My Israeli wine buddy Richard Shaffer of Israeli Wine Direct has just placed Israeli wine in my favorite city and hometown: Washington DC

Watch his video

In honor of Gary Vaynerchuk’s appearance in Wednesday’s New York Times, I’ve compiled my own Top 10 Reasons Why I love Gary V!

10 Reasons why I love Gary Vaynerchuk

10. Gary V reminds me a little of myself.

Gary Vaynerchuk turned his father’s Shoppers Discount Liquor into the $60 million a year Wine Library. My father also used to own a liquor store (as did my uncle and grandfather) but it was definitely not a $60 million a year business.

9. Gary V has passion. ‘Nuf said

8. Gary V’s really a closet geek. I mean, who else would post pictures of himself in a powder blue suit on Facebook? More importantly, who EVER owned a powder blue suit?

Dude, what’s up with his hair?

7. Gary V is a tech geek.

6. Gary V does his research. Dude learned wine from reading Wine Spectator before he was 21 and eating all sorts of food that was mentioned in the tasting notes.

5. Gary V is a MOT (member-of-the-tribe). Sorry, he gets a bonus point for that.

4. Gary V is a great business man. Gotta admire that.

3. Gary V “gets” social media. Heck, Gary V practically invented Wine 2.0.

2. Daniel Rogov respects Gary V and Gary V respects Rogov! (OK, that’s 2 reasons)

1. Gary V loves wine from Israel!

Israeli wine flows onto international shelves

The following is from the Reuters wire service. Read the full article at Reuters

JERUSALEM (Reuters Life!) – Israeli wine has long stirred up associations with the syrupy libations of religious rituals, but modern techniques imported from top winemaking nations are now helping it find space on shelves from Paris to New York.

“Today, you’ll find that people are looking for Israeli wines that meet international standards and the good thing is we are actually producing wines like that,” Israeli wine critic Daniel Rogov says in an interview at a busy Tel Aviv wine shop.

“There is no contradiction between wines that are kosher and wines that are excellent.”

Israeli wineries, both industrial-scale and boutique, make over 33 million bottles a year, according to the Israeli Wine Council, but the vast majority of Israeli wine is kosher or made in accordance with Jewish dietary laws.

Whilst the rabbinical seal has long been associated with wines made to appeal to observant Jews rather than connoisseurs, the quality of Israeli wines is improving, helped by government incentives for smaller producers, and some vintages are now garnering international plaudits.

Robert Parker, among the world’s most influential wine critics, has heaped praise and points on some 40 Israeli wines. Fourteen of them won more than 90 out of a maximum 100 points in Parker’s rating system.

Wines from neighboring Lebanon, which traces its winemaking industry back over 4,000 years, have been winning international awards for decades. Israel enjoys the same Mediterranean climate.

Weighing in with 93 points was the red 2003 Yatir Forest label from a subsidiary of Carmel Winery.

Due to copyright restrictions, I am not posting the rest of the article. Read the rest from http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE57H1R520090818

Who are the top ten wineries in Israel? According to Daniel Rogov they are:

1. Golan Heights Winery (Katzrin, Yarden, Gamla)
2. Margalit
3. Yatir
4. Domaine du Castel
5. Clos de Gat
6. Flam
7. Chateau Golan
8. Carmel (Limited Edition, Single Vineyard, Appellation)
9. Galil Mountain
10. Pelter

(This list is from Daniel Rogov’s 2009 Guide to Israeli Wine)

Much better than I could ever take, here are some photos of the Jerusalem Wine Festival held August 2009 at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem

(These beautiful photographs are courtesy of Jessica Korman, The F Stops Here)

One of the challenges about writing about Israeli wine is that the story is still not out. Particularly outside of the observant kosher wine-drinking population (who then ignore great wines like Clos de Gat, Flam, Pelter, Saslove, etc.), many people still have never drank Israeli wine. Reading comments on Gary Vaynerchuk’s Wine Library TV pages and even on forums like Rogov’s forum, more and more people are interested in tasting the fine wines from Israel, but still don’t know where to get it.

As a useful resource, I am compiling a handful of places one can purchase Israeli wine (primarily online) as well as a few importers. If you can’t order wine online, bring the list of importers to your favorite wine shop or restaurant and ask them to carry wine from Israel. There are also two wine clubs that offer wine delivery to your door. For some Israeli wines, you can also look and see if there is a kosher grocery store in your area and see what their wine selection is — although be warned that quality can vary. As with any purchase, make sure you pay attention to the vintage – some stores may sell wine that is past its peak, particularly at bargain prices.

If you know of other or have recommendations of retailers, please leave them in the comments.

ONLINE RETAILERS (IN THE UNITED STATES)

Israeli Wine Direct – http://www.israeliwinedirect.com

Israeli Wine Direct is bringing in unique wines, both kosher and non-kosher wines. They have an exclusive collection of some of Israel’s best non-kosher wines. IWD sells both direct-to-consumer in 15 states and also direct-to-trade. Ask your favorite restaurant and wine shop to carry some of IWD’s selection.

Queen Anne’s Wines – http://wine-club.stores.yahoo.net/index.html

This retailer in Teaneck, NJ also has an e-commerce site that sells a large selection of Israeli wine.

