HaKerem: The Israeli Wine Blog

I’ve posted my Passover wine recommendations here and here (and, in an update, I believe that I will be drinking the 2007 Teperberg Silver Sangiovese and the 2007 Tzuba Cabernet Sauvignon for the Passover seder, 2007 Teperberg Terra Malbec, and 2007 Galil Mountain Barbera for the Sabbath and holiday meals). What is the rest of the old and new media suggesting for Passover wine drinking (some recommendations are good – others, well, they still don’t get it). Wine Tasting Guy […]

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Tell them that you found the job at HaKerem: The Israeli Wine Blog The wine store in the Cardo of the Old City in Jerusalem is looking for an experienced saleswoman. The job offered is for eight plus hours a day, five days a week, and five hours every Friday morning. Responsibilities include filling shelves, working the cash register and general customer service. People and sales skills are imperative to the success of the candidate. Knowledge of Israeli wines a […]

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Richard Shaffer of Israeli Wine Direct has an absolutely excellent video post about how “kosher is not a country” and how many of the everyday foods that are in your refrigerator, pantry, and throughout your house may be kosher – no matter your religion. Coca Cola, Cheerios, Heinz ketchup, fruits and vegetables and many more everyday products are all kosher. Yet, as we all know, there is still a stigma with kosher wine. People even search online for “Jewish wine” […]

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The Jerusalem Post has published an edited version of my article Wine Recommendations for Rosh Hashana. Read the article in the Jerusalem Post. Below is an excerpt from the article: What’s good in Israel? Israeli wine! Wine recommendations for Rosh Hashanah By Avi Hein, Editor-in-Chief: HaKerem: The Israeli Wine Blog It’s not a Jewish holiday without wine. While the traditional Rosh Hashanah greeting is for a sweet new year, there’s no reason to settle for sweet wines (unless, of course, […]

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Much has changed since I last profiled Barkan in 2007 – the majority of it positive. In fact, so much changed that Barkan earned the title of “Most Improved Winery” in my 2010 annual round up of the Israeli wine scene. Like Israel’s largest winery, Carmel, Barkan in recent years has made an effort to lose its label of a “Supermarket Winery” by creating a number of upper tier labels packed high-end and sophisticated wines. While I have mentioned many […]

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The Wine Spectator’s Kim Marcus has a new article on “kosher wines for the High Holidays” in the latest Wine Spectator (free until October 1). Not surprisingly, all but one of the wines are from Israel. Whether you are Jewish or not, celebrating the holidays or not, these are great wines to seek out. You have to read the article for the whole story and tasting notes but here are the wines tasted and scores: GOLAN HEIGHTS Cabernet Sauvignon Galilee […]

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Unfortunately I can’t attend Israwinexpo today, when it’s only open to the trade.  I will be there tomorrow night. However, I want to open this thread as an open forum for initial reactions, photos, links to coverage, etc.

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Wine tasting is an important part of wine appreciating. I’ve long had a section on wine tasting. Now, the aptly named Wine Tasting Guy, a fellow passionate lover of Israeli wine, has a few videos about wine tasting and a taste of a recent release from Israel’s Dalton Winery that he tasted while visiting his […] French food and Israeli wine are not a common combination. After all, when people think Israeli wine they often (wrongly) associate it only with […]

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The following is from wines-israel.com and reprinted with permission.  The Wine Advocate has published its annual December tasting of Israeli wines. The three most successful wines were Yatir Forest, Castel Grand Vin and Carmel Limited Edition. The target of any winery is to receive 90 points or more in the Wine Advocate. The wines which succeeded in this objective were: Castel Grand Vin 2009                                                        92 points Yatir Forest 2008                                                                  92 Carmel Limited Edition 2008                                             91 Carmel Mediterranean 2008                                             90 Carmel […]

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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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