The Israeli Wine Industry has recently undergone a technological revolution. The results are impressive - improved quality and international recognition for its wines. Today Yarden is represented at the prestigious New York Wine Challenge, organised by the Wine Spectator and Castel takes part in the Decanter Fine Wine Show in London. Both are by invitation only and only the finest wineries in the world are included. Carmel’s wines can be found in many of the world’s finest supermarket chains .
There are now 20 commercial wineries, and well over 100 boutique wineries. To quote Hugh Johnson, the world’s most famous wine journalist: “….for many years,Israeli wineries produced unsophisticated wines. Recently, with plantings of classic varieties in cool high altitude regions such as the Upper Galilee and the Golan Heights, a wine revolution took root. Continued investment in modern technology and international trained winemakers have had dramatic effects.”
Israel has a longer winemaking history than many of the great wine cultures. However for many years Israeli wines were known more for their kashrut than their quality. What happened?
The 1990’s – The Revolution
It was the 1990's that really saw the coming of age of the Israeli wine market. During these prosperous years Israel went through a cultural revolution in terms of food & wine. New quality restaurants started to open with young chefs who had studied abroad. Wine magazines and books were published in Hebrew for the first time. Quality wine stores opened, wine tasting and wine making classes were fully subscribed, with paying customers. People traveling abroad in an atmosphere of relative peace and economic growth, absorbed the wine culture and returned demanding new standards. Israelis were learning to live a little. As importing tariffs came down, many wine lovers became instant importers flooding Israel with wines from all over the world. The Israeli connoisseur started to read the Wine Spectator, buy wine at Sotheby’s and to join local tasting clubs. As the customer became more discerning, they began to reward those companies which invested in quality.
The vast leap in quality of Israeli wine was shown in the recognition in wine tasting competitions, which resulted in great interest at home. As a result the wine drinker began to buy a better quality than previously. Consumption doubled to over 6 liters a head. At the volume level, the market was influenced by the massive aliya/immigration from Russia, which introduced into the country a people with a wine drinking culture.
The French paradox had a big effect. In the 1990’s wine production, previously 70 % white, 30% red changed to reflect new tastes to 60 % red, 40 % white. Wine lovers began to boast that they ‘only drank red wine.’ The change in style in winemaking also helped. Young reds were made in a fruitier, less astringent way and so became more attractive to the white wine drinker.
The big brands were once big sellers because they were cheap. Today the two biggest selling brands are Carmel (Vineyards) Selected and Yarden Mount Hermon – not the cheapest wines. The new Israeli is buying better.
Grape Varieties – Today
Colombard and Carignan used to dominate the list of grapes at every harvest. Carmel introduced Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, and the Golan Heights Winery: Merlot & Chardonnay. Today the main varieties for the quality wines are wines are these four noble varieties.
However there is also Syrah, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Barbera, Nebbiolo & Petit Verdot amongst the reds and Gewurztraminer, Viognier and Muscat Canelli (de Frontignan) of the whites.
No doubt though the best Israel variety in terms of outside quality recognition is the Cabernet Sauvignon. The best awards for Israeli wines & the premier wine of each winery tends to be with this grape. The most promising for the future may be Syrah.
Unfortunately Israel does not have its own indigenous varieties. The nearest are Muscat of Alexandria – the local Muscat. Muscat is common to most Mediterranean countries. Also the Argaman variety was created in Israel by a cross between Carignan and Souzao – a Portuguese variety. The idea was to create a better blending grape than Carignan, with good color. However by the time it was released, quality demands had changed and there was enough Cabernet & Merlot to satisfy the needs of the big wineries. Its use is really unnecessary in quality winemaking terms. Anyway it does exist, it is Israeli but it is mainly used for inexpensive blends! The Emerald Riesling is a cross between Muscadelle & White Riesling. It was developed in the 1950’s at U.C. Davis but has really caught on on only one country in the world – Israel! Today Emerald Riesling is the biggest selling wine in the country.
A varietal wine must contain a minimum of 85% of the dominant grape variety.
Vineyards
During the late 1990’s the area of vineyards planted with quality varieties doubled. Firstly wine was seen to be a blooming, profitable industry. Secondly there was a move to new vineyards in cooler areas, and quality, noble varieties instead of the previous inherited vineyards of grapes like Carignan, Thirdly, many fruit growers saw vineyards as a better business investment than pears or citrus – because less water was needed .
The result was a grower led boom, which has left Israel over vined – like most wine producing countries. The good that will come of this is a quality pruning – the less good vineyards will be dropped for those in the right areas, those with the right varieties or the growers with the right viticultural skills.
Different wineries have adopted different regions. Wines from the Golan Heights Winery came from grapes grown almost exclusively on the Golan. Carmel invested in the southern Judean Hills in Yatir Forest, the northern Negev at Ramat Arad and in the Upper Galilee. Barkan planted in the Mitzpe Ramon region in the central Negev and planted the country’s largest vineyard at Hulda in the Samson region.