Gotham Wines and Liquors – http://www.gothamwines.com/

This New York retailer carries both kosher Israeli wines and is one of the few sources for non-kosher Israeli wines, including a large selection of wines from Clos de Gat,

KosherWine.com — http://www.kosherwine.com/

KosherWine.com is the online division of Hungarian Kosher Foods in Skokie, IL. They have a large selection of kosher wines from around the world and one of the largest selection of kosher Israeli wines. Their well-developed website allows easy searching and filtering.

Online Kosher Wine https://wwws.onlinekosherwine.com/

Online Kosher Wine, based on the east coast, is similar to KosherWine.com but they have a slightly different selection of wines. I’ve found that they have more wines from great new wineries like Teperberg 1870.

ONLINE RETAILERS (IN ISRAEL)

Olive Wines – http://www.olivewines.com/

Olive Wines has kosher wines and ships them from Jerusalem. This site is in English. Prices are in shkalim.

Wine Depot – http://www.winedepot.co.il/

This Hebrew site has a large selection of Israeli wines, both kosher wines and non-kosher wine.

WINE CLUBS

Israel Wine Company – http://israelwinecompany.com

From California, Israel Wine Company offers a wide selection of wines from Israel, from the smallest boutique to the best of the medium producers. They have great wine gift packs and the ability to create custom wine gift selections. Their selection includes both kosher and non-kosher. Run by Ari Erle, he also produces wine in Israel and will have his own wine available.

Israeli Wine Direct – http://www.israeliwinedirect.com

Israeli Wine Direct, the exclusive importer of some of Israel’s finest wine and particularly some of Israel’s best non-kosher boutique wineries, also has a wine club which provides a sampler of some of their selection.

IMPORTERS

Israeli Wine Direct – http://www.israeliwinedirect.com

Israeli Wine Direct sells both direct-to-trade and direct-to-consumer and is the exclusive importer for some of Israel’s best boutique wineries.

Yarden, Inc. – http://www.yardenwines.com/

Yarden, Inc. is the exclusive supplier of wines from the Golan Heights Winery and the Galil Mountain Winery. If you can’t find their wines in your favorite wine shop, have them be in touch.

Palm Bay International — http://www.palmbayimports.com

Palm Bay Imports is the importer of Recanati Winery.

Sol Stars – 212-605-0430, HHassin@aol.com

Sol Stars is the importer for Clos de Gat, a top non-kosher boutique producer.

Dionysus Imports- dionysos91@hotmail.com

This Virginia importer is the DC/MD/VA source for wine from Agur and Ben Hanna Wines.

Allied Importers – http://www.alliedimporters.com/

Allied Importers carries wines from Dalton Winery as well as a few other producers.

Abarbanel Wine Company — http://www.kosher-wine.com

This kosher wine distributor carries Katlav and Kadesh Barnea Wine.

Royal Wine Corp. – http://www.royalwines.com/

The ‘granddaddy of kosher wine’, this importer imports the most Israeli wine into the United States. Don’t let their kosher marketing fool you – they have great wines from Israel that happen to be kosher. They have an extremely wide selection of wine, including Domaine du Castel, Carmel, and Yatir as well as mass-market producers. Since the 2007 vintage, they also carry wine from the previously nonkosher Agur. They probably have the largest selection of Israeli wines.

Carmel’s quality revolution is not over. In the past few years, Carmel Winery has made serious changes in management, viticulture, and structure. They created new excellent top level wines including the Appellation series which provides great value-for-money and the Single Vineyard smash hits. Slowly and unnoticed by us “wine snobs” their supermarket Selected and Private Collection brands have also significantly improved in quality. With the 2007 Private Collection series, Carmel has taken the next leap forward. I’ve known about these changes in the Israeli wine world for a few months and have been in anticipation of finally being able to release the great news.

Three major changes have taken place with this latest vintage:

1. Private Collection wines will not be mevushal - neither in Israel nor abroad. For the past several years, Private Collection wines were not mevushal in Israel (where it’s less of a concern even among kosher wine drinkers) but they were mevushal abroad due to the different requirements of the kosher wine industry, particularly in North America. Yet, the mevushal (flash pasteurizing) process is the one – and only – issue in kosher wines that can lower quality. So, in the name of quality (even if it means foregoing some the kosher restaurant market in North America and kosher banquet-hall events), Private Collection wines – including those sold outside of Israel – will no longer be mevushal. Those who are used to this wine outside of Israel will see an increase in quality and improved cellaring potential.
2. Improved branding/new labels – Branding and wine marketing is more than just a passion of mine, it is reality. People don’t drink wine if the label is ugly or if it’s associated with past vintages. Carmel and especially the Carmel Private Collection still has a bad reputation due to Carmel’s past history. So, people avoid the wine based on the past – not the present. So, beginning with the 2007 vintage Carmel will have a new label – reprinted below.
3. Significant raise in quality. Carmel’s wines keep on getting better and better. Just look at Rogov’s newly released tasting note for the newly released Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot (and remember, this is the Private Collection, not the higher end series):

Carmel, Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot, 2007: A blend of 50% each Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, aged partly in stainless steel and partly in French and American oak. Medium- to full-bodied, with soft tannins and a gentle spicy wood influence, opening in the glass to show black and red berries and notes of purple plums on a background that hints of vanilla and cinnamon. Drink now-2010. Suggested retail price NIS 50. (About US$ 14) Score 87. K (Tasted 2 Aug 2008)

I plan on picking up a bottle (or more) of the 2007 Carmel Private Collection. What about you?