The Eshkol Hazahav wine tasting competition, has taken place for the tenth consecutive year. The Gala Dinner was held at the Dan Panorama Hotel in Tel Aviv. The number of wines taking part were 282, from 63 wineries. The tastings, which took place over four days. The tastings were done by a group of selected wine professionals, wine journalists and wine lovers. In all there were 38 judges. Arguably Israel’s two most well-known wineries, Carmel Winery & Golan Heights Winery, […]

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Marks and Spencer, the iconic British food and clothing retailer founded by two Jewish families, has chosen a special selection of wines from the Eastern Mediterranean. Following new interest in Eastern Mediterranean food, M&S has chosen fifteen wines from Croatia, Greece, Israel, Lebanon, Turkey and Slovenia. These will be available in their wine division, on line and will complement the Eastern Med foods in their deli, bakery and prepared food ranges. The wines will range between GBP 7.99 and GBP […]

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Gamliel Kronemer, the New York Jewish Week’s wine writer and a fellow member of Rogov’s forum, wrote a fitting tribute to Daniel in this week’s New York Jewish Week. Some highlights: It was after he had moved to Israel, that David Joroff adopted the pen name Daniel Rogov. Joroff was a shy, private man, and the use of a pen name, I think, gave him a greater sense of privacy. He chose the name Rogov in homage to a 19th-century […]

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Interesting article about Israeli wine, especially Flam – whose father was the first Israeli to study at the University of California Davis’s winemaking program and was the winemaker at Carmel for decades. In honor of the Jewish Vinter’s event in California last weekend, several Israeli winemakers were there including Golan Flam (of Flam), Assaf Paz (of Binyamina and an advisor for Vitkin), Gil Shatsberg (of Recanati, formerly of Amphorae) and Ariel Ben-Zaken (of Castel). Check out the article and check […]

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‘Divine Vintage’ is a newly published book which provides a window into the ancient world of wine, and ends up in modern times. It follows the biblical wine route, and includes Canaan, Ancient Israel and the State of Israel. It delves into the area where wine culture was born and examines the recent quality revival in the historic but newly dynamic wine region of the Eastern Mediterranean. The Eastern Mediterranean was the cradle of the grape. Over two thousand years […]

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One of the most fun wine events is fast upon us – the release of the 2007 Beaujolais Nouveau. According to that all-knowing source Wikipedia: Beaujolais nouveau is a red wine made from Gamay grapes produced in the Beaujolais region of France. It is the most popular vin de primeur, fermented for just a few weeks then officially released for sale on the third Thursday of November. But it’s not just France that makes this wine. Other wine regions also […]

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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 symbol of success and happiness. Though it is a style of wine that has taken Israelis time to learn to appreciate, sparkling wines have become very popular almost overnight in Israel. The number of imported sparklers, mainly Cava from Spain or Prosecco from Italy, has increased dramatically. To counteract […]

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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 […]

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Daniel Rogov’s Guide to Israeli Wines keeps on getting bigger and bigger. Rogov’s 2009 Guide to Israeli Wines, released last Thursday, is the largest guide yet to Israel’s growing wine industry. While the 2008 guide, including a chapter on wine storage not appearing in the 2009 edition, was a thick 455 pages, the newest edition is a whopping 527 pages and feels significantly heavier. The 2009 edition includes tasting notes for 2,350 wines (from several vintages) including over 700 new […]

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Since moving to Israel, I’ve experienced and most typically enjoyed hundreds of wine tastings. It just goes with the territory of being a wine writer and sommelier. It’s a pleasant diversion when you’re offered a nice twist from the standard fare of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay. I do appreciate fine examples of those “Noble” grapes but there’s just so many wineries producing those varietals that when a rarer varietal like Viognier or Cabernet Franc is offered, the contrast is […]

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