Carmel Winery is well known to all of the readers of this site and anyone who knows anything about Israeli wine. Carmel Winery is one of Israel’s oldest wineries and the wineries in Rishon L’Tzion and Zichron Ya’akov are among Israel’s oldest buildings. In the past few years Carmel has made major investments in its Zichron Yaakov Winery.
I had the opportunity to visit Zichron Ya’akov recently, after not being there for a few years, and discovered substantial new infrastructure investments, including massively enhanced and modern crushing facilities and new stainless steel tanks, both large and small. Zichron is now home to the largest steel tanks and the most capacity for crushing of any other winery in Israel. These major infrastructure and technology investments showcase the move from one of Israel’s oldest industrial buildings to a winery committed to innovation.
Carmel Winery’s brand new stainless-steel crushers
Carmel is the only single winery that can tell the story of Israeli wine – from its historical roots with the Baron Rothschild to ‘Start-up Nation’ of technology and innovation.
Even when tasting wines, they are continually improving. While the premium wines were always world-class, even their everyday drinking wines are becoming truly amazing. Over the past few years, for example, I have tasted several varietals of the Private Collection Viognier – a light and fruity everyday drinking wine. The most recent releases truly compete with premium Viogniers for a much lower price and are really enjoyable.
In addition to the infrastructure investments, they changed the tour and opened up a brand new visitor center a few years ago so if it’s been several years since you have visited Carmel Winery or are looking for a place to hold a small gathering, contact the Visitor Center.