Israel is a country known for its technology and agriculture, which really comes together in the vineyard. Most vineyards use drip feed irrigation, a system invented in Israel in the 1960’s and since adopted throughout the world. On the Golan, the vineyards have their own meterological stations feeding back information by computor to the winery in order to build up a data-base of weather patterns as it effects a particular vineyard. In the Negev Desert, experiments have been made cultivating vineyards using saline water dug from 2,000 feet below and treated sewage water from a nearby military camp. Nothing has not been tried to maximize the grape growing potential in keeping with the Israeli characteristic, that ‘anything is possible.’
Wine Regions
The official wine regions are:
Galilee – The Galilee, Galil in Hebrew, covers the north of Israel, including the Upper & Lower Galilee and the Golan Heights. The Golan Heights & Upper Galilee are accepted as Israel’s finest wine growing regions. These are relatively new, high altitude, cool climate vineyards planted in the last 20 years. The Golan Heights is really a different geographical region to the Galilee – but in wine law, it is registered as a sub region of the Galilee.
The Upper Galilee is a mountainous area of plunging peaks and stony ridges; the soils are heavy, gravelly but well drained. The altitude is up to 700 meters above sea level.
The Golan Heights is a volcanic plateau, with basalt and tuff soil, rising to 1,200 meters above sea level. The area benefits from cool breezes from the snow covered Mount Hermon.
The main company to invest in the Upper Galilee’s vineyards is Carmel, followed by Galil Mountain. Many of the quality wineries – Amphorae, Chillag, Dalton, Flam, Margalit, Recanati, Saslove - use Upper Galilee vineyards for their best wines. Wineries situated in the Upper Galilee include Galil Mountain, Dalton & Carmel, who built a new winery there in time for the 2004 vintage.
Tabor is the main winery situated in the Lower Galilee.
The Golan Heights Winery controls the majority of vineyards on the Golan Heights. Their winery is situated at Katzrin. Other Golan wineries are: Bazelet ha Golan and Chateau Golan.
Shomron – Shomron is Israel’s largest wine growing region, benefiting from the Carmel Mountain range and cooling breezes off the Mediterranean Sea. The main concentration of vineyards is in the valleys surrounding the winery towns of Zichron Ya’acov and Binyamina. Soils are heavy, limey and the climate is typically Mediterranean.
First planted in the 1880’s, it tends to be a region more known for the lesser-known grape varieties used in workmanlike blends rather than the finest wines.
Carmel has the biggest concentration of vineyards in the Shomron region and this is also where the Tishbi family have their vineyards. Amphorae & Margalit also have vineyards here. The Zichron Ya’acov, Binyamina and Tishbi wineries are all situated in close proximity. Further south in the Sharon Plain is where Recanati & Margalit wineries are situated, whilst Amphorae is just to the north of Zichron Ya’acov.
Samson – The central coastal plain – known as Dan, and the rolling hills of the Judean Foothills (Latroun & Adulam ), make up this region which is the second largest in Israel, which was first planted in the 1880’s. The soils are sandy and terra rossa on the coast and limestone, alluvial clay and loam on the hills. The area has a coastal Mediterranean climate: hot, humid summers and warm, mild winters.
Samson is not a geographical place, but the wine region is named after the Biblical figure who frequented the area.
Carmel & Barkan have most of the vineyards in this region – and Barkan have the county’s largest vineyard at Hulda. Flam, Ella Valley, Harel, Sorek, Tzora & Latroun use Samson vineyards too.
Wineries in this region include Rishon Le Zion Winery, Barkan’s Hulda Winery, Ella Valley, Harel, Sorek, & Tzora.
Judean Hills – The Judean Hills is a quality but underdeveloped wine region ranging from the mountains north of Jerusalem to the Yatir Forest, south of Hebron. Warm days and cool nighttime temperature characterize the region, which in places is 800 + meters above sea level. The soils are thin, limey and stony. The higher mountains receive snow in the winter.
Castel & Tzora use vineyards west of Jerusalem and Yatir has its vineyards in the southern Judean Hills.
The Castel winery is situated in this region.
Negev – The Negev is the desert region that makes up half the county. Vineyards have been planted in the higher areas in the northeast and central Negev. Soils are sandy to loamy and the temperatures range from very hot during the day to cooler evenings and cold nights. The vineyards are sometimes shrouded in mists during the morning hours. The dryness and lack of humidity keep diseases at a minimum.
The main vineyards are Carmel’s at Ramat Arad, in the semi arid northeast and Barkan’s at Mitzpe Ramon in the central Negev, fulfilling David Ben Gurion’s dream of making the desert bloom.
The main Negev wineries are Yatir, situated at Tel Arad, and Sde Boker.
