(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 […]

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Recently, I attended a press release in Tel Aviv of Binyamina Reserve wines for 2012. First we tasted the 2011 Binyamina Reserve Gewurztraminer with a suggested retail price of 64 NIS.  With 12 grams of sugar/liter, this semi-dry wine is proof positive why Gewurztraminer is becoming one of the most popular premium white grapes in Israel, even though its currently limited to small vineyard plantings. Every winery that produces it seems to sell out of what they make very early […]

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David Rhodes talking about Beaujolais Nouveau style wines and traditions including Israeli versions including Tishbi Junior, Binyamina Baby, the Golan Heights recently discontinued Gamay Nouveau and Carmel’s original 20 year Nouveau wines from 1983-2003. The following is from David’s radio show on Rusty Mike Radio. Click here to download or right-click “save as”

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It’s summer time and that means it’s time to break out the white wines — which are great deals too! In this week’s Ha’aretz, Israel’s premier wine critic Daniel Rogov tries a few whites. By Daniel Rogov In Israel, as in California, nearly all the locally made white wines are made from grapes that have […] I do apologize that I am posting often about the same wineries – Recanati, Galil Mountain, Golan Heights, Yatir, etc. – and not paying […]

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In 1884, a year before his death, Sir Moses Montefiore, then 100 years old, made his last donation to the new village of Rishon le Zion, birth place of the modern Israel wine industry. Over 100 years later a young Englishman with blue eyes made aliyah (immigrated) to Israel. The great, great grandson of Moses Montefiore’s […] I’ve written about Israeli wine from Biblical Times until the 1990s. Here’s Israeli wine from the last decade: Now is the time to look […]

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Reports are that Americans are cutting back on gifts for themselves, while the crisis in America has reached Israel. Yet, this holiday season doesn’t have to be an empty one for adults. Instead of buying wine for gifts, how about learning about a new wine region, discovering Israeli cuisine, and spreading the knowledge of the Eastern Mediterranean region. Perhaps a book about wine from the land where Jesus was born, food from the region where the Maccabees fought? Israeli wine […]

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Following is Daniel Rogov’s latest review in Ha’aretz. This week he reviews the Bustan Winery and Saslove. I admit that I haven’t had either, but I plan on tasting some at some upcoming wine festivals over the next month. Bustan is available in North America (imported by Royal) and Saslove is available in Canada, as […] Derekh haYayin (Wine Route) has put the June 30 Wine Spectator article on Israeli wine online. It’s here in PDF. However, if you haven’t […]

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Below are the scores for the Wine Advocate article on Israeli wines by Mark Squires. Robert Parker also sat in on the tastings, and tasted himself. IsraelWines.co.il also has the scores, in descending order. You can see the notes of the WA’s scoring system here However, note that tasting notes are very important. I saw […] From the IsraelWines.co.il site: The Wine Advocate’s first generic tasting of Israeli wines resulted in a resounding success, which will encourage the whole industry. […]

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Stephen Brook, who visited Israel for IsraWinExpo 2008, has written an update to Hugh Johnson’s Wine Companion. The Wine Companion is one of the classic books, which is in the library of every wine lover. Over the years Stephen Brook has been a prolific author and his most famous book is his work on Bordeaux. […] Every year a new wine festival opens in Israel, from the southern tips of Eilat to the northern tips of the Golan Heights. But […]

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Jewish holidays are full of wine. On Shabbat, evening and morning, Jews say the kiddush (sanctification) blessing over wine. On Jewish holidays, we also say the blessings over wine. However, on one holiday, it really is all about wine — on Passover, in addition to the holiday meals during the day and the last day […] Reports are that Americans are cutting back on gifts for themselves, while the crisis in America has reached Israel. Yet, this holiday season doesn’t […]

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