) - In the middle of Syria’s ongoing civil war a solitary vineyard is still producing wines to be served at the tables of Michelin-starred restaurants in London and Paris.

Anyone who’s worked a vintage in a winery will tell you it’s hard work.

Throw in a war with the accompanying artillery, guns and logistical chaos and you’re left with something truly hellish.

It’s in the midst of this type of chaos the brothers Sandro and Karim Saade have continued to operate their winery, Domaine de Bargylas, in Syria since war broke out in 2011, reported Reuters.

The two brothers, Christians with family roots in Syria and neighboring Lebanon, planted vines in the Mediterranean province of Latakia in 2003 and produced their first wines in 2006, 2 millennia after the Romans used the same slopes for their own wines.

The Syrian rebels, made up of hardline Islamists and other factions, are seeking to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad and started taking ground in Latakia last year.

Some of the rebel groups prohibit alcohol but, thus far, Bargylus has remained in government held territory.

Prior to the war the predominantly small-scale Syrian wineries tended to be located in churches and monasteries with the wines meant for local consumption by Syrian Christians.

Christians made up around 10% of Syria’s pre-war population of 22 million people but that figure has dropped sharply amid the violence and wine production along with it.

But Bargylus have had a few close calls including last August when the two warring sides clashed only 100 metres from the vineyards.

Speaking to Reuters from Beirut in Lebanon, Sandro Saade said that while several explosions hit the vines there was minimal damage and the fighting had since retreated.