Two of Israel’s finest boutique winemakers, Barry Saslove & Orna Chillag, have produced kosher wines for the first time. They both decided to use the facilities of Carmel as a contract winery for the purpose, whilst continuing to produce non-kosher wines at their own Saslove & Chillag wineries.

The production of kosher wines, for export markets only, gives both wineries the opportunity to penetrate those countries where there are large Jewish communities.

The wines produced are as follows:

K by Saslove ‘Mediterranean’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

K by Saslove Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

Orna Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

The K by Saslove wines are both produced from grapes from the Kayumi vineyard in the Upper Galilee. The wines were made by Barry Saslove at Carmel’s Zichron Ya’acov Winery. The Mediterranean is aged for six months in French oak, whilst the other is unoaked.

Barry Saslove is a Canadian by birth. In the 1990’s he became one of the leading wine educators in Israel pioneering the winemaking courses, which heralded the boom of boutique wineries that was to follow. Saslove Winery became the first of the smaller Israeli wineries to receive a medal at Vinexpo, which he bettered last year by being awarded a gold & silver medal at the prestigious International Challenge du Vin in Bordeaux. Saslove Winery won the award ‘Winery of The Year 2004’ presented by food & wine magazine, Al Ha’Shulhan.

Orna Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 was made by Orna Chillag from grapes grown in Zarit vineyard in the Kadesh Valley of the Upper Galilee, near the border with Lebanon. The wine, which was aged in French oak, was made & matured at Carmel’s Rishon Le Zion Winery.

Orna Chillag is Israel’s pioneering women winemaker/ winery owner. Inspired by Italy, she studied oenology there, and then worked for Antinori in Tuscany. In Tom Stevenson’s Wine Report 2004, Chillag was ranked as one of Israel’s ‘Best-Value Producers’ and in Rogov’s Guide To Israeli Wines 2005, Chillag was ranked as one of the “Ten Up-and-Coming Producers.”

All three wines have been already exported to the American, British & French markets, where they will be marketed as part of the consortium ‘Handcrafted Wines of Israel.’

Feb. 2005