Congratulations to Carmel Winery and winemaker Lior Laxter, and the whole team for Carmel Winery’s recent win at the Decanter World Wine Awards!

As Decanter described it:

Carmel Winery in Upper Galilee has beaten some of the world’s most renowned producers of Syrah and Shiraz at the Decanter World Wine Awards.

The Galilean winery last night won the Red Rhone Varietals Over £10 trophy for its Kayoumi Single Vineyard Shiraz 2008.

The winery, which this year celebrates its 120th harvest, was competing against some of the world’s most significant producers for the Red Rhone Varietal trophy at the Decanter World Wine Awards.

In the Rhone, names like Cellier des Dauphins, Guigal, Gabriel Meffre, Chene Bleu, Chapoutier were all up for the top prize

As were the Australians: Cape Mentelle, E&E, Charles Melton, d’Arenberg, Shaw & Smith among others.

The Kayoumi would have been tasted alongside these wines. Judges found it ‘Big, chunky, with earthy fruit, good spice and grip. Intense and voluptuous on the palate with plenty of oak. Great persistence and texture.’

That is a tasting note that any Shiraz producer would be proud of.

Israeli wines are not insignificant, and neighbouring Lebanon has some of the most renowned wineries in the world, but this is the first time they have taken a trophy from under the noses of the traditional producers.

Howard G Goldberg, decanter.com’s New York correspondent and an expert on wines from the Middle East, said, ‘Kayoumi has been delivering first-class single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon as well asa Shiraz and Chardonnay.’

He added that the victory comes at ‘a special moment for the Galilean winery, whose first harvest was in 1890.

Carmel was established as a vintners’ cooperative in 1882 with financing from Baron Edmond de Rothschild. It is Israel’s largest producer, with more than 13m bottles a year.

Carmel Winery’s Appellation Petite Sirah 2006 has been selected by Decanter Wine Magazine as Wine of the Month in their July 2010 issue.

This is the first time since the 1990’s that an Israeli wine has received this prestigious award. Decanter is one of the world’s most famous wine magazines with their contributors being a Who’s Who of the world of wine.  They include Hugh Johnson, Michael Broadbent, Stephen Brook, Stephen Spurrier and Andrew Jefford, amongst many others.

The Appellation Petite Sirah Old Vines is produced from 40 year old vines in the Judean Hills. The same wine also won a Gold Medal in the leading Israeli competition, Eshkol Ha’zahav. It is made 100% from Petite Sirah, an underrated variety and Israel is fast getting a name for producing it really well.

So far it has been a very successful year for Carmel both in Israel and internationally. The year the company celebrates its 120^th harvest has been a golden year. In recent months Carmel Winery:

• Received four gold medals at the BEST VALUE 2010 competition, which was the best equal result by any Israeli winery.
• Received four gold medals at the Eshkol Ha’Zahav 2010 competition – more than any other Israeli Winery.
• Won a Trophy at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2010 for Kayoumi Shiraz 2006. Carmel is the only Israeli winery to receive a Trophy in international competition this year. (A Trophy is one step above a Gold Medal.)
• Received the equal top score for an Israeli wine in a tasting by the Wine Spectator
• Carmel’s subsidiary Yatir Winery was awarded 91 points for the Yatir Forest 2004 and 2006 by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. Therefore Yatir Forest 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006 have now each been awarded between 90 – 93 pints by Robert Parker.
• Carmel’s 120 Brandy was awarded 95 points by Daniel Rogov.
• And now the Appellation Petite Sirah Old Vines has been selected at Wine of The Month by Decanter. An extremely rare award for an Israeli wine.

Those who live in Israel know that each year new Israeli wineries keep on opening up and new wines are constantly released. Old wineries keep on improving and competing with the best. With over 250 wineries in Israel, both certified kosher and not, the Israeli wine world has changed rapidly and it’s even hard for observers to keep up. Yet, despite the fact that Israel’s best wines have praised by the oracle of wine critics, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, there are still those who wrongly associate Israeli and kosher wine with memories of New York’s Manishewitz or ‘old Carmel’ kiddush wine.

While there is a plethora of blogs, magazines, and other media in Hebrew about Israeli wine, there is very little information available to the English-language audience. However, with the release of two new guidebooks from Israeli wine critic, Daniel Rogov, there’s no excuse left to not drink good kosher and Israeli wine.

