The BBC has a great profile of Domaine du Castel, a great winery that I discovered several years ago.

When you think of the world’s great wine producers Israel is not a name that often crops up. But Eli Ben Zaken is trying to change that.

What started as a hobby is now an international business, but as his success has grown so too has the competition in the hills around Jerusalem.

So is there enough business to go around? Philip Hampsheir went to Castel, 30 minutes outside Jerusalem, to find out.

(The following article first appeared on wines-israel and is reprinted w/ permission To order Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book 2011 please click here.)

The new Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book 2011 has been published by Mitchell Beazley, London. This is the annual, mini-encyclopedia written by Englishman, Hugh Johnson. It is the world’s largest selling wine book and is translated into many languages and sold around the world. Hugh Johnson is the world’s most distinguished and prolific wine writer.

The book is like a Michelin guide in that it gives a rating to Israeli wineries. There is no other international book that features so many Israeli wineries. It was first published in 1977 and since then has been published annually. Hugh Johnson is helped by an editorial team, some of them famous wine journalists in their own right  and carefully chosen experts in each region. This year Israel is placed in a new Eastern Mediterranean section that includes Cyprus, Lebanon and Turkey, as well as Israel. There are a record thirty Israeli wines listed. Last year there were twenty six. The new additions are: Alexander, Avidan, Mony and Zion. Both Domaine du Castel and Yatir Winery have succeeded in holding on to their four star rating. This puts them amongst some of the finest wineries in the world. Wineries that have advanced since last year are: Clos de Gat, Galil Mountain, Pelter, Ella Valley, Tzora and Binyamina. Each of these wineries has succeeded to improve their rating.

Barkan-Segal, Carmel, Galil Mountain and Tabor receive recognition for having good value wines. The Margalit Special Reserve receives a notation of being particularly enjoyed by Hugh Johnson, himself.

In his introduction to the Israel section, Johnson writes that Israel has become: “a young, dynamic wine industry.” He also writes that the best growing regions are the Upper Galilee, Golan Heights and Judean Hills adding: “… but (typically of the Israelis), they also have vineyards in the desert.”In comments on the Eastern Mediterranean, Johnson writes: “Lebanon…and Israel… have progressed no end in the last ten years and are producing some high-quality reds. War and violence make this a difficult area for wine-growers, so the courage of Israeli and Lebanese winemakers should be encouraged – better to make wine than war.”

In an aside, entitled ‘Grapes of the moment,’ he comments on how strange it is that there are no indigenous varieties in Israel, when there are so many in Cyprus and Turkey. However he notes that the “varietal menu is not entirely standard”, mentioning: Cabernet Franc, Carignan, Petite Sirah and Petit Verdot.In his introduction to the book, he reminds readers he does not like wine scores. He writes: “This book doesn’ t do wine-by-wine judgements. No scores. The one-to-four star code is my take on the winery…as a presence in the market.” He therefore differentiates his world view from the American style of scores out of 100, as represented by Robert Parker and the Wine Spectator.

Hugh Johnson is well-known for his books: ‘The Story of Wine’ (on history), ‘The World Wine Atlas’, which he now writes with Jancis Robinson MW; ‘The Wine Companion’,which has recently been updated by Stephen Brook; and ‘The Art and Science of Wine’, about winemaking and viticulture, which he authored with James Halliday. Each of these are classics, which form the basis of any wine lover’s library.

He has also written his autobiography ‘Wine – A Life Uncorked.’Hugh Johnson visited Israel in the late 1980’s for his TV series on the The Story of Wine. He observed the early days of the Israeli wine revolution. He observed the early days of the Israeli wine revolution, and as his World Wine Atlas and Wine Companion indicate, he is well informed on Israeli wines. The full ratings from Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book  2011 are:

FOUR STARS **** Domaine du Castel

THREE TO FOUR STARS ***>**** Yatir Winery

THREE STARS *** Clos de Gat, Golan Heights, Margalit

TWO TO THREE STARS **>*** Carmel, Chateau Golan, Flam, Galil Mountain, Pelter

TWO STARS ** Barkan-Segal, Ella Valley, Recanati, Saslove, Tulip, Tzora, Vitkin

ONE TO TWO STARS *>** Agur,  Alexander,  Avidan,  Binyamina,  Chillag,  Dalton,  Sea Horse, Tabor

ONE STAR * Bazelet Hagolan, Mony, Tishbi, Teperberg, Zion

(The Following article is from wines-israel and reprinted with permission).