More than 90% of the country’s vineyards lie in the Shomron, Samson & Galilee regions. The sub regions with most of the newer quality vineyards are the Upper Galilee & the Judean Foothills.
Winemakers & Consultants
The quality revolution really occurred in the hands of one man – Peter Stern. A Californian who used to work for Gallo and Mondavi, he was the consultant who played the key part in changing Israel wine forever by helping to build the Golan Heights Winery, creating the Yarden brand – Israel’s first really world class wine and raising new standards of viticulture and winemaking. He brought a series of U.C. Davis trained winemakers to work at the Golan and oversaw the pioneering development for the first 20 years of this winery’s existence. He is now the winemaking consultant for Carmel.
Initially the imported expertise was almost exclusively imported from the University of California at Davis. Then Carmel & Golan were quick to send young Israelis to wine universities to study and then bring them back, hungry and bursting with the most up to date knowledge. Today the three big wineries each have a team of Israeli winemakers trained in the top winemaking universities from around the world, and in particular U.S.A., Australia and France. In addition to the new expertise in winemaking, the bigger wineries have employed wine consultants from Australian viticultural guru, Richard Smart, the afore mentioned Peter Stern, who now advises Carmel, to Californian wine icon, Zelma Long, who works with Golan. ‘Flying winemaker’, English based Australian, John Worontschak, has also been making wine for Dalton.
Wineries
As a sign of the new pursuit of quality, each of the big three wineries has recently expanded their operations.
Carmel renovated their old Rishon le Zion & Zichron Ya’acov wineries, built a new boutique winery called Yatir, at Tel Arad, another at its Zichron facility and a third at Ramat Dalton in the Upper Galilee. Barkan purchased Segal – Carmei Zion and built a new winery at Kibbutz Hulda. The Golan Heights Winery built a new winery called Galil Mountain at Kibbutz Yiron in the Upper Galilee.
Large Wineries – more than a million bottles a year
1. CARMEL Winery – Rishon Le Zion, Zichron Ya’acov,Yatir, Ramat Dalton
Harvest 2004 – 48 % of grapes harvested (Approx. 25,000 tonnes of wine grapes)
CEO – David Ziv
Chief Winemaker – Lior Laxer ( Rishon Le Zion); Philippe Lichtenstein
( Zichron Ya’acov);
Founded in 1882 by Baron Edmond de Rothschild, Carmel is the historic winery of Israel. It has existed under Turkish, British & Israeli rule and still has 50 % of the local market. It is really the Gallo of Israel producing 25 million bottles – one of the largest wineries in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Now under new management, the winery has begun a process of renewal. New young, highly qualified winemakers have been brought in – four of them graduates from Australia, two more French trained and a new winemaking consultant from California has been employed. Carmel has opened one boutique winery,Yatir, built another at their Zichron facility and a third in the Upper Galilee at Ramat Dalton. The new focus is on quality wines from individual vineyards and regions.
Their main labels are: Single Vineyard – Ramat Arad, Zarit etc. (known as Kerem in Israel), Appellation (Yayinot Eizory in Israel), Private Collection, Vineyards Selected (Selected in Israel).
2. BARKAN Wine Cellars - Barkan, Hulda
2004 Harvest - 16 % (8,500 tonnes)
CEO – Shmuel Boxer; Yair Lerner
Chief Winemaker – Ed Salzberg
Barkan was founded in 1990 when new owners took over took over the Stock / WEST business which went bankrupt. It is the second largest winery in Israel and still makes Stock Brandy and Keglevich Vodka under licence.
In recent years they bought Segal Wines, which they maintain as a separate brand and have opened Israel’s most modern winery at Hulda.
Barkan is a public company run by Shmuel Boxer and Yair Lerner – two vineyard owners with the largest vineyard in the country.
They have a balanced team of internationally trained winemakers and have won a number of gold medals – usually for their Cabernet Sauvignons – in international competition.
In 2004 Barkan were purchased by Tempo, Israel’s biggest brewery (owners of Maccabee & Goldstar, importers of Heineken & agents for Pepsi Cola.)
Their main labels are Barkan Superiore, Reserve, Classic & Segal.
3. GOLAN HEIGHTS Winery – Katzrin
Harvest 2004 – 12 % (6,000 tonnes)
CEO – Shalom Blayer
Chief Winemaker – Victor Schoenfeld
The Golan Heights Winery is the pioneering winery of Israel, leading the way in innovation and quality. When Yarden & Gamla wines were released in 1984, they were Israel’s first world class wines. The winery has won a list of awards, gold medals and trophies to match with the world’s finest wineries.
Situated high up in the small town of Katzrin, the winery was founded in 1983.
Now producing over 5 million bottles a year, Golan has grown and has had to enter the mass market . However with products ranging from Yarden Mount Hermon – one of the top selling brands in Israel, to Yarden Katzrin – arguably the county’s finest wine, the Golan Heights Winery has maintained its place on top of the pile.
