When Daniel Rogov passed away there was a real void left in the Israeli wine world. Rogov’s Guide to Israeli Wine was one of the most important books in the Israeli wine world, providing a comprehensive guide to hundreds of Israeli wines, including tasting notes and scores – notably in English (Rogov was raised in New York). Several writers tried to take Rogov’s place and taste and score wine but none have succeeded. A new contender, however, is trying to […]

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Posted at 21:48h in Wines by David Rhodes 1 Comment     Wine by the glass, a rip-off or an inexpensive way to expand and enhance your lifetime journey with food and wine. At times it can be one or the other or both depending on how your approach it and where you partake.     Wine by the glass is generally determined by the wholesale price of the bottle so if a restaurant paid NIS 30 or NIS 45 per bottle for instance […]

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(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 […]

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Posted at 21:56h in Wine industry, Wineries by 1 Comment The latest (June 30) issue of the Wine Spectator has an article about Israeli wine as well as a travel piece on the Galilee, including food and wine. I haven’t yet seen the article yet, but the editor and author, Kim Marcus, also scores numerous Israeli wines. Here are the scores (please correct me if there are errors): 2005 Yatir Forest – 92 2005 Tulip, Syrah Reserve – 92 2004 […]

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Posted at 19:19h in Wine industry by 0 Comments Robert Parker talks about Israeli wine in his Business Week column, with rankings for Castel, Yatir, Carmel’s Limited Edition. Here is the link. It’s great to see Israeli wines begin to get the recognition that they deserve. Wine Spectator also recently featured an article about Tulip Winery.

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Posted at 08:18h in Wine industry by Avi 1 Comment The following is also from wines-israel, reprinted with permission Food & wine writer and critic, Daniel Rogov, passed away on the morning of September 7th 2011 at his home in Tel Aviv. We send our sincere condolences to his wife in Israel and family in the United States. Born in Brooklyn, New York, David Joroff discovered his love for wine and food when visiting Europe and particularly during lengthy stays in Switzerland and […]

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Posted at 11:06h in Reviews by 0 Comments A follow up to the below post. If you still can’t decide what sparkling wine to open tonight, here’s two tasting notes on the bubby from Daniel Rogov’s column in Ha’aretz:  Pelter, Blanc de Blanc Brut, n.v.: Although categorized as non-vintage, this wine was made with Chardonnay grapes entirely from the 2003 vintage. Gentle yeast and hints of nicely toasted white bread with sharp bubbles that go on and on. Fresh, aromatic, […]

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Posted at 14:05h in Wine industry by David Rhodes 0 Comments Being a critic isn’t an easy job. Whether it’s about food, music, art, movies or wine, a critic must not only give their opinion on their topic of their expertise but do so in a way that in itself attracts an audience if those criticisms are going to find their way into print or other media. In the twenty-first century, the power of an individual critic also may continue […]

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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 […]

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Posted at 12:08h in Events, Food by David Rhodes 0 Comments There’s a saying among winemakers, “it takes a lot of beer to make wine.”  The point being that whether its toiling in the vineyards or moving barrels, pumps and cases of bottles at the winery, it’s easy to break a sweat making wine and a…

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