Israeli wine has finally been covered in my hometown newspaper, The Washington Post. This article in the travel section of the Washington Post, by NPR correspondent Linda Gradstein and fellow Jerusalemite, discusses the wines around Jerusalem. In fact, I think there are more wineries now in the Judean Hills than in Zichron Ya’akov, home of the traditional Israeli wineries.

Wineries such as Sea Horse, Castel, Agur, Hans Sterbach, Tzora, Tzuba, Teperberg, and more are in the Jerusalem/Judean Hills area.

Information on the specific wineries can be found in the sidebox article, featuring contact information for Castel, Sternbach, Mony, Sea Horse, and the local tourism group.

According to Gradstein:

The climate of the Judean Hills around Jerusalem is perfect for wine grapes: It’s hot by day but cool even on summer nights. And, of course, wine professionals talk about the area’s terroir, the soil characteristics that give a wine its unique taste.

One of the most interesting wineries mentioned is Ze’ev Dunie’s (non-kosher) Sea Horse Winery. Dunie, a former filmaker, makes some of Israel’s most unique and interesting wines. If you’re a Zinfandel fan, this is the winery to check out!

"If cabernet and merlot are classical music — serious, aristocratic, dressed in a suit and tie — syrah and zinfandel are jazz: sensual, warm, simultaneously complex and rich in taste," Dunie says.

And his wines have cool names. The zinfandel is called Lennon, and a cabernet blend is called Fellini. Dunie also is about to come out with a white wine made of chenin blanc grapes, which he says is the first in Israel.