Mony Winery is a cocktail which beautifully illustrates the variety and complexity of Israeli wine. It is an estate winery situated at a monastery, owned by a Christian Israeli Arab family, producing kosher wines, from monastery owned vineyards, made by a Jewish Canadian winemaker!

The Artul family, from the village of Maghar in the Galilee, leased the vineyards from Dir Rafat Monastery in the 1980′s and opened a winery in 2000, named after Dr.Mony Artul, the deceased son of Shakib Artul. The first vintage was in 2002 and they reverted to producing kosher wines in 2005. The 650 dunams of vineyards in the Sorek Valley, include numerous plots, spread over the hills surrounding the monastery. Apart from its estate wines, Mony also produces a very good quality olive oil.

They have recently taken a big and praiseworthy step by employing an internationally trained winemaker. This is rare for a boutique winery in Israel. The winemaker is Sam Soroka, who is considered one of the best and most experienced winemakers in Israel. He graduated at Adelaide University, worked for Wynns in Coonawarra, South Australia, and for BRL Hardy in Western Australia and in the Languedoc, South of France. In California he worked for Charles Krug and in Canada for the Henry of Pelham Winery in Niagra. In 2003 he came to Israel, joined Carmel Winery, opening their boutique winery at Zichron, and was there for six years. In 2009 he joined Mony.

The Jerusalem Wine Festival gave an oppotunity to taste the 2009 wines, the first wines produced by Sam Soroka. It is a clear there has been a huge leap in quality and this has become a winery to watch. Not only that, but the labels have also been simplified and improved. The leading label is the Reserve wines, and Sunny Hills is the mid range offering value for money. Classic is the name the entry level wines will carry.

The new wines include:

Mony French Colombard 2009
A lemon fresh, zingy wine made from French Colombard. This is one of the only varietals from Colombard on the market and a reminder that it grows well in Israel’s hot climate. This is the perfect apertif wine, representing great value.

Mony Chardonnay Reserve 2009
Initially cold fermented in stainless steel tanks, this wine was then transferred to French oak barrels. This is a refreshing wine, with aromas of peach and melon, and excellent balancing acidity. A modern style Chardonnay, it is not too oaky and a good wine to accompany food.

Mony Syrah 2009
This Syrah has a deep purple color, with a nose of forest fruits and a hint of black pepper. It is full flavored, and ready to drink now.
It is a wine which shows the potential of Mony’s vineyards, under the expertise of a really good winemaker.

Mony Claret 2009
A Bordeaux style blend, made from 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 34% Petit Verdot. This wine is still quite tannic, closed and full bodied. Not ready to drink yet, but it already shows a nose of ripe blackcurrant fruit, cassis with a backdrop of vanilla. Given time and it may be the best Mony wine produced to date and wets the appetite for the Reserve reds to follow. The name ‘Claret’ is the slang used by the British for a red wine produced in Bordeaux.

Mony Muscats 2009
There are two aromatic Muscats, one white and the other red, produced respectively from Muscat of Alexandria and Muscat Hamburg grapes. These are both sweet, fresh, aromatic, but give an impression of being semi sweet because of the acidity. Grapey and refreshing, but they need to be served very cold.

Mony Winery is on the rise. Dir Rifat Monastery is situated off Route 38 near Beit Shemesh, and the Mony Winery may be found in friont of the monastery, after Tzora Kibbutz and Teperberg Winery. Well worth a visit.

(The following article was written by Adam Montefiore for TASTED magazine and is reprinted with permission from wines-israel.com)

Israel is a ‘new world’ wine country, in one of the oldest wine regions on earth. In this Biblical land, one can find a curious combination of the new, old and ancient world of winemaking in a country no bigger than New Jersey or Wales. Ancient Israel, with roots going back deep into Biblical times, must have been one of the earliest wine producing countries – at least 2,000 years before the Greeks & Romans took the vine to Europe. It took a Rothschild to renew the tradition and create a modern wine industry.

