Posted at 13:16h in Wine industry by David Rhodes 0 Comments The Tishbi Winery recently released their newest addition to their Single Vineyard series their 2007 Tishbi Single Vineyard Old Vine Carignan. This 100% Carignan is from their 45 year old vineyards in Shefaya from which the Tishbi’s got their Hebrew name (an acronym in Hebrew) from renown Israeli poet Chaim Nacham Bialek which stands for “a resident of Shefaya in Israel”. With only 13% alcohol, low for an Israeli […]

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Sure, Yarden wines are kosher. But the Israeli wine producer doesn’t want kosher to define the product or the winery. One of the largest wine producers in the tiny nation wants to increase its exports and get out the message that no, these are not sweet wines. These are quality, food-friendly wines, comparable with wines of the United States or South America. They just happen to be kosher. Yarden’s lead winemaker, Victor Schoenfeld, recently presented wines at a tasting in […]

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The small Israeli wine world is in shock at the premature, untimely death of Tsina Avidan, the owner and winemaker of Avidan Winery, one of the country’s most up and coming, fastest improving boutique wineries. A boutique winery should almost by definition be characterful and highly individual. Avidan Winery certainly fits the bill. The wines are bold, the blends sometimes unconventional, the labels and brand names idiosyncratic. They were made in the image of Tsina who came from the Provence […]

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Posted at 10:41h in Wine 101, Wines by Avi 0 Comments Unfortunately most Israelis associate sweet wines with Kiddush and religious ritual, and therefore the very word ‘sweet’ has connotations of a cheap and nasty wine. Something which is to be avoided, at all costs. However some of the world’s most sought after and expensive wines are sweet, pudding wines. An Eiswein or Trockenbeerenauslese from Germany, Icewine from Canada or Sauternes from Bordeaux are sweet, but it would be a […]

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Posted at 16:09h in Wine industry by Avi 0 Comments This article first appeared on wines-israel.com and is reprinted with permission of the author. On Israel’s 64th Independence Day, it is worthwhile to look back at some of Israel’s most influential wines, which have helped to advance Israel’s image as a wine producing country of international quality. These are some of the wines that charted the progress of Israel in the international court of public opinion. The coming list is […]

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Posted at 22:44h in Wine industry by David Rhodes 3 Comments On Valentine’s Day, I found myself without a date, it does happen from time to time; but I did get to marry two of my favorite passions, food and wine as part of a wonderful evening featuring the wines of Israel’s Odem Mountain Winery and… Posted at 11:12h in Wineries, Wines by Avi 0 Comments This was the second year of the Best Value competition, organized by Studio Ben […]

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Posted at 11:12h in Wineries, Wines by Avi 0 Comments This was the second year of the Best Value competition, organized by Studio Ben Ami. There were 128 wines in the competition from 28 Israeli wineries. The main category was for wines less than 79 shekels and there were also prizes for wines under 50…

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As I have often mentioned, while most wines are meant to be consumed early and don’t benefit from any additional time in the bottle, a few years of cellaring can make magic happen for a small percentage of quality wines (usually the most exciting ones). The additional time in the bottle gives the tannins, acid, fruit and flavors time to come together in the harmonious music the wine maker intended. However, this week I wanted to focus on another oenophilic […]

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The Israeli wine scene continues to heat up. A new winery recently opened on Kibbutz Hanaton, in the heart of the Beit Netofa Valley, in the Lower Galilee region of Israel. The Jezreel Valley Winery was founded by entrepreneur Jacob Ner-David, originally from New York, living in Israel since 1996, and Yehuda Nahar, a Jerusalem native and graduate of the Tel Hai College’s winemaking course. Ner-David and Nahar both moved to Kibbutz Hanaton in 2010. The winemaker is Ari Erle, […]

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If you happen to be near Jerusalem, this is an opportunity to taste a boutique winery near Jerusalem: For those of you who were not able to attend the Harvest Celebration at the Katamon winery, you’ll have another chance as Avital has agreed to bring his wines to us for next Friday’s tasting. Katamon Winery Just in time for the holidays Avital Goldner will be bringing his superb wines for our final tasting event of the season. Avital makes both […]

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