The following article was originally posted on wines-israel.com. It is reprinted with permission.
Sparkling wine is the wine of fashion and celebration. Whether on New Year’s Eve or at a wedding, it remains the classic wine to make a toast with. It is also a symbol of success and happiness. The new ‘in’ wine in Israel is anything with bubbles. The many imported sparkling wines are generally covered by the almost generic terms of Champagne, Cava, Prosecco and Lambrusco.
Champagne is the byword for quality in sparkling wines. It is made in the Champagne region in France in the most expensive, time consuming way.

Cava is Spain’s national sparkling wine, which is made in the Catalonian region. It provides quality, but at a cheaper price than the French version.

Prosecco is the latest rising star. This is a light, soft, fruity sparkling wine made in the Veneto region of Italy. It is usually a little cheaper than Cava, and so is popular with those buying on price.Lambrusco is a semi sparkling wine, with a slight fizz. It may be red or white and in any style from dry to semi sweet.

Champagne is the ultimate expression of the art, which is replicated by ‘traditional method’ sparkling wines made elsewhere. Between the late 1950’s and 1980’s, Carmel was the first Israeli winery to produce ‘méthode champenoise’ sparkling wines. It was expensive undertaking needing a special work force as everything was done by hand. There was no market for expensive sparkling wine in those days and so they eventually stopped production. It was too unprofitable. The only remaining clue of a champagne past, are the old pupitres, which can still be seen at the Rishon Le Zion Cellars.

Carmel’s specialist winemaker for sparkling wines was Koby Gat. He was a Francophile and his main interest was in sparkling wines. As Carmel’s focus changed, his did also. He became the agronomist looking after Carmel’s vineyards and later ran the wine education department. The main wine flying the flag for Israel was President’s Sparkling wine, made primarily from Colombard grapes. It was initially made by the champagne method, and later by the charmat process. It was sold abroad as Brut Cuvée and Blanc de Blancs, all under the Carmel label. Another brand was Sambatyon. There was also a Chardonnay Sparkling Wine at in the early 1990’s.

It was then that Israel took a giant step forward to producing quality sparkling wine. The Golan Heights Winery sent their young, new winemaker, Victor Schoenfeld, to work for six months at Jacquesson Champagne to learn the secrets of the ‘champenoise.’ The Golan then invested in all the modern equipment to make champagne method sparkling wine. This time the process was mechanized and gyro-pallets were used instead of manual remuage. Their efforts resulted in three traditional method sparkling wines: Yarden Blanc de Blancs, Yarden Brut and Gamla Rose.

At the 1996 International Wine & Spirit Competition in London, Israeli sparkling wine arrived on the international stage. Yarden Blanc de Blancs, then a non-vintage wine, won the Trophy for The Best Bottle Fermented Sparkling Wine. This high profile award was repeated in 2003 when Yarden Blanc de Blancs 1997, by then a vintage wine, won the same trophy. The 1999 vintage also won a prestigious trophy at Vinitaly of 2006. These prizes were to the immense credit of the Golan Heights Winery. It showed that Israeli sparkling wine could be truly world class.

Today sparkling wine such as President’s, Brut Cuvée, Sambatyon, Yarden Brut and Gamla Rose are history. They are no longer made. However the choice of quality Israeli sparkling wines has never been better. These are the wines for New Years Eve or Sylvester’s parties and they are as good as any Cava or Prosseco! The range of Israeli sparklers goes from the frizzante Moscatos to the finest champagne method wines.

Young Selected Moscato, Golan Moscato & Young Selected Carignano – all 2011
These are light, fruity, easy drinking wines, with a touch of sweetness, and a slight sparkle. The two Moscatos are white and the Carignano is red. All are low alcohol.

Selected Sparkling, Selected Sparkling Rosé & Selected Sparkling Lite
The regular ‘extra dry’ white sparkling wine is made from Colombard and Sauvignon Blanc. It is light, fruity with a delicate and not too obvious sweetness.
The Selected Sparkling Rosé has a delicate berry fruit nose, is deliciously balanced and has an attractive salmon pink color. Selected Sparkling Lite is a semi sweet sparkling wine with only 7% alcohol.

Tabor Pninim White & Tabor Pninim Red
Tabor make two semi sparkling red and white wines. The white is made from Gewurztraminer and Viognier grapes and the red is made from Merlot. Both are semi dry, quaffable and may described as fun wines, to be enjoyed without pretension. The word ‘Pninim’ means pearls and is so named for the string of bubbles that constantly rise upwards in the glass.

Private Collection Brut & Private Collection Brut Rosé
The Private Collection Brut sparkling wine is made by the Charmat Method from Colombard and Chardonnay. The wine is refreshing, with an aroma of lime, green apple, with hints of lightly toasted bread. The Private Collection Brut Rosé is made from Chardonnay, Colombard and Syrah. Delicate pink in color, with a strawberry nose, this wine will be a good accompaniment to a wide range of first course dishes.

Tabor 562 Red & Tabor 562 White
The Tabor sparkling wines come in a white and red version. The red wine is the first genuine sparkling red wine in Israel and is made from Barbera grapes. It is fruity with a refreshing cranberry finish and is a fun, slightly unusual sparkling wine option. The white is made from Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon and has a refreshing citrus character.

Gamla Brut
Gamla Brut is made by the traditional method from 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir, grown in the relatively cool climate Golan Heights. The wine is left to age for one year at least before disgorging. The wine is bone dry, with good berry aroma and refreshing acidity.

Tishbi Brut
A bottle fermented sparkling wine made from French Colombard grapes, grown in the Shomron Region vineyards, in the southern Mt. Carmel region. The wine is aromatic, fruity, with a nice clean good lemony finish.

Yarden Blanc de Blancs 2005
Israel’s finest champagne method sparkling wine, made 100% from Chardonnay grapes grown on the Golan Heights. The wine is delicate with tropical fruit notes, and a toasty backdrop. It is of the quality of the finest champagne, but is a great deal better value.

Pelter Blanc de Blancs
A tiny production of traditional method sparkling wine, made from Chardonnay grapes grown in the Galilee and Golan. The wine rests for three years on its yeasts. The result is a fresh, aromatic and intense wine. The wine is rare, exclusive and very expensive.