Brian Jordan visited Israel in July as guests of both Binyamina and Carmel Wineries. He is a famous wine expert from England with special knowledge about Israel because he has visited four times over 13 years. The first time was in 1991 as guest of Carmel, and then he visited in the mid and late 1990's as a guest of Golan Heights Winery. This time he visited the wineries & vineyards of Binyamina, Carmel and the 'Handcrafted Wines of Israel' consortium.
As an independent wine journalist who really knows both the large & small wineries, his vies are of interest.
Israel Preker, of IsraelWines.co.il caught up with him after his visit to ask him some questions.
1. What changes have you seen between Israeli wines today compared with before?
A whole new dynamic from the big wineries to the best of the small. The Israel I saw in the past was always too dependent on expertise from France & California. Today the new and growing Australian factor is capable of making an important difference to the expertise of the winemakers.
2. In your view has there been a revolution in the Israel wine industry?
An explosion more than a revolution
3. Have you seen changes in the bigger wineries like Carmel, Golan, Barkan or Binyamina?
Yes - the bigger wineries are making big changes and closing the gap to catch up with
Golan who were so far ahead.
4. You spent some time with Carmel & Binyamina. What is happening at these two wineries?
All changes start at the top. There are now two very dynamic and smart Managing Directors, David Ziv and Ilan Hasson, who are making sweeping changes. Very impressed with some of the new young winemakers I met at Carmel - interestingly, some of the best are Australian trained or with experience in Australia. The logistical changes that Carmel are making at Zichron Yaacov, and their own boutique wineries project, are very impressive; Binyamina also have some serious and sensible ideas in the pipeline. Both wineries come in the "Watch this space" category.
5. You visited Golan previously. What example did they give to the industry? Has
their quality held up?
If Golan had not happened, someone would have had to invent them. They set the standard for the country. Today their wines are still very good but if I had to criticize, maybe too technically perfect, clean & lacking character. Certainly the gap is far less today than it was between Golan and the others.
6. What were the best wine(s) you tasted on your last trip?
A Carmel blended red wine, not yet released, made by Lior Laxer, new chief winemaker of Carmel Rishon Le Zion. I gave 3 stars to this wine - I judge around 5,000 wines a year internationally and usually only give three stars 15 to 20 times a year - so this gives you some clue as to my rating. Without question it is the best Israeli wine I have ever tasted.
Whites - a Saslove Chardonnay - a "perfect" Chardonnay.
7. How many times have you visited Israel?
This was my fourth visit - in 1991 as a guest of Adam Montefiore who was then at Carmel; in 1995 again invited by Adam when he was at Golan; In 1998 I was invited to lecture at the first Golan Wine & Food Festival; and now in 2004 invited by Ilan Hasson of Binyamina & Adam Montefiore of Carmel / Handcrafted Wines. I have been hosted by Carmel, Golan & Binyamina; tasted the "new" wines of Barkan (whom I have visited in the past) and visited probably the 10 very best boutique or small wineries. During this trip I visited
vineyards from the Golan Heights to Ranat Arad in the Negev Desert in the south.
8. Are Israeli wines better known now in the world than in the past?
Yes. Yarden did a good job in the past which some of the wine journalists know about, but the general wine buying public has no idea what is happening in Israel.
9. What has to be done so Israeli wines become better known?
Make wines suitable for a specific market, target the customer and make the wine they want. This is wine marketing today. Market together. There was an Israel tasting in France and will be another in the UK in November run by the Export Institute. I applaud this sort of initiative. To my knowledge this is the first time Israel has spoken with a national voice
10. What is your opinion on the boutique winery phenomenon in Israel?
Far too many wineries, not all of them good, most overpriced. However, there's no doubting some are of a very high quality.
11. What is the best wine you tasted from a boutique or small winery on your last visit?
Yatir Forest, Margalit reds and a Saslove white were the best. I was also impressed by Bazelet Ha Golan, Tzora and Chillag. I am on record as commenting that the collected wines I tasted at the 10 boutiques scored a higher average mark than any other region or group of wineries before. Unfortunately, most are horrifyingly expensive.
