Posted at 11:51h in Wine industry, Wineries by Avi 0 Comments
The following article is from wines-israel.com and reprinted with permission.
In December 2011, Zichron Ya’acov enters its 130th year. It was way back in December 1882, that settlers from Romania, first arrived in Givat Zamarin to put up their first tents and then houses. It was 130 years ago that they took their first tentative steps to viticulture. The first exploratory vineyards were planted using Carignan cuttings taken from the Mikveh-Israel Agricultural School. It was the start of a romance with wine which has continued until today.
Zichron Ya’acov is a pretty, unpretentious town, on the southern slopes of Mount Carmel, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. It is 170 meters above sea level and lies 61 km north of Tel Aviv and 35km south of Haifa. It is close to Route 2 (the coast road), Route 4 (aka ‘the old road’) and easily accessible from Route 6 – The Yitzhak Rabin Highway.
It is often regarded as the Tuscany or Provence of Israel. The small town still has the village appearance of pre-state Israel. The Founders Street (HaMeyasdim) has been turned into a pedestrian area allowing tourists to browse in craft shops, eat in Mediterranean style restaurants or sip coffee in the coffee shops and watch the world go by. Many of the houses are original, with the descendants of the original founding families still living in them.
In 1887 Baron Edmond de Rothschild visited Zamarin for the first time. At his request, the village was renamed ‘Zichron Ya’acov’, which means In Memory of Jacob. The Jacob in this instance was Edmond’s father, who had purchased Chateau Lafite, the most famous winery in the world, for the Rothschild family. Possibly this was a significant factor in his determination to create a modern wine industry in Israel.
Rothschild first planted extensive vineyards and then built the large winery at Zichron Ya’acov, with deep underground cellars. The first harvest was received in August 1892.The success of Zichron Ya’acov, then basically a farming village, was regarded with some jealousy by the other colonies supported by Rothschild. They used to refer to it as ‘Little Paris’ as it became a symbol of new Israel. Well over 100 years later Zichron Ya’acov, now a town, still sits on Mt. Carmel overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. There are still vineyards on either side of the mountain ridge and, though it has grown, it still retains its own special atmosphere.
At Zichron, it is possible to visit the largest winery in Israel (and one of the largest in the Eastern Mediterranean or Middle East) and also small garagistes, producing a few thousand bottles a year. This is the home of the most traditional wine growing region in Israel. This is the heart of the Israeli wine scene.
A tour of Zichron inevitably involves wine. There are wineries, vineyards, wine shops and restaurants serving wine. These are some recommended stops to nourish both the stomach and palate.
CENTER OF ZICHRON
Tishbi Coffee House, 33 Hameyasdim St. (Founders St.)
This is housed in one of the original buildings on the ‘Founders Street’ owned by the Tishbi family, a veteran family of wine growers. Here it is possible to begin the day with either an Israeli breakfast or a special selection of wine and cheeses. There is also full range of Tishbi wines & Tishbi foods available. It is a place to meet and be seen. Tel. +972 (0)4 6290280.
Somek Winery, 16 Herzl St.
A ‘garagiste’ winery situated in the road adjacent to Hameyasdim, producing seven thousand bottles a year. It is owned by a vine grower, Barak Dahan, whose family were planting vineyards for Rothschild in the 1880’s. His wife, Hila, studied winemaking in Australia. Their vineyards are in the Hanadiv Valley, in the foothills of Zichron. The winemaker studied winemaking in Australia. Book in advance. Tel. +972 (0)4 6397982. www.somek-winery.co.il
Smadar Winery, 31 Hameyasdim St. (Founders St.)
A small winery owned by local vineyard owner Motti Shapira, whose forebears planted Rothschild’s first vineyards. The winery, which produces 4-5,000 bottles a year, is situated in old stables, which are part of one of the original houses in Zichron. Book in advance.Tel. +972 (0)4 6390777.
Nili Wine House & Restaurant, 43 Hamayesdim St.
This is a charming café style restaurant, which seconds as a wine shop. The quiches are particularly recommended. The wine shop specializes in kosher boutique wineries.
It is a good place to find representation of some of the lesser known wines. Tel. +972 (0)4 6292899.
Daniels Burger Bar, 66 Hameyasdim St. (Founders St.)
Daniels is a newish restaurant with the best burger in town. This is a good venue for casual dining. Many of the dishes are homemade. They have a long table for larger groups. Daniels also has a good range of wines. Tel. +972 (0)4 6291222.
Poizner Winery, 71 Hameyasdim St. (Founders St.)