Daniel Rogov’s Guide to Israeli Wines 2010 is the fifth edition of Rogov’s annual reviews of Israeli wines and each year the guide keeps on getting bigger. Daniel Rogov, the wine critic for the Israeli Ha’aretz newspaper and a contributor to Hugh Johnson and Tom Stevenson’s wine guides, tastes wines from the transformed Carmel Winery (who have followed an amazing revolution not only in their top level wines but also scoring high marks in their mid- and low-range series, Private Collection and Selected) to the medium-sized Teperberg, Pelter, and Tzora to the great tiny wineries, still unknown outside of Israel, like Sea Horse and Ye’arim.

For observers of Israeli wine, one of the most exciting things in Rogov’s Guide to Israeli Wine is his list of the top Israeli wines and wineries. This year, Daniel Rogov decided that he couldn’t limit his list of the best wines to just 10 top wines, but instead lists the 25 highest scoring wines (some widely available in the United States while others are available only in Israel’s finest restaurants and wine shops). In addition, while your memories of Israeli wine may include disparaging comments about Carmel, which has been producing wine in Israel for over a hundred years, they also make Rogov’s list of the 10 best wine producers, along with their sister-winery, Yatir. Other wineries making the list of Israel’s best 10 wineries include Golan Heights Winery, Flam, Pelter, Castel, and Galil Mountain.

Besides Rogov’s exclusive tasting notes of the constantly improving world of Israeli wines (which make the book worth it themselves), the Guide to Israeli Wines also includes introductory sections describing the Land of Israel’s 2000-year-old wine history, information on grape varieties in Israel and vintage reports since 1976.

Despite the fact that while most Israeli wines are kosher, most Israeli wineries are not. Therefore, Rogov also includes a short description of the rules to make kosher wine and a brief description of the kosher wine making process. It’s worth nothing that Rogov, certainly not an observant Jew, remarks that “there need be no contradiction whatsoever between the laws of kashrut and the production of fine wine.” Yet, for too long kosher wine — particularly that made outside of Israel — had cultural connections either to cheap plonk or sickly sweet Concord grape (an American innovation, it must be noted – in Europe and Israel, Jews have always drank dry kosher wine) that charitably reminded those unlucky enough to drink it to cough medicine.

That world of undrinkable kosher wine is long gone, as Rogov’s new book, Guide to Kosher Wine 2010, attests. While Daniel Rogov has long been recognized as an authority of kosher wine not only of Israel, it has taken time for quality kosher wine to be produced by wine makers outside of Israel. And, even today, most of the best kosher wines still come from Israel. Therefore, until this year Rogov did not see a need to produce a separate guide to the world’s best kosher wines, because many of them were listed in Rogov’s guides to Israeli wines.

While there have been some quality wines being produced for quite some time, most Jews are exposed to kosher wine in kosher restaurants or s’machot. However, unlike in Israel and Europe, most kosher caterers and kosher restaurants only serve wines that are mevushal (flash pasteurized). With rare exception (such as California’s Herzog and HaGafen wineries), the best kosher wines are not mevushal. Of the 500 best kosher wines from around the world, very few of them (and none in Israel) are mevushal. Thus, even much of the kosher-drinking public in North America are not familiar with most of the world’s best kosher wines.

Top kosher wines come in all styles – from a dry red Syrah, to a refreshing rose, or a fruity Sauvignon Blanc, to a sweet dessert wine like a late harvest Riesling or Gewurtzraminer. Rogov’s extensive list, divided by region and style, covers wines not only from Israel but also from the likes of France, Italy, America, Hungary, Austria, South Africa, South America, and more. This extensive guide underscores the diversity of kosher wine, from the Italian Barbera D’Alba to the Californian Zinfandel and the Israeli Syrah and the Spanish Cava.

While the diversity and unfamiliar terms can be overwhelming at times, particularly for those readers who are unfamiliar with most wines and overwhelmed by the variety and diversity, both Daniel Rogov’s Guide to Israeli Wine and Guide to Kosher Wine provide a guide to the best way to learn about wine: drinking different wines and deciding what you like best. Daniel Rogov also helps the new wine drinker with a helpful dictionary of terms that appear in the book, as well as descriptions of wine varietals, and suggestions for how to taste and evaluate wine.

