Kafta

Minced lamb (sometimes beef, sometimes a mix) blended with grated onion, parsley, and a warm-spice mixture, usually allspice, cinnamon, sometimes cumin and black pepper: formed onto skewers and grilled hard over charcoal. Served with flatbread, hummus or tahini, grilled tomato and onion, and pickles. The signature is the Levantine warm-spice profile: allspice and cinnamon dominant, over lamb depth and char, with the grated onion adding a sweet-savoury moisture that distinguishes kafta from other minced-meat skewers.

Pairs Perfectly

Lebanese red blend from the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. The native answer for the native dish: Cabernet, Cinsault, Carignan, and Syrah blends from Chateau Musar, Massaya, or Domaine des Tourelles bring warm-spice depth and Mediterranean savouriness that mirrors the kafta marinade ingredient by ingredient, with body for the char and lamb richness without overwhelming the herbs. A Côtes du Rhône Villages from a serious producer offers the same Grenache-Syrah-led warm-spice logic in France at a more accessible price point.

Pairs Well

Saint-Joseph, northern Rhone Syrah, France. Peppery, smoky, savoury Syrah meets char and warm spice in a single sweep, the moderate tannin handles grilled lamb without drying it, and the wine's own savouriness mirrors the cinnamon-allspice profile.

Garnacha rosado from Navarra, Spain. The darker Spanish rosado handles char beautifully, the red-fruit weight sits alongside the warm-spice marinade, and a chilled glass works with skewers and flatbread in a way a fuller red does not.

Worth Seeking Out

Xinomavro from Naoussa, Greece. The northern Greek Nebbiolo-adjacent grape with dried tomato, sun-dried herb, and savoury-bitter spine that meets the spice marinade and char with unusual analytical precision.

Age note: Lebanese reds, particularly Chateau Musar, develop extraordinary depth with ten to twenty years in bottle, dried fig, leather, and a savoury-herb complexity that mirrors aged warm spice with rare precision. For kafta as the centrepiece of an unhurried meal, an aged Musar from a serious vintage is the analytical peak.

Avoid

High-tannin reds at full extract (clash with the tahini and dry the meat), oaked whites (wrong against char and spiced lamb entirely), light delicate reds (overwhelmed by the depth), reds above 14% alcohol (dominate the warm-spice profile rather than mirror it).

Failing That

An entry-level Crozes-Hermitage.

If All Else Fails

Côtes du Rhône.

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