(This article appeared in wines-israel.co.il and is reprinted with permission) Mark Squires has written reviews of Israeli wines in the latest edition of Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. This is the second major tasting Squires has undertaken on Israeli wines this year. He tasted 76 wines this time. Some wineries sent a large number of wines in the hope a least one would strike lucky. Twenty of the wines were from the Golan Heights Winery. They sent no less than 11 […]

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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. The general consensus and their legendary status didn’t happen over night but as the Greek philosopher Heraclitus said “the tree is in the acorn”. To […]

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The Ra’anana Wine Festival takes place tomorrow (Wednesday June 27) and Thursday June 28 at Lev HaPark (near the pond area). Admission is 55 NIS for Ra’anana residents with valid ID and 60 NIS for non-residents. Participating wineries include: Arza Barkan Segal Teperberg Hacerem Yaffo Or Ganuz Kinur David Lavie Zfat Dror Sasi Gat Shomron Elran Har Bracha Eden Shamaim Raman Argov Kadesh Barnea Shtern Gvaot Artzi Call 074-703-7063 for advance tickets An event locals can walk or take a […]

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Golan Heights Winery is perhaps the best known large Israeli winery. They started the Israeli wine revolution and continue to lead the pack in quality. Daniel Rogov’s latest Israeli wine review in Ha’aretz is below. By Daniel Rogov Since it released its first wine from the 1983 vintage, the Golan Heights Winery has been at the forefront of both the Israeli wine revolution and of local wine leadership. That seems truer than ever as it celebrates its 25th anniversary, showing […]

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From Daniel Rogov’s forum: Wine and Gourmet Magazine will be holding its 12th wine tasting event at Museum haAretz in Tel Aviv on Wednesday and Thursday, 21 and 22 October. A small change this year, for whereas in the past the event featured only Israeli wines, this time imported wines will also be offered for tasting. A list has not yet been made available of wineries or importers participating but when that follows, I shall post additionally.The event will be […]

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In Daniel Rogov’s latest column in Ha’aretz, he tastes the interesting wine from Vitkin. This is a taste of Rogov’s thoughts: Assaf Paz, the winemaker at Vitkin Winery, is doing some pretty strange things. The winery, a family affair producing about 40,000 bottles annually, has refused so far to fit into the standard mold. Instead of producing wines from ultra-popular grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay, it has chosen to focus on grapes with less of a local […]

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A number of Israeli wineries are celebrating significant anniversaries in 2010: Carmel, Tishbi, Dalton, Galil Mountain and Recanati are all commemorating their milestones in different ways. Each has their own unique story. They have all given a great deal to the development of the Israel wine industry and each has contributed to the quality revolution of the last 20 years. Galil Mountain – 10 Years Galil Mountain is celebrating its tenth year. Situated at Yiron in the Upper Galilee, on […]

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This article about Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book first appeared on wines-israel.com Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book 2010 is published already, even though it is only late August 2009. However early or not, it represents good news for Israel! No less than twenty six Israeli wineries have made this prestigious guide book, which is similar to the Michelin Guide but for wine. The most encouraging thing is that a number of wineries have progressed in the ratings received since last […]

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The Wine Spectator has its latest review of kosher, Israeli wines for the High Holidays. Wines tasted include: GOLAN HEIGHTS WINERY Gewürztraminer Galilee Yarden Heights Wine 2006 Score: 90 | $23 / 375ml BINYAMINA The Cave Galilee 2005 Score: 89 | $65 CARMEI ZVI-SEGAL BROS. Cabernet Sauvignon Galilee Heights Segal’s Special Reserve 2004 Score: 88 | $20 DOMAINE DU CASTEL Chardonnay Haute-Judée C Blanc du Castel 2007 Score: 88 | $45 ZION Armon Galilee 2005 Score: 88 | $35 ZION […]

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While Adam Sandler’s character Zohan may eat American hummus (which, I must ask, what was up with that? No self-respecting Israeli would eat American hummus), it appears that Adam Sandler is enjoying some Israeli wine. On a recent trip in California, Sandler and his entourage visited O’Shaughnessy Estate Winery, where Ari Erle is the assistant winemaker. Ari, as you may know, runs Israel Wine Company, a great wine club focusing on Israeli wines and he also makes wine in Israel. […]

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