Both Daniel Rogov’s Guide to Israeli Wine and his new Guide to Kosher Wine have enough information and new reviews to satisfy the most dedicated and committed oenophiles, as well as useful information, articles, and essays to educate those whose memories of kosher and Israeli wines leave a little something to be desired.

L’Chaim! To Life! And good wine from Israel and around the world. Luckily, Daniel Rogov’s new guides will make it much easier to find this. They also make excellent holiday gifts for Chanukkah or Christmas.

Daniel Rogov’s Guide to Israeli Wine is coming out in a few weeks for 2010 (How did that happen?). He’s been publishing this annual guide to Israeli wine for the past several years and it keeps on getting bigger and bigger.

One of the most interesting sections of Daniel Rogov’s Israeli wine tasting guide is his annual ranking of the Top 10 Best Wineries in Israel.

In 2009, Daniel Rogov picked the following wineries:

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

I suspect, however, that there will be the some changes in Daniel Rogov’s 2010 Guide to Israeli Wine.

What do you think? Can you predict Rogov? Outguess other readers?

Wine Spectator is currently holding its 2009 Video Content and 9 finalists have been announced. Among the video finalists is a little known wine critic named Daniel Rogov talking about wine from a little known wine region called ISRAEL.

Unfortunately, I can’t embed the video but it’s available here (and then click here to Wine Spectator’s site to actually vote). After watching Daniel Rogov, as the old school “Expert Source” (and yes, he really is like that!), along with the beautiful Mirra Manevich and Tal Averbuch of Premier Cru, solve the mystery of kosher wine and see why the myth of bad kosher wine still exists (hint, it’s not because of Israel but rather a certain winery from upstate New York), please VOTE for Wine Detective in the Wine Spectator contest.

Incidentally, after voting for the video, you can check out a few stills at winedetective.tv

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!

Galil Mountain Winery, one of the best new world wineries in Israel, has just launched a new wine, which is going to replace their Yiron Syrah. Called the Meron, it is a blend of 78% Syrah, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 11% Petit Verdot.

It is now available in Israel’s best wine shops and, I hear, highly recommended. I have not yet had a chance to pick up this fine wine but am thinking about picking up a bottle of it in the next few weeks.

Daniel Rogov’s tasting note follows:

Galil Mountain, Meron, 2006: The term chutzpah in Hebrew is always taken as negative but in Yiddish can have quite positive meanings. It is thus in the Yiddish sense that I observe that winemaker Micha Vaadia indeed is showing chutzpah, for this is the first time I have ever encountered a blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. At first thought that might seem an odd combination of the Rhone and Bordeaux but on reflection and after tasting the wine, it is most surely neither of those but a uniquely Israeli combination and one that works very well at that. This full-bodied, softly tannic blend of 78% Syrah and 11% each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot most assuredly represents the terroir of the Upper Galilee. An aromatic wine, with a distinctly blueberry scented nose, opens nicely in the glass to reveal a rich array of aromas and flavors, those including blackberries, cassis, cranberries and freshly snipped rosemary and thyme, those yielding on the generous finish to hints of what at one moment seems to be spearmint at another eucalyptus. Long and generous, reflecting its 16 months in French oak with a tantalizing note of white pepper. Fully enjoyable now but best from mid-2010-2015, perhaps longer. Score 92. K

Israel’s premier food and wine critic, Daniel Rogov, is featured in an article in Hadassah Magazine. The Brooklyn-born, European-trained, Israeli-resident discusses his favorite foods, how he got to Israel, his background, and the quality revolution taking place in Israel.

The article about this Mediterranean food and wine critic can be found here and the entire contents of this month’s Hadassah Magazine is online here.

Daniel Rogov, Israel’s premier wine critic, has reviewed several great Israeli wines in recent editions of Ha’aretz.

For the hot summertime, rose’s are the perfect wine, even if they have gotten a bad rap. Rogov’s reviews of some great roses are at http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1086863.html
His TNs:

Chateau Golan, Royal Reserve, Rose, 2008: Made entirely from Cabernet Franc grapes, developed partly in stainless steel and briefly in used barriques. Medium-bodied, with appealing red and black berries, strawberries and red currants on a spicy background. Plenty of good acidity here. A more than usually complex rose. Drink now. Score 89.