Baron Edmond de Rothschild, owner of Château Lafite, founded Carmel Winery in 1882 and built two large wineries with deep underground cellars, at Rishon Le Zion and Zichron Ya’acov. Until today, they remain the two largest wineries in Israel. The cuttings were from Château Lafite and the first winemakers of Carmel were from Bordeaux. The initial advice and expertise was French, even the winemaker of Lafite, Charles Mortier, was one of the early consultants.

However in those days the interest in Israeli wine was not great and inexpensive bulk wine or sweet wine was what the market desired. The quality revolution only really arrived in 1980’s, when expertise was brought from California. It was the Golan Heights Winery, which introduced ‘new world’ viticulture and winemaking techniques, and their Yarden wines began be noticed.

In the 1990’s a new awareness of quality food and wine began to spread in Israel. A growing number of small wineries were formed. Most famous of these was Domaine du Castel, which was ‘found’ by Serena Sutcliffe MW, and then by Decanter magazine. The owner, Eli Ben Zaken, taught himself how to make wine from Emile Peynaud’s book on winemaking. Another was Margalit Winery, founded by Dr. Yair Margalit, a chemistry professor. Since the beginning of the 2000’s, wineries of the caliber of Yatir Winery and Clos de Gat were formed. Yatir was a pioneer of a total new region, and Clos de Gat, was Israel’s first true estate winery. Each received international recognition to draw attention to Israeli wines.

Since then, something close to a wine fever has gripped the country. The area of vineyards has increased to 5,000 hectares and there are now 35 commercial wineries and more than 250 wineries in all. The larger wineries are: Carmel, Barkan-Segal, Golan Heights, Teperberg, Binyamina, Galil Mountain, Tishbi, Recanati, Dalton and Tabor. The best of the smaller wineries are Castel, Yatir, Margalit, Clos de Gat, Chateau Golan, Flam, Pelter, Ella Valley, Saslove, and Vitkin. However all this is relative, because Israel is still a tiny wine country, producing even less than Cyprus. The difference though, is the focus is on development and ongoing improvements in quality.

The main quality red wines are made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. There are also some interesting varietal Cabernet Francs. Characterful Old Vine Carignans and Petite Sirahs give a hint of what Israel may become known for in the future. Amongst the whites, apart from Chardonnays and Sauvignon Blancs, there are also Gewurztraminers, Rieslings and Viogniers. Although Israel has won major awards for dry white wines and sparkling wines, it is probably best regarded for its red wines and dessert wines.

Israel is famed for its agriculture. Drip feed irrigation, which is used worldwide, was an Israeli invention that revolutionized the global agricultural industry. Israel’s viticulturists are technologically advanced and up to date. As an Eastern Mediterranean country, it is not a surprise that the climate is mainly Mediterranean. The country is divided into five registered wine regions: Galilee in the north, Shomron, Samson, Judean Hills and the Negev Desert, in the south. Like many thin countries, there are a surprising number of microclimates in so small an area. The most successful sub-regions for producing high quality wines are those with cooler climate and higher altitude, like the Golan Heights, Upper Galilee and Judean Hills.

Israel’s two most famous wineries remain Carmel and The Golan Heights. These are large wineries producing good value wines at every price point, but their best wines are amongst the finest in Israel. Carmel has vineyards all over Israel, including some quality old vine vineyards. The winery is particularly well-represented in the Upper Galilee, where it has a new small winery and a number of young vineyards. This is where their award winning Kayoumi Single Vineyard and most of their Appellation wines come from. The Golan Heights Winery is situated at Katzrin. Yarden and Gamla are produced from vineyards on the Golan Heights plateau. Carmel and Golan represent the terroirs of the Upper Galilee and Golan Heights respectively.

Israel’s most celebrated wineries are Domaine du Castel and Yatir Winery. Castel is situated in the mountains west of Jerusalem. Yatir Winery is situated in the north eastern Negev Dessert at Tel Arad, but the vineyards lie in Yatir Forest, Israel’s largest forest, at up to 900 meters above sea level. The repeated successes of both these wineries illustrate the growing respect being given to wines from the Judean Hills.

