The Jewish holidays are a great time to find lots of Israeli wine – even if you aren’t Jewish. Rosh Hashana and Sukkot, two great feasting holidays, are coming up soon (Rosh Hashana begins this year on the night of September 29 and lasts two days) and this is a great chance to buy kosher Israeli wine. (Of course, as a reminder, there is also boutique wine from Israel that is not certified kosher).

What to get? Wine Tasting Guy did a great post for Passover, so I suggest reading that (but recognizing, of course, that some wine may be past its peak while others have since entered the market) first. When you’re done, here is some more suggestions:

$10-$20

One common wine that you will probably see is from the Barkan Classic series. This is an acceptable entry-level quaffer but not highly recommended. KosherWine.com has the Barkan Classic Cabernet Sauvignon for under $10.00 and there are also Chardonnay, Petit Syrah, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Shiraz and other similar varietals. The Benyamina Teva series is also similar, but not highly recommended.

As a dessert wine, the Carmel Sha’al Late Harvest Gewurtzraminer, is absolutely excellent. KosherWine.com is selling it for $14.99. This wine was rated 90 by the Wine Advocate. Carmel Private Collection is also continually improving. I’m not sure if it’s available in the US yet but the 2007 Carmel Private Collection Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot is absolutely excellent and highly recommended. Previous variety still available and available in Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot, Chardonnay, Merlot. Carmel also has the low-level Selected series, which is an acceptable sub-$10 wine.

Dalton Canaan Red and White are interesting blends for $13-$15. Canaan Red is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Shiraz and the White is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and White Riesling. These are the lowest wines from Dalton. Dalton also one of a few Israeli wineries that make a Barbera (an Italian varietal). They, of course, also have a few nice Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Shiraz, and Sauvignon Blanc wines for under $20.00.

Some of the best value wines can be found from Galil Mountain Winery, owned by the Golan Heights Winery. They have a recently-released Barbera which is excellent, but may not yet be widely available in the United States. The Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Viognier, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Rose, Shiraz-Cabernet, and Shiraz can all be found for under $20. KosherWine.com also has the absolutely excellent Yiron blend and Yiron-series Syrah for $19.99 – a great deal.

From the Golan Heights Winery, the Gamla series makes excellent value wines at under $20, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, Sauvignon Blanc, and Riesling. The lower priced Golan series are also great everyday wines (although the one I would not recommend as much are the Sion Creek white and red – perfectly acceptable at the price but worth splurging for a single varietal).

Israeli winery Teperberg 1870

The wines from Recanati may sound like they come from Italy, but they are blue-and-white. Their regular series are excellent values and their Reserve wines are outstanding. Recanati’s sub-$20 selection includes a Barbera (I picked up the 2005 vintage, and plan on opening a bottle on Rosh Hashana), Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, (all Regular and Reserve), Reserve Petit Syrah-Zinfandel, Reserve Cabernet Franc.

Segal’s mid-to-high end wines are also quite good. Segal’s Special Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (called the Marom Galil in Israel) was highly praised by Gary Vaynerchuk and is an earthy Cab that I enjoy very much. There is also a great Merlot and fruit-forward blend called Fusion in this series.

I’m also pleased to see that Tabor (note: not HaTabor, that is a low-level boutique wine that does not make wines of interest) have recently made it to America. A friend of mine is quite the fanatic for Tabor, which make quite good wines in a variety of series. Besides the premium ($32) Mescha blend, I’m not familiar with the English names of the series, so I can’t comment more but they are worth seeking out.

I’m also thrilled to see the wines of Teperberg 1870 making their way out of Israel. Teperberg is one of the hidden values, in my humble opinion. Their Meritage blend is excellent, and their value Silver line is the best in wine that happens to be mevushal, but still great for young drinking. Their Reserve is also great and the Late Harvest Riesling was a pleasant surprise.

Yarden, the premium line of Golan Heights, has some sub-$20 wines that are well worth seeking out including a Blanc de Blanc and Brut sparkling wine (the Yarden Brut is to be phased out in favor of the new Gamla Brut) and a Chardonnay and single vineyard Odem Organic Vineyard Chardonnay as well as the high end Katzrin Chardonnay. The Gewurtzraminer is also quite nice for a spicy Asian dish. The dessert wine Heights Wine was the highest rated by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate and one of the best dessert wines I’ve ever had and highly recommended. Their Merlot, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier can also be found for under $20.

Yogev, from Benyamina, is also a very nice value wine.

Above $20

My recommendations for above $20 wines are easier because there is so much quality. Carmel makes a great regional series (called Appellation) and Single Vineyard. The Carmel old-vine Carignan is a fascinating earthy wine for those who enjoy that style. For $30-$40, the wines of Bazelet HaGolan are quite enjoyable and fruit-forward. Castel is always a winner with their ‘C’ Chardonnay, Petit Castel, and Grand Vin. The wines from Yatir are universally excellent and age-worthy. I’m a huge fan of Ella Valley but note that the wines sold in the United States as Ella Valley Vineyard are NOT the same as Ella Valley and I have no information on the Ella Valley Vineyards.

In Conclusion

Note what’s missing – the mass-market supermarket wines that are commonly found but not as good as the above (which may be the same price as the Barkan Classic and Yarden Mount Hermon).