HaKerem: The Israeli Wine Blog

4 Dec 2009 Every year a new wine festival opens in Israel, from the southern tips of Eilat to the northern tips of the Golan Heights. But it is no exaggeration to say that Israel’s most important wine festival is Tel Aviv’s Sommelier. This giant Israeli wine festival has now been held for several years, with wines from Israel and around the world featured on three floors of Tel Aviv’s Heichel HaTarbut. While the event featured non-Israeli wines like the kosher […]

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10, Sep 2009 Share In honor of Gary Vaynerchuk’s appearance in Wednesday’s New York Times, I’ve compiled my own Top 10 Reasons Why I love Gary V! 10 Reasons why I love Gary Vaynerchuk 10. Gary V reminds me a little of myself. Gary Vaynerchuk turned his father’s Shoppers Discount Liquor into the $60 million a year Wine […] Wine Spectator Reviews Kosher Wine for Rosh Hashanah 10, Sep 2009 Share The Wine Spectator has its latest review of kosher, […]

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9, Sep 2009 Share Two Israeli wineries have been included in Oz Clarke’s Pocket Wine Book 2010. Domaine du Castel and Yatir Winery are both listed for the first time signalling more recognition for the advances of Israeli wine. As far as wine recommendation goes, Castel’s Grand Vin and Yatir Forest are both awarded two stars. ‘C’ Blanc […] In: Wine industry Tags: Carmel, Castel, Clos de Gat, Domaine du Castel, Golan Heights Winery, Margalit, Oz Clarke, Pocket Wine Book, […]

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16, Sep 2009 Share Wine Spectator is currently holding its 2009 Video Content and 9 finalists have been announced. Among the video finalists is a little known wine critic named Daniel Rogov talking about wine from a little known wine region called ISRAEL. Unfortunately, I can’t embed the video but it’s available here (and then click here to […] In: Kosher|Reviews Tags: contest, reviews, Wine Detective, Wine Spectator

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6, Sep 2009 Share 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 […] In: Events Tags: Katamon Winery, wine tasting

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2, Sep 2009 Share Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate has a new tasting of Israeli boutique and garagiste wineries by Mark Squires (who authored the first two reviews of Israeli wine in the Wine Advocate). While Squires’s first review was widely received with several wineries receiving scores of 90 or above and the rest receiving scores in the 80s, […] In: Wine industry Tags: Mark Squires, Robert Parker, Wine Advocate

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13, Sep 2009 Share Rosh Hashana, Jewish New Year, is this weekend. What are you drinking? I’m thinking of the Barkan Carignan and the new Yiron Meron. Good choices? How about you? In: Kosher Tags: jewish new year, Rosh Hashana

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24, Sep 2009 Share by Amos Ravid Amos Ravid is Wine Education Manager of Carmel Winery. This article first appeared in Wine, Gourmet & Alcohol and Wines Israel. Although Israel has a long history of winemaking, the country does not have its own indigenous grape varieties. The Ottomans, when in control of Palestine, virtually only permitted the planting […]

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13, Sep 2009 Share Rosh Hashana, Jewish New Year, is this weekend. What are you drinking? I’m thinking of the Barkan Carignan and the new Yiron Meron. Good choices? How about you? In: Kosher Tags: jewish new year, Rosh Hashana

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Wherever Jews have resided, there has always been home based wineries making wine for the Kiddush sanctification of the Sabbath. For the required blessing, grape beverages are necessary. Apart from a regular wine, either raisin wine or even grape juice is also suitable according to Jewish traditions, being regarded by Jewish law with the same reverence as wine. Jewish agricultural laws, with regard to vineyards in the Land of Israel, go back to the Biblical times. The Kosher wine laws […]

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