Most of Israel’s wineries are modern, technologically advanced and all the major wineries employ internationally trained winemakers, with experience in major wine producing countries. For example, the winemaker of the Golan Heights Winery, Victor Schoenfeld, is from California. He studied at U.C. Davis and had previous experience with Robert Mondavi. Carmel’s Lior Lacser, studied in Burgundy, worked in Burgundy and Bordeaux, including a spell with Michel Rolland. Eran Goldwasser, winemaker of Yatir, is a graduate of Adelaide University and included work experience at a Southcorp/ Fosters winery.

Lately, sommeliers, retailers and wine critics all over the world, are beginning to show new interest in Israeli wine. They are impressed by the youth, knowledge and dynamism of Israel’s viticulturists and winemakers. Critics are also reporting favourably. Castel was awarded four stars in Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book 2010. Yatir Forest, the premier label of Yatir Winery, scored 93 points, the best yet for Israel, in the Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate and Yarden Cabernet Sauvignon made the Wine Spectator’s Annual Top 100, for the first time. This does not hint at the depth and variety of the Israeli wine revolution. Robert Parker’s latest Wine Buyer’s Guide devotes nine pages to Israel. The previous edition did not feature even one Israeli wine!

The Eastern Mediterranean was the cradle of wine culture. Israel, like other countries in the region, reeks of wine through its history, archaeology, culture and religious ritual. It has had 5,000 years of practice, and finally the wines are of good quality, showing regional character and improving. Israel today is arguably producing the best quality wines to be found in the Eastern Medterranean.

Article written by Adam Montefiore for TASTED Magazine

Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn are all the rage, but we’ve been covering Israeli wine on social media for over 3 years!

Here are some great sources to discover Israeli wine on social media.

What are your favorites?

Support blue and white – become a fan of Israeli wine on Facebook.

Tweet tweet. Check out Israeli wine on Twitter.

The wineries are also in the act. Here are the wineries that I know to be on Facebook:

• Recanati Winery
• Yarden / Golan Heights Winery
• Galil Mountain Winery יקב הרי גליל  (Hebrew)
• Psagot Winery

What other sites are there or who is on Facebook and Twitter? I will create a list in a future post.

(This article first appeared on wines-israel.com and is reprinted with permission)

Two wines were recently launched on the same date, at the same venue, with a tasting by a select group of Israel’s leading wine journalists & critics. As the wines were tasted together, it was the perfect opportunity to compare the story and tasting notes of two of Israel’s finest wines.

The wines referred to are Carmel Limited Edition 2007, produced by Carmel Winery, and Yatir Forest 2007, produced by Yatir Winery. Both are Bordeaux style blends, made from similar grape varieties. Both are the flagship wines of their respective wineries.

Apart from these similarities, they could not be more different. One is made by Israel’s largest winery, the other by a relatively small, boutique winery. One is made from grapes grown in the north of Israel, the other in the south. One is made by a winemaker trained in the ‘Old World’ of winemaking, the other is made by a winemaker schooled in the ‘New World’. Comparisons of the two wines follow.

The Grape Varieties
The grape varieties for both wines are virtually the same and though the wines were made totally independently, there is not even much difference in the relevant percentages. The Carmel Limited Edition 2007 is made from 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Petit Verdot, 5% Merlot, 5% Malbec and 2% Cabernet Franc. The Yatir Forest 2007 is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Petit Verdot, 7% Merlot, and 7% Malbec.
It is interesting to note how Petit Verdot has become the second variety in both wines, whilst the importance of Merlot has declined. It is also noteworthy that Malbec has made its first appearance in both blends.