12. What is your view on the 'Handcrafted Wines of Israel' as a marketing idea and what was the quality of the wines in the group?
Genius idea, well branded, well managed. This is the way for the future. A group like this needs to be very exclusive with only the best wines being allowed to enter - and, having been accepted, wineries that subsequently fall short of a pre-determined quality standard should be dropped from the group.
13. What is your view on pricing when some Israeli wines are priced at more than 25 – 30$ a bottle?
Bizarre and ridiculous - there is absolutely no chance for real export at these prices. And I'm surprised Israeli's they paying these prices.
14. What are the good things you have seen about the marketing of Israeli wines and what would you correct?
Good to see Israelis working together at last - for instance the Carmel & Binyamina joint invitation and the Handcrafted Wines initiative. Israel used to be a 'country of individuals bound together by a common language'. Wine industry people just could not work together.
15. Do you think Israel can do better in world markets, or do you think the world has enough wine without Israel?
Israel must understand there is enough wine without Israel. To succeed in exporting means designing the right wine for the right market, and only the largest producers are in a position to do this. Grape prices are a problem too, for there is no effective free market with your prices set by a centralized body.
At present, since the last five years, the political issue is also a very big problem. Many unbiased consumers today regard Israel like South Africa in the Apartheid years or Chile under Pinochet and Allende - in other words they simply will not buy the wine, and nor do they need to as there are around 25 other countries already providing what they need.
And, regarding exports, Israel selling to the Jewish market in the UK or America is not really export but merely selling to an extension of the local market.
16. What grape varieties should we specialize in?
Syrah/Shiraz, and learn to love Carignan. Every country has a grape they are known for, their "signature" grape. Israel has far too many varieties and too many brands. There's no economy of scale with a single winery receiving around 20 different grape varieties all wineries should consolidate and concentrate on what they are good at.
17. Is there one grape Israel should become known for as the one it makes best?
Why not make some old vine Carignan, it's your cheapest variety, it's not unknown, and such a wine could be unique, interesting, and (hopefully) more sensibly priced.
18. Which countries should we focus on for export?
The big open markets like the UK and Germany which are the first and second largest wine importing countries in the world - not just USA which is expensive and complicated to attack. And please remember, I'm talking "real" exports, not sales to the Jewish communities.
19. What is the quality of Israeli wine as against standards elsewhere (in terms of quality - not quality & price)?
How can you say "not quality and price"? A wine of a certain quality at, say, 7 US dollars a bottle may be good value, but that same wine at 27 US dollars would be unsaleable. Quality has improved no end; not all wines though are priced reasonably. The average price paid in the UK is 4 pounds a bottle (32 shekels) of which 1.25 pounds is tax (10 shekels) - that disqualifies an awful lot of Israeli wineries - but we still drink a huge range (most wine retailers stock around 500 wines) of good to very good quality wines. The competition is so fierce it's almost impossible to find a bad wine being offered. Currently we are 65 million people consuming just less than 25 liters per person per year. 30 years ago it was 2 liters per person.
20. Can you put a style to Israeli wine? Can you compare it to any other country in style? Can you compare Israel as a wine country to any other country in the size & marketing problems it faces?
Israel should make Israeli wine and not try to be anything else - especially not French in style. Israel has perfect growing conditions, now it needs improved winemaking to transfer grape quality into the bottle.
Size - Lebanon or New Zealand are closer to Israel in size. New Zealand has achieved the highest per bottle prices of any country in our market place, but only though unswerving determination toward absolute excellence by every producer and a completely cohesive marketing strategy where they all work together.
Problems - Israeli wine seems to have a history of disorganization, an incorrect preconception of wine quality, now a largely overpriced boutique revolution, and the (previously) slow reaction of big wineries, all of which makes Greece somewhat similar. But that's no consolation as they have not solved their problems either.
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