Posted on February 26, 2009
Israel is a world leader in high tech. Your computer’s firewall and the firewall that protects your home and corporate network was invented by an amazing Israeli company named CheckPoint. Your computer’s CPU is most likely an Intel chip that was significantly developed by Intel’s R&D centers in Israel. Your USB disk was invented in Israel. Only America has more start-ups listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange. Israel is known as the Silicon Wadi.
Yet, despite Israel’s high tech prowess, Israeli web development has led much to be desired. That’s particularly the case in the wine web. And, while Israelis have eagerly embraced social media, Israeli winery’s have been slow to adapt. I started the “Israeli wine” fan page on Facebook (with over 400 members now, and more after you join, I hope). A fan of Psagot winery started their Facebook page, with only 30-something fans for a winery that has its fervent cheerleaders. No Israeli winery is on Twitter, writing in English or Hebrew. The only Israeli wine twitters I’m aware of is myself (@hakerem) and, in America, Richard Shaffer of Israeli Wine Direct (@israeliwine), even if he did get the username that I wanted! I sent a presentation to the Israel Export Institute about social media and the global wine web, but I don’t think much came of it.
However, I was pleased to see that one Israeli winery is making an effort. Dalton Winery has just launched a revamped English website, which will include both an English and Hebrew blog.
Dalton Winery’s website will include winemaker Naama Mualem blogging in Hebrew and proprieter Alex Haruni blogging in English and translating some of Naama’s posts. They haven’t written much yet, and a post about a mention on Channel 2 sadly lacked live video coverage, but it’s the widest embrace of social media of any Israeli winery website I know of.
כל הכבוד!
The connection between Israeli wine and social media and other marketing tools to promote Israeli wine to an international audience is a deep and abiding passion of mine, so I’m thrilled to see this and I really hope that they keep it up.
Incidentally, for wineries who want to enhance their Internet presence properly, there are some great resources (besides tapping into local talent):
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» Filed Under Israeli wine industry Tags: Tags:Dalton, Dalton Winery, Facebook, social media, Twitter, Web 2.0, Wine 2.0, wine blogs, wine branding