Wine Regions
However, the wine regions for the two wines represent totally different terroirs.
The grapes for Carmel Limited Edition were, for the first time, all sourced from the Upper Galilee. They were grown in the Kayoumi and Ben Zimra vineyards, not far from Mount Meron, at approximately an elevation of 800 to 900 meters and in the Alma and Netua vineyards in the Kadesh Valley, on the border with Lebanon, at about 450 meters altitude.
The Upper Galilee has become the main source of new vineyards in the Carmel quality revolution. Most of their quality wines come from there and it now rivals the Golan Heights as the best region for fine wines in Israel.
Yatir Forest was produced from vineyards in the southern tip of the Judean Hills at an elevation of up to 900 meters above sea level. The vineyards lie within Yatir Forest, which is Israel’s largest forest, planted in 1964. The terroir there, is arguably the most unique in Israel, being the meeting place between the Judean Mountains, the Judean Desert and the Negev Desert.
The vineyards for both wines are young, being planted in the late 1990’s or early 2000’s.

Vintage Report for 2007
In the Galilee, the winter was comparatively cold with a few especially cold spells. Ripening was slower than normal, but even. Yields were lower than in 2006, but the color & concentration of the grapes was good. It was therefore decided the quality merited making a Limited Edition, which had not been made in 2006.
In 2007 there was less rain than usual in Yatir Forest. The spring and early summer did not suffer from undue heat, but most of August there was a hamsin. The harvest was slightly later than usual.
However overall, the 2007 vintage was considered a good one for elegant, well-balanced wines. The quality was considered considerably better than the 2006 vintage and the wines are less bombastic than will be the case with the more powerful, higher alcohol 2008’s.

Harvest
The different time the harvest took place in the two regions illustrates one of the differences between the southern Judean Hills and the Upper Galilee. The grapes for the Limited Edition were harvested in October 2007, whilst the grapes for Yatir Forest were harvested at the beginning of September 2007. In both cases harvesting was mechanical and at night. The grapes for the Limited Edition were taken to Carmel’s Upper Galilee facility at Ramat Dalton, known as Kayoumi Winery, which has been in operation since 2004. The Yatir grapes were taken to Yatir Winery at Tel Arad in the north eastern Negev.

Winemaking
The grapes for the Carmel Limited Edition were fermented separately at Kayoumi Winery. Then each individual component was then aged separately in 300 liter French oak barrels, (40% new oak), for 15 months at Carmel’s Zichron Ya’acov Wine Cellars.
The Yatir Forest grapes were vinified and then aged separately in 225 liter French oak barrels for 16 months, ( 1/3rd new.) In both instances the wines were allowed to age quietly in bottle for a further 16 months before release.

Tasting Notes
The Carmel Limited Edition 2007 is deep purple in color with an aroma of blueberries, cassis, violets and tobacco leaves. There is a delicate balance between fruit, acidity and velvety tannins.
Yatir Forest 2007 is deep purple with a bouquet of ripe blackcurrant with a backdrop of Mediterranean herbs. It is in a style that combines power with tight elegance.
Both wines were only very coarsely filtered. The Limited Edition is 13.5% alcohol, the Forest 14%.

Winemakers
The winemakers of these two super-premium wines are respectively Lior Lacser, chief winemaker of Carmel Winery and Eran Goldwasser, winemaker of Yatir Winery. They are regarded as two of the finest, most progressive young winemakers in Israel.
Lior Lacser, 38 years old, trained as a lawyer before making a career change to become a winemaker. He studied in Beaune, worked at Domaine Comte Armand in Pommard and Chateau Le Bon Pasteur in Pomerol, including some time with celebrated winemaking consultant, Michel Rolland. He then traveled to Australia and had work experience at Harmans Ridge Estate in the Margaret River region of Western Australia. He joined Carmel in 2003 and became chief winemaker in 2005.
Eran Goldwasser, 39 years old, is a graduate of oenology at Adelaide University in Australia. Whilst there, he also worked at Rouge Homme, then a Southcorp owned winery in the Coonawarra region of South Australia. He also had experience at Salitage Winery at Pemberton, in the south west part of Western Australia. On his return he joined Yatir Winery and was responsible for the 2001 vintage, the first vintage of Yatir Forest to be released.

