Michael Ramzi Karam (Arabic: ميشال كرم; born 1 May 1965[1] in London, England) is a British/Lebanese author and journalist.
Prior to his journalistic career, he worked for some time as an English literature teacher at the International College in Beirut.
In 2011, he began working with Dr Patrick McGovern from University of Pennsylvania and other experts to compile Tears of Bacchus: A History of Winemaking in the Middle East and Beyond, which was published in 2020.
The documentary charts this historical journey, focusing mainly on testimonies from winemakers and other Lebanese from latter part of the 20th Century, in particular those who endured the 1975-91 civil war and the 2006 summer war and who continue to be affected by the ongoing conflict in neighbouring Syria and the political instability that defines Lebanon and the wider Middle East.
Their astonishing stories tell of bravery, determination, and survival and how wine can be a unifier and a metaphor for life, hospitality, civilization, and above all a force for good in a region defined by turmoil and animosity.