Tabor, Adama, Rose, Charsit, 2008: Ruby to cherry red, medium-bodied, a lovely rose, fresh, crisp and full of life, with the most positive kinds of tutti-frutti aromas and flavors that include strawberries, raspberries, red currants and just a tantalizing hint of bubble-gum to tease our palates. Rose as rose should be. Drink now. Score 89. K

Recanati, Rose, 2008: Somewhere between rose petal pink and the color of strawberry juice, a blend of 80% Barbera and 20% Merlot with minimal skin contact. Fresh, firm and crisply dry with appealing notes of strawberries, berries and dried cherries followed by hints of white pepper and red licorice on the finish. Sits easily on the palate. Drink now. Score 88. K

Vitkin, Israeli Journey, Pink, 2008: Light cherry red, a rose primarily of Carignan and Syrah with small amounts of Tempranillo and Cabernet Franc blended in. Crisply dry and generously fruity, shows a low nose but opens to appealing aromas and flavors of strawberries, raspberries and black cherries, those with floral and spicy overtones. Medium-bodied, crisply dry and refreshing, strong enough to stand up to chicken and veal dishes. Drink now. Score 88.

Dalton, Rose, 2008: Made entirely from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, with very short skin contact. Peach-blossom pink, with wild berry and cassis fruits matched by an appealing hint of grapefruit peel. Off-dry and lively, fine on its own or a good match to fish, seafood and chicken salads. Drink now. Score 87. K

Avidan, Petite Soleil Rose, 2008: A true potpourri, this deep cherry-red wine rose is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz, Grenache, Carignan and Pinot Noir. Although it seems that just about everything “left over” was used here. the result is a success. The medium-bodied wine shows a fruity nose and appealing raspberry, cassis and cranberry fruits. Think of this not so much as a true rose, but as a light and refreshing red. A fun and easy-to-drink wine. Drink now. Score 87.

Binyamina, Yogev, Rose, 2008: Light rose-petal pink in color, opens quietly but develops nicely after a few minutes in the glass. Good acidity here to keep the raspberry, strawberry and citrus peel notes lively and refreshing. Rose as rose should be. Drink now. Score 87. K

Galil Mountain, Rose, 2008: Light- to medium-bodied and with refreshing acidity, a crisply dry, rose-petal pink colored wine showing an appealing tutti-frutti array of red fruits. Drink now. Score 87. K

Shiloh, Rose, 2007: Somewhere in color between rose-petal pink and cherry-red, a crisply dry rose. A blend of Barbera and Cabernet Franc allowed only short skin contact, showing appealing raspberry, strawberry and blueberry fruits. A most pleasant quaffer, medium-bodied and well enough done to stand up nicely to grilled fish or chicken dishes. Drink up. Score 87. K

Tzora Vineyards, Rose, Gvat HaChalukim, 2007: Made from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, pale pink with an orange tint, light- to medium-bodied. Showing berry, cherry and watermelon notes, a dry wine with a creeping hint of sweetness. Drink up. Score 86. K

Rogov also reviews that old favorite (or not, depending on how old you are): Carmel Winery.Today’s Carmel Winery produces excellent world-class wines that are beyond enjoyable — they are heavenly. Rogov has this to say about Carmel:

From time to time I stand back and look at the Carmel Winery with a sense of continued amazement, reflecting on the quantum leap in quality that the winery has made in the last five years. Among the signs that the winery intends to continue in the direction of producing wines of increasing interest to even the most sophisticated wine lovers are the selections in their Regional series, also known as their Appellation series. Simply stated, they are excellent wines at reasonable prices and well worth exploring.

