(The following is a guest post from Irene Sharon Hodes, reprinted with permission) I had the opportunity to taste a wine that is new to me, Vitkin’s 2006 Petite Sirah. A friend brought the bottle to the vegan dinner party I hosted last Friday (an exceptional experience I really need to get on to blog about).  She knew that I adore Syrah, but made the common mistake of mixing the two varietals. Israel is one of the relatively few wine regions growing […]

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Mark Squires, the wine reviewer for Israeli wines in Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate has new reviews of Israeli wines. Three Israeli wines scored 92 points: Chateau Golan Eliad Royal Reserve 2012 Makura Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (Amphorae Winery) Recanati Special Reserve 2012. For Recanati Winery Israeli wines only started being reviewed in Wine Advocate starting in 2007.

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I’ve really been enjoying the Wine Enthusiast lately. They’ve got some of the best coverage from a mainstream wine magazine of Israeli wine representing where the Israeli wine market is today. Particularly, I should add, on their social media channels. So, I was pleased to see a blog post dispelling the famous kosher wine myth in the post “It’s Israeli Wine … Not Just Kosher“. But why then, I wonder, when you say the word “Israeli wine” to most people, do they […]

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SCOOP: The latest issue of Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate has a new tasting of Israeli wines by Mark Squires. This is important because it means that the Wine Advocate is paying continued attention to Israeli wine. As I said, the secret’s out. Israeli wine is good and not just for kosher-keepers. Here are Squire’s scores from the latest issue of Wine Advocate: 2005 Carmel Limited Edition 87 2006 Carmel Carignan Old Vines 85 2005 Carmel Shiraz 88 Early 30 2005 […]

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Richard, a nice American blogger who also shows the love to Israeli wine, interviewed Mark Squires on his blog Israel Wine Direct (the only other Israeli wine blog, but missing out on a ton since Richard’s in America – but he’s scheduled to bring great Israeli wine to American direct consumers). The interview is worth paying attention to for what’s needed to improve Israeli wine. Read the whole piece for more, but I have to admit mixed feelings. Israel has […]

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Richard Shaffer of Israeli Wine Direct has an absolutely excellent video post about how “kosher is not a country” and how many of the everyday foods that are in your refrigerator, pantry, and throughout your house may be kosher – no matter your religion. Coca Cola, Cheerios, Heinz ketchup, fruits and vegetables and many more […]

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The following story originally appeared in “the honey,” an English e-newsletter about life and culture in Israel:  WINE PURO VINO If this purist bent suits the current fancy, take it a step further and go organic in your wines. The much acclaimed Sea Horse Winery on Moshav Bar Giora, just southwest of Jerusalem, has been growing organic syrah and zinfandel grapes in its vineyard since 2000. The vines are carefully nurtured during their growing season – exposed to the Mediterranean […]

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Will this be good news for Diaspora wine drinkers? Teperberg 1870, Israel’s 4th largest winery (but yet barely known outside of Israel, especially in North America, where so few is imported) has just appointed a new chief marketing manager. From the Jerusalem Post: ONE OF Israel’s veteran wineries, Teperberg 1870, has appointed Benny Cohen-Weinberg, 39, as marketing manager. Cohen-Weinberg has wide-ranging experience in branding, marketing and advertising. Previously known as Efrat, the winery, founded in 1870 by the Teperberg family […]

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Israeli winemaking has undergone a transformation over the last couple of decades that now is being recognized widely overseas. Published: 09/10/2008 RAMAT RAZIEL, Israel (JTA) — It’s harvest time at the Domaine Du Castel winery and crates full of small, plump grapes the color of blueberries are being loaded into a machine that removes them from their stems and pumps them through plastic piping into a towering, silver-colored vat. This is how the two-year process of wine making begins in […]

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The Montefiore family, Adam, David & Rachel, were photographed at a private meal at the Ritz Carlton, with bottles of Carmel, Tabor and Montefiore wines on the table. Adam works for Carmel, David for Tabor and Rachel for Montefiore wineries. One family, three wineries. The father , Adam Montefiore, has worked for many years in the wine industry, for Bass Charrington in England, and for the last twenty five years in Israel, for both the Golan Heights Winery and Carmel […]

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