This is a small, domestic winery set up by the Poizners, who were also one of the founding families of Zichron Ya’acov. The father, Yossi is the wine grower, tending to the vineyards and the son, Yoav, is the winemaker. They produce about 3,500 bottles a year. Book in advance. Tel. +972 (0) 52 3224220 or +972 (0) 52 3202323.
GIVAT ZAMARIN, THE EASTERN CORNER OF ZICHRON
Carmel Winery, Derech Ha’Yayin (Wine St.)
Carmel’s Zichron Ya’acov Wine Cellars was built in 1892 by Baron Edmond de Rothschild.
This is the country’s largest winery and also the most historic winery building in Israel. It represents the story of Israel, the history of Israeli wine and the recent quality revolution. A modern, small state of the art facility was added to allow winemaking from individual vineyards and in 2011 the whole winery was upgraded. It is now one of the best equipped and most up to date wineries in the country. New world and old world winemaking in one setting. www.carmelwines.co.il
Carmel Wine & Culture, Derech Ha’ Yekev (Winery St.)
The Center for Wine Culture offers professional winery tours, tutored tastings and wine workshops. A visit offers a unique wine experience which is a fusion of wine tourism and wine education. The Wine & Culture Shop stocks older vintages and rare bin ends. All bookings for tours and tastings must be made in advance. Tel. +972 (0)4 6391788 [email protected]
Bistro de Carmel, Derech Ha’Yayin, (Wine St.)
Bistro de Carmel is situated in the ‘winemaker’s house’. It is a restaurant serving a Mediterranean style, kosher dairy menu. The restaurant is made up of a number of small rooms, suitable for intimate VIP dinners, a balcony overlooking the winery and a large attractive wooden deck are, suitable for larger groups or parties. The restaurant has an innovative wine list with tasting flights. For bookings: Tel. +972 (0) 4 6290977. http://bistrodecarmel.rest-e.co.il/
Adama Restaurant, 8 Ma’ale Harishonim
This is a relatively new, quality family restaurant housed in one of the original Zamarin buildings, which used to be stabling for horses. The food is of good quality and the setting cannot be bettered. Adama Restaurant carries an extensive, fine wine list, with quality Israeli wines sourced from all over the country. Tel. +972 (0)4 6293184.
Pavo Brewery, 14 Ma’aleh Rishonim
The new trend in Israel is for micro-breweries and this is one of the best. It has a beer garden and a balcony overlooking the Shefaya vineyards and Wadi Milek. They offer five quality beers and it is possible to drink, taste and eat. It is always good to wind down with a few beers after a day of wine tastings. Tel. +972 (0)4 6398988. www.pavo.co.il
SOUTHERN PART OF ZICHRON
Ramat Hanadiv Memorial Gardens and Nature Park
Ramat Hanadiv (‘Hill of The Benefactor’) is the most beautiful part of Zichron. It is a perfect place for a hike through the beautiful gardens, and the nature park. There are also archaeological and historical remains, including an ancient wine press, and a short film, which is worth seeing. For those that want to pay their respects to the founder of the Israeli wine industry, Baron Edmond de Rothschild is interred in a specially constructed mausoleum. Tel. +972 (0) 4 6298111. www.ramat-hanadiv.org.il
Gan Ehud
This is a small park and the most tranquil area in Zichron. This is the place for a picnic for young families. Gan Ehud is named after Ehud Efrati, z”l, who fell whilst on reserve duty for the IDF in October 2007. He was a man of the soil and a man of Zichron. He was also a wine grower and vintner. The park is surrounded by the Hanadiv Valley (Bikat Hanadiv) vineyards.
Tishbi Winery
Tishbi Winery lies in between Zichron Ya’acov and Binyamina. It was founded in 1985 by Yonatan Tishbi and remains a family affair. Here it is possible to sit under the trellised vine to enjoy local cheeses and a glass of wine. The winery has a bakery and good food. Worth seeing is the Alambic Still for distilling brandy, purchased from the Cognac region of France. Also the Valrona chocolate tasting room is a highlight. A tasting of fine chocolates with various wines wines is both an original idea and popular with chocoholics. Tel. +972 (0) 4 6288195.
www.tishbi.com
WESTERN PART OF ZICHRON
Zimnavoda Winery, 7 Yaakov Kadesh
This is a very small domestic winery, belonging to the Zimnavoda family of veteran wine growers. Their nursery supplied young vines to wineries all over the country. Yehuda Zimnavoda was Chairman of the Israel Wine & Grapes Board for many years and also of the Wine Growers Co-operative.
Tel. +972 (0)4 6399303
