If you like white wines half as much as I do then you should stop by the last night of the 5th Annual White Festival at the Herzliya Marina. There is an amazing selection of Israeli and imported white wines, rosés and sparkling wines in one of the most scenic venues of any wine festival […]
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 […]
This post includes the best Israeli wines I tasted in 2012 (for a more comprehensive list, including non-Israeli wines, check out my website). As with prior years, in addition to the “best” wines of 2012, I have also included a list of the most interesting and exciting wines I tasted this year – many of […]
I often refer to wine as “consumable organic art.” A good winemaker needs to be part viticulturist and biochemist to make sure nothing goes wrong with a wine, first with the grapes in the vineyard then with the juice fermenting into wine at the winery. As well, a winemaker needs to be part artist to […]
I was happy to have the opportunity to attend the first (trade-only) day of IsraWine Expo and determined to take full advantage, arrived as early as possible for the opening press conference which included a talk by Adam Montefiore’s on the state of the Israeli wine industry to the approximately 45 visiting foreign journalists, wine […]
The Wall Street Journal published a profile about wine in the Judean Hills, near Jerusalem, in March 2010. Young Vineyards, Biblical Pedigrees The Judean Hills have become an Israeli wine region to reckon with; memories of the Second Holy Temple Tzora Vineyards The vineyard of kibbutz-based Tzora. Winemaker Yaakov Berg has a recycled winery under […]
I’ve written about Israeli wine from Biblical Times until the 1990s. Here’s Israeli wine from the last decade: Now is the time to look back at the 2000’s, as the first decade of the 21st century comes to a close. It was a very good decade for Israeli wines. The boutique boom that began in […]
I just discovered 1337wine via Twitter and it appears that he just discovered Israeli wine. In his video wine show (episode 101 and counting), Mark Fusco is introduced to Israeli wines with tastings of the: Barkan Chardonnay Galil Mountain Yiron Ella Valley Syrah As someone very knowledgeable about Israeli wine (and Israel, in general, having […]
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 […]
Mark Spivak, a wine reviewer who has written for the Palm Beach Post and Palm Beach Media Group, and other Florida and national magazines, and is the host of a wine show on NPR, recently visited Israel. After not visiting Israel for over 15 years, Spivak was in for a shock. His past experience: To […]
Ella Valley is another excellent terroir-driven winery that is making excellent wines in Israel. Ella Valley, founded in 1997 on Kibbutz Netiv Lamed Hay, produced around 150,000 bottles for the 2006 vintage. Run by French-trained winemaker Doron Rav Hon, the grapes all come from nearby vineyards and are harvested at night, to ensure high […]
I just found this video on ISRAEL21c‘s beta site. ISRAEL21c is a great place that tells the story of Israel – it’s technology, arts, humanitarian efforts, and culture … including winemaking. Among other stories, I wrote an article on Domaine du Castel for them. Did you know that Sea Horse Winery’s owner/winemaker was in film? […]