The Wineries
Carmel is Israel’s largest and most historic winery, founded in 1882 at Rishon Le Zion and Zichron Ya’acov, by Baron Edmond de Rothschild. The winery owns vineyards all over Israel, and is particularly well represented in the Upper Galilee.
Yatir Winery, a boutique winery founded in 2000, is Israel’s premier winery from the south of the country. It is situated at Tel Arad in the north eastern Negev.Their wines are sourced from vineyards in the southern Judean Hills. Yatir is 100% owned by Carmel, but is managed independently.
Carmel produces 15 million bottles a year, divided into six major brands or labels: Carmel, Single Vineyard, Appellation, Private Collection, Selected and Young Selected. By contrast, Yatir produces 120,000 bottles a year, divided into six different wines.

Labels
The Limited Edition label is in a traditional style similar to many Bordeaux wines, as befits a wine made as a Bordeaux style blend. It features a drawing of the historic Rishon Le Zion Wine Cellars on a light, cream label. The bottle is long and elegant, with a red capsule.
The Yatir Forest has a totally unique, innovative package with a little booklet instead of a traditional label, giving details of the winery, vineyards and wine.
The company logos on the labels give clues of the Biblical roots for Israeli wines. Carmel’s logo is of the two spies (Joshua and Caleb)returning from The Promised Land, carrying a large bunch of grapes on a pole between them. They reported to Moses that the land of Canaan ‘flowed with milk and honey’.
The Yatir Winery logo, a lion, is on a red wax-like stamp on the bottle. The lion was the emblem of the Tribe of Judah. The Tribe of Judah and the later province of Judea, resided where the current Yatir vineyards are grown.

Third Party Recognition.
Carmel Limited Edition has at best received 90 points for the 2004, from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate; 93 points for the 2003, from Daniel Rogov and was twice on the list of the 100 Most Exciting Wine Finds (2003, 2004), in Tom Stevenson’s Wine Report. The wine is rare amongst Israel’s de-luxe wines; comparatively low alcohol, with a delicate, elegant nose, refreshing on the palate with good acidity and soft tannins. Carmel Limited Edition is one of the leading wines in Israel produced in a more restrained, ‘Old World’ style.
Yatir Forest has at best received 93 points for the 2003 from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, the best score yet received for an Israeli wine. It also equaled the best score for an Israeli wine in the Wine Spectator, receiving 92 points for the 2005 from Kim Marcus. Tom Stevenson regarded the 2004 as by far the classiest Israeli wine he had ever tasted. Daniel Rogov gave the 2006 94 points and Oz Clarke gave it two stars in his Pocket Wine Book. The Yatir Forest wines from the 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 vintages, have each received 90+ points from the Wine Advocate.
The style is richer, more concentrated and velvety, even though later vintages show more elegance than previously. Yatir Forest is regarded as one of Israel’s finest wines.

Rothschild’s Vision
After his first visit to Israel in 1887, Baron Edmond de Rothschild insisted in planting the Bordeaux varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Malbec , because he wanted to make a quality Bordeaux style wine. He sent cuttings from Chateau Lafite and experts from Bordeaux. However it was not to come to pass because the growers wanted higher yields, the new vines got phylloxera and the market was not yet ready for a quality Israeli wine.
Fast forward 120 years, and the company he founded, Carmel and its wholly owned subsidiary, Yatir, are both making high quality, Bordeaux style blends which are not only the flagship wines for the respective wineries, but also quality ambassadors for Israel abroad. How satisfied the Baron would be to see his vision realized and his dream come true. It took a long time, but what is 120 years, when Israel has been making wine for over 5,000 years?

A number of Israeli wineries are celebrating significant anniversaries in 2010: Carmel, Tishbi, Dalton, Galil Mountain and Recanati are all commemorating their milestones in different ways. Each has their own unique story. They have all given a great deal to the development of the Israel wine industry and each has contributed to the quality revolution of the last 20 years.

Galil Mountain – 10 Years
Galil Mountain is celebrating its tenth year. Situated at Yiron in the Upper Galilee, on the Lebanese border, Galil Mountain is a joint venture between the Golan Heights Winery and Kibbutz Yiron. The new winery represented the Golan Winery’s wish to have a foot in the Upper Galilee as well as on the Golan. The winery building showed a new way in design. The winery was built with aesthetics in mind, situated next to a vineyard and not on an industrial estate. The design was stylish, modern and practical. They produce about a million bottles a year from five Upper Galilee vineyards. Both the winery manager, Ronit Badler, and marketing manager, Carmit Erenreiche, are women. The winemaker is Micha Vaadia, who used to work for the Golan Winery. In 2009, Galil Mountain harvested 1,064 tons of grapes, which made it Israel’s sixth largest winery. The top of the line wines are two blends called Yiron and Meron. The winery is known for excellent value for money wines. The Avivim white and Pinot Noir are of particular interest. The wines are distributed in Israel by the parent company, the Golan Heights Winery.

