One of the best Israeli examples of my belief that wine can be called “philosophy in a bottle” is from the Recanati Winery. Israeli born and UC Davis trained Gil Shatsberg took over as the chief winemaker in 2008 and since then, he and his associate Ido Lewinsohn (who trained at the University of Milan […]
As someone who first started studying wine as a Geography student in college, I’m fond of wines that give homage to their terroir whether its the emphasis of a single vineyard from where the grapes are harvested or the altitude of the vineyard or in the case of the Ella Valley Winery’s new release, its […]
During my four plus years in Israel, I’ve tried to attend the major beer events each year typically held in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. By far the one most suited for writers and insiders is the annual Beers Israel expo organized by Sommelier Israel, the same organizers of the annual Sommelier wine trade […]
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 mug of ice cold brew sometimes is more in order […]
Recently, I was fortunate to be among a small group of wine writers, sommeliers and restaurateurs invited to the 12 Rothschild restaurant in Tel Aviv where we were treated to a well paired lunch with an introduction of eight wines presented by Chateau Golan’s managing director Shuki Shai and widely respected winemaker Uri Hetz. Their […]
So I had an idea for the holidays leading up to New Year’s Eve, how about tasting a wine range of Israeli sparkling wines and comparing them to European sparkling wines such as Champagnes from France, Cavas from Spain and Proseccos from Italy. Well, it might have just remained an idea if I hadn’t had […]
With close to 300 wineries to write about, often meeting with wine makers and winery executives is based upon unexpected opportunities as much as who I want to talk to on any given day. So when I was invited to interview Motty Teperberg at the Teperberg Winery in the Judean Hills outside Beit Shemesh, […]
Although many wineries benefit from having their own vineyards, it can be restrictive if there’s a particularly challenging year. Ultimately you need to use what grapes you got, sell them or take a loss. Many winemakers shop year to year for their grapes on the open market or depend on contracts with growers. That can […]
Even in a smaller wine region such as Israel there are certain wines that have become iconic: Castel’s Gran Vin, Yarden’s Katzrin, Margalit’s Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve or Yatir’s Forest are a few good examples. These are wines that most experts and those who tasted them agree are some of the best the country can produce. […]
After almost two years of work totaling 10 million NIS (about $2.5 million) the Binyamina Winery (Israel’s 5th largest Winery) reopened their winery’s visitor center. Occupying the historic building that once housed a perfume factory, the building once housed the fledgling winery before it expanded across the street to its current production level of about […]
DR: Over the last several years, Israeli wineries have been winning more than their fair share of international recognition and awards. When visiting any of the best Israeli wineries, the recognition they seem to hold most dear is that from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. Robert Parker is the founder of the 100 point wine scoring […]
[Press Release] A great opportunity for those who want to learn more about wine is coming to Israel in October. The International Sommelier Guild will be starting classes in Tel Aviv at the Bin 281 Wine Shop and Bar at 281 Dizengoff Street at the intersection of Ben Yehuda. The first course, Wine Appreciation 1, […]
