Besides the heat and humidity, one way I can tell summer is creeping up is when Israeli wineries start releasing their new vintages of white wines and rosés. One of the first Israeli wineries to land their new wines on my doorstep this spring is the Binyamina Winery, Israel’s 5th largest winery, typically producing about 2.8 million bottles of year. The two white wines that will get me tuned up for the upcoming annual White Festival in Herzliya Marina, the […]

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School’s out! The tourists have arrived. Israelis are on vacation and visitors from around the world are amassing on Israel for their summer vacation. While you’re here this summer, there are some tremendous events not worth missing on the wine scene: 24 June – Lecture Series: Wine in Ancient Israel The Tel Aviv wine shop Pri HaGafen is hosting a series of lectures by Professor Amos Hadas who is indeed one of the most knowledgeable people in the world on […]

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I’ve written about Sommolier 2009, Israel’s biggest wine festival, here and here. Here are more photos from the event. If you have more please leave the link in the comments or e-mail [email protected]

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A new wine gift store in the Rova, is looking for a professional experienced salesperson. The job offered is for eight plus hours a day, five days a week, and four hours every Friday morning. (Part time positions available too) Responsibilities include filling shelves, working the cash register and general customer service. People and sales skills are imperative to the success of the candidate. Knowledge of Israeli wines a definite advantage. Please only apply if you are a born sales […]

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In the Decanter World Wine Awards, Israeli Syrahs or Shiraz’s were put under the microscope and came out well. It was only a decade ago that there was no Syrah in Israel and it seemed nothing would stand in the way of Cabernet Sauvignon being regarded as the best variety for quality wines in Israel. However, many winemakers are being converted to Mediterranean rather than Bordeaux varieties, and Syrah, or Shiraz, is becoming more prominent with Israel’s quality wineries. The […]

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If you like white wines half as much as I do then you should stop by the last night of the 5th Annual White Festival at the Herzliya Marina. There is an amazing selection of Israeli and imported white wines, rosés and sparkling wines in one of the most scenic venues of any wine festival in Israel. While people all over the world like to vacation at Club Med, this is the “real Club Med” at a marina where you […]

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It sparked a revolution in Israel’s winemaking industry. Now the Golan Heights Winery is celebrating three decades of award-winning wine. The founding of the Golan Winery in 1983 was a major factor in the transformation of Israel’s wine industry from sweet, insipid wines to award winning. Check out ISRAEL21c’s video about the Golan Heights Winery.

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I often refer to wine as “consumable organic art.” A good winemaker needs to be part viticulturist and biochemist to make sure nothing goes wrong with a wine, first with the grapes in the vineyard then with the juice fermenting into wine at the winery. As well, a winemaker needs to be part artist to use their sense of aesthetics and their craftsmanship to deliver something special from the grapes they have available the same way a sculptor might bring […]

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(This originally appeared on Wines Israel) By: Adam Montefiore Lets destroy some popular misconceptions: Not all kosher wine is made in Israel and not all Israeli wine is kosher! Nowadays nearly every wine producing country in the world produces kosher wine and in Israel, just to be confusing, many of the newer, smaller wineries make non-kosher wine. However it is true to say that the majority of wine made in Israel is kosher. This should not be regarded as unusual. […]

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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 […]

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