Recanati Winery – 10 Years
Recanati Winery is also celebrating ten years. Founded in 2000 by Leni Recanati, from the well-known Recanati family, the winery is situated at Hefer Valley, near Hadera in the Sharon Plain. It was one of a number of wineries built at the beginning of the 2000’s, with the immediate goal of becoming a commercial winery. The involvement of Recanati , showed that someone known for success in the world of industry and big business, was prepared to invest in the local wine scene. By 2009, Recanati was harvesting 970 tons of grapes which made it Israel’s 8th largest winery. The winery’s best wines come from Upper Galilee vineyards. The manager of the winery is Noam Yaacobi and the winemaker is Gil Shatzberg (ex Carmel & Amphorae.) The winery is known for a series of very successful results in international and local competitions, particularly for their celebrated Recanati Special Reserve, which is their flagship wine. Of particular interest is their Recanati Petite Sirah Zinfandel blended red. The wines are distributed by Shaked, owners of the Derech Ha’Yayin chain of wine shops, who are also part owners of the winery.

Dalton Winery – 15 Years
Dalton Winery is celebrating fifteen years. Founded in 1995 at Ramat Dalton, with grapes supplied from the adjacent Ben Zimra vineyards, Dalton was the pioneering winery in the Upper Galilee. They began as a small winery in the boutique boom of the nineties and have steadily grown to become one of the largest ten wineries in Israel. In 2009 they harvested 891 tons, which made it Israel’s ninth largest. The winery was started by Mati Haruni, from England. Today, his son, Alex Haruni is the active owner and Na’ama Mualem is the winemaker. She trained in California and Australia. They were one of the first Israeli wineries to use the services of a winemaking consultant from overseas, John Worontshak, an Australian who works from England. It is a very well managed and well marketed winery. Dalton wines are distributed by ‘The Scottish’ wine & spirits importers and distributors. Their leading wine is the strictly allocated, rare and highly regarded Matatia. Of particular interest is their red Zinfandel, unique in Israel, and their wild yeast fermented Viognier.

Tishbi Winery – 25 Years
Tishbi Winery is celebrating twenty five years. Yonatan Tishbi was a grower for Carmel, when he decided to open his own winery in 1985. He was the fourth generation of winegrowers and was the first of many vineyard owners to open a winery. This has become a trend. In the last fifteen years many growers have followed his example. A number of Israel’s most well-known winemakers have worked at Tishbi, including Yair Margalit, Ed Salzberg, Lewis Pasco and Asaf Paz. It remains a genuine family winery. Yonatan is the owner, his son Golan is now the winemaker and Yonatan’s wife, Nili runs the very attractive, informal visitors center. His daughter, Oshra markets Tishbi Fine foods including wine based jams and olive oil. The winery is situated in the Binyamina industrial area between Binyamina and Zichron Ya’acov. Best are their Jonathan Tishbi Special Reserve wines. Tishbi’s dry Muscat, French –Riesling whites are of interest , as are their single vineyard Gush Etzion and Sde Boker wines. However, Tishbi’s most famous product may be its Jonathan Tishbi Brandy, produced in a genuine cognac alembic still.