Here is just one TN:

Carmel, Carignan, Old Vines, Appellation, Zichron Yaakov, 2006: A super-dark garnet blend of 85 percent Carignan and 15 percent Petit Verdot. The Carignan comes from 35-40-year-old very low-yield wines with no irrigation. It’s a blockbuster on first attack, but the firm tannins and generous wood settles down nicely to reveal a rich array of plum, red cherry, raspberry and currant fruits all supported nicely by hints of cocoa and spices. Look as well for a generous mocha-rich finish. Drink now-2011. NIS 80. Score 90. K

Psagot Winery is an interesting new winery located just outside of Jerusalem that is available in the United States. Daniel Rogov recently conducted his annual tasting of their wines and this is what he has to say about it:

 

Located in the northern Jerusalem Mountains, overlooking Wadi Kelt (Nachal Prat), the winery was founded by Na’ama and Ya’akov Berg, who planted their first vineyards in 1998. In addition to a modern barrel cellar, some of the oak barriques are stored in a cave dating back to the 2nd Temple, that containing ancient pressing facilities, which maintains 90% humidity and temperatures up to 18 degrees Celsius. Relying on Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Viognier and Chardonnay grapes, the winery’s top-of-the-line wine is a Bordeaux blend named Edom. Regular varietal wines are produced in the Psagot series and there is also a Port-style wine. Production from the 2007 and 2008 vintages was of about 65,000 bottles annually and anticipated production for 2009 is for 80,000 bottles.

Wines are exported to the USA and other countries. Prices in Israel for the Edom wines are about NIS 110; in the Psagot series about NIS 80-90; and the Single Vineyard Wine, yet to be released, will probably debut at about NIS 170 per bottle.

Psagot, Edom, 2007 (Advance Tasting): A Bordeaux blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petit Verdot, showing still firm tannins and generous acidity, those needing a bit of time to settle down. Dark garnet in color, opens with black fruits and spicy wood, yields to red fruits and hints of Mediterranean herbs, all leading to a generous finish. Drink from release-2013. Score 89. K (Tasted 7 May 2009).

Psagot, Edom, 2006: A blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon and 33% Merlot, with the remainder made up of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Medium- to full-bodied, generously but not aggressively oaked, with firm tannins just now starting to settle in. Opens with red currants and raspberries, those parting to make way for plums and black fruits on an earthy-herbal background all with a light bitter streak that some will find appealing and others not. Drink now–2010. Score 86. K (Re-tasted 7 May 2009)

Psagot, Edom, 2005: My earlier tasting note holds firmly. Deep garnet in color, this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (75% and 25% respectively) opens with a rich vanilla and white chocolate nose, then settles down in the glass to reveal aromas and flavors of black cherries, plums and currants. Medium- to full-bodied, with soft but mouth-coating tannins, a good touch of spicy cedar wood and on the finish an appealing earthy minerality. Drink now or in the next year or so. Score 88. K (Re-tasted 7 May 2009)

Psagot, Edom, 2004: This blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Merlot reflects its 14 months in barriques with firm but nicely integrating tannins, spicy and vanilla-rich oak and, on the nose and palate, blackberries, currants and an appealing hint of freshly turned earth. A solid effort, with a long berry-rich finish. Drinking nicely but not for much longer cellaring. Drink now or in the next year or so. Score 87. K (Re-tasted 7 May 2009)

Psagot, Merlot, 2007 (Advance Tasting): Aromatic, medium-, perhaps medium- to full-bodied, with plum, raspberry and a hint of spicy licorice. Soft, gently gripping tannins lead to a round finish. Drink now–2011. Score 87. K (Re-tasted 7 May 2009)

Psagot, Cabernet Franc, 2007: Aromatic, opening with a nose of eucalyptus, tar and spicy wood.. Medium- to full-bodied, showing a hint of muscle going on to reveal dark plum, currant, tobacco and mocha notes, those on an appealing background of freshly cut herbs. A solid effort. Best 2010-2013. Score 90. K (Tasted 7 May 2009)

Psagot, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2007: Showing much as at an earlier tasting. Deep garnet towards royal-purple, oak-aged for 13 months, full-bodied, with firm tannins and smoky wood settling in nicely now and showing rich and generous with well-focused red and black currant fruits overlaid with hints of cocoa and cedar wood. Drink now–2011. Score 88. K (Re-tasted 7 May 2009)

Psagot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Single Vineyard, 2007: Almost impenetrable inky-dark garnet in color, full-bodied, and with generous oak waiting to settle down and reflect the wine’s inherent good balance. On the nose and palate ripe currant, blackberry and citrus peel notes , those complemented by notes of sweetened chewing tobacco and mocha. Best 2010-2013, perhaps longer. Score 90. K (Tasted 7 May 2009)