Carmel Winery – 120 Years
Finally, last but not least, Carmel Winery is celebrating its 120th harvest. Though their first vineyards were planted in 1882, it was not until 1890 that the first winery at Rishon Le Zion was built by Baron Edmond de Rothschild. The foundation of Carmel represented the founding of a modern Israeli wine industry after 2,000 years. For over one hundred years, Carmel simply was Israel wine, beginning under the Turks, then operating under the British and finally the State of Israel. The winery is owned by SCV des Grandes Caves, known in Hebrew as Agudat Hacormim. Even with all the new wineries, Carmel is still Israel’s largest winery with just under 40% of the market. Carmel has the two largest wineries in Israel at Rishon Le Zion and Zichron Ya’acov and two small, boutique wineries: Kayoumi Winery at Ramat Dalton and Yatir Winery at Tel Arad. In 2009, Carmel harvested 15,118 tons of grapes. The managing director of Carmel is Israel Ivzan and the winemaker is Lior Lacser, who trained in France. The rejuvenation and modernization of Carmel in the last few years somehow underlines the quality revolution by the country as a whole. Carmel’s flagship wines are Carmel Limited Edition, a Bordeaux style blend, and Carmel Mediterranean, a blend of Mediterranean varieties. Of particular interest are the old vine Carignan and old vine Petite Sirah. The revival of these varieties, mirror the revival of Carmel itself.

It is clear each of these wineries will continue to develop, and play a significant part in the local wine scene. Taken together, they represent an example of the variety and quality of Israeli wine.

(This story first appeared on wines-israel.com and is reprinted with permission)

(This story first appeared on Wines-Israel and is reprinted with permission)

There has been a trend in recent years of boutique wineries becoming kosher. Now two more wineries, have decided to make kosher wines from the 2010 harvest.

The first is Flam Winery which was the largest Israeli winery producing non kosher wines in recent harvests. Flam Winery is owned by the Flam family. Situated in the Judean Foothills near Beit Shemesh, the winery produces well over 100,000 bottles a year. The winery is run by the Flam brothers, Golan & Gilad, with the backing of their famous father, Israel Flam, for many years the chief winemaker of Carmel Mizrahi.

The second winery is Saslove, which is another family winery. The winery’s crush facility is situated at Tsuriel in the Upper Galilee and the barrel aging room & visitors center is at Kibbutz Eyal, near Kfar Saba. The winery is owned by Barry Saslove, who gained a name as one of Israel’s most innovative wine educators in the 1990’s and he now shares winemaking duties with his daughter Roni Saslove. They have in the past made a kosher wine called ‘K by Saslove’ at a kosher winery, but have now decided to go the whole way.

Continuing the trend, there are rumors that Tulip Winery will also be going kosher! If Tulip joins Flam and Saslove in producing kosher wines, the most prominent, remaining, ‘non kosher’ wineries in Israel will be Margalit, Clos de Gat, Chateau Golan and Pelter.

Wineries like Castel, Golan Heights & Yatir have proved that making kosher wine is no bar to quality. They are arguably Israel’s best wineries and each produces only kosher wines. Certainly the move to kosher is a sound move economically and the ‘new’ kosher wines will be eagerly awaited by kashrut observing Jews everywhere.

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.

The Wine Spectator, the world’s most famous wine magazine, has again tasted Israeli wines. The results were featured in the magazine and on the website. The better scores are listed below. It is noticeable that Israel’s Mediterranean varieties such as Syrah/ Shiraz, Carignan and Petite Sirah seem to be featuring more and more strongly in tastings of Israeli wines. A few years ago tastings would only feature Cabernet Sauvignons, Merlot and Bordeaux style blends. There was also a creditable scores for a number of Chardonnays. The best scores were achieved by Carmel Winery and Clos de Gat.

Carmel, Kayoumi Vineyard Shiraz, Upper Galilee 2005                             89 points

Clos de Gat, Harel Vineyards Syrah, Judean Hills  2008           89

Carmel, Appellation Carignan Old Vines, Shomron  2006                          88

Segal’s, Galilee Heights Special Reserve Chardonnay, Galilee 2007         88

The Cave, Galilee 2006                                                                                     88

Clos de Gat Chardonnay, Judean Hills 2008                                                 88

Shilo Cabernet Merlot, Judean Hills 2006                                                     88

Carmel, Appellation Petite Sirah Old Vines, Judean Hills 2006                  87

Carmel, Sha’al Vineyard Gewurztraminer Late Harvest, Galilee  2006     87

Barkan, Altitude +624 Cabernet Sauvignon, Galil 2007                               87

Clos de Gat, Harel Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, Judean Hills 2008      87

Clos de Gat Judean Hills 2006                                                                           87