The most impressive thing about the winery is its versatility – their prizes have been won for a wide range of wines: traditional method sparkling wine, Cabernet Sauvignons, Chardonnays and desert wines.
The Golan Heights Winery has the majority share in the Galil Mountain Winery, which they opened in a joint venture with Kibbutz Yiron.
The winemaking team is headed by Victor Schoenfeld, a U.C. Davis graduate – arguably Israel’s finest winemaker and he heads a U.C. Davis trained team.
The labels are Yarden Katzrin, Yarden, Gamla & Golan.
4. EFRAT Winery - Motza
Harvest 2004 – 6 % (3,300 tonnes)
CEO – Motti Teperberg
Winemaker – Shiki Rauchberger
Efrat was founded in 1870 by the Teperberg family in the Old City of Jerusalem. For many years Efrat has catered to the religious, orthodox Jewish population by virtue of its strong Rabbinical supervision. Now situated at Motza, at the entrance to Jerusalem, the winery is particularly strong in the Jerusalem area.
Lately the winery is attempting to upgrade its wines and image, employing a new U.C. Davis trained winemaker and launching a new quality range under the Teperberg label.
5. BINYAMINA Wine Cellars – Binyamina
Harvest 2004 – 4 % (2,300 tonnes)
CEO – Ilan Hasson
Winemaker – Sasson Ben Aharon
Eliaz was founded in 1952 in Binyamina at the site of a unsuccessful perfume factory built by James Rothschild. In the 1960’s and 1970’s it was the second biggest winery but was geared mainly to religious Jewish market.
In 1992 the winery was bought by two Los Angeles filmmakers, renamed Binyamina Wine Cellars with the intention of improving image and producing more table wines than before.
The winery is very successful in supermarket sales and both its semi dry and desert Muscats continually win medals in international competitions.
The winery’s main labels are: ‘The Cave’, Special Reserve & Binyamina.
Medium sized wineries ( 450,000 bottles + )
The medium size wineries have been swelled by the addition of two new wineries, Galil Mountain and Recanati which were from the outset designed to be 50,000 case + wineries, and another , Dalton, which has gradually increased capacity after being a small boutique winery. Galil Mountain, Recanati, Dalton join Tishbi - all mainly export to America , and each has succeeded in being regarded as a producer of wines of genuine quality on the international stage.
6. TEL ARZA – Mishor Adumim
Harvest 2004 – 2 % (1,300 tonnes)
Director – Mordechai Shor
One of the wineries owned by the Shor family – founders of the first recorded winery dated 1848. Arza specializes in kiddush wine, grape juice and inexpensive table wine for the religious, orthodox market.
7. TISHBI - Binyamina
Harvest 2004 – 2 % (1,000 tonnes)
Director – Jonathan Tishbi
Winemaker – Golan Tishbi
The Tishbi family were amongst the first to plant grapes in the Zichron Ya’acov area in the 1880’s. In 1985 Yonatan Tishbi opened his own winery in the area between Binyamina & Zichron Ya’acov. The family’s 5th generation continue to manage the winery & vineyards. Initially Yonatan received advice from Sydney Back of Backsberg Winery in South Africa. Tishbi remains a family run operation – son Golan is the winemaker. Labels: Jonathan Tishbi, Tishbi Estate, Vineyards & Baron.
8. GALIL MOUNTAIN - Kibbutz Yiron
Harvest 2004 - 2 % (850 tonnes)
Director – Shalom Blayer
Winemaker – Gabi Sadan
A joint venture between Golan Heights Winery and Kibbutz Yiron combining the wine expertise of the Golan and the unique terroir of the Upper Galilee. The winery receives fruit from the Upper Galilee. The winemaker is French trained Gaby Sadan. The wines receive great reviews for their value. Labels: Galil Mountain & Yiron.
9. DALTON – Dalton
Harvest 2004 – 2 % (700 tonnes)
Director – Matty Haruni
Winemaker – Na’ama Moalem
Dalton began as a small boutique winery in the early 1990’s and has steadily grown in size and quality. Owned by the English Haruni family and situated next to its Upper Galilee vineyards, Dalton is making some high quality wines. Labels: Reserve, Dalton, Canaan
10. RECANATI - Emek Hefer
Harvest 2004 - 1 % (550 tonnes)
Director - Doron Rand
Winemaker – Lewis Pasco
A new winery in the Sharon Plain owned by Lennie Recanati of the famous banking family. The winemaker is a U.C.Davis graduate and the winery is making good, clean international style wines from Upper Galilee vineyards. Labels: Recanati Reserve, Recanati, Yasmine.
These largest ten wineries harvested 95 % of Israel’s wine grapes in the 2004 harvest and of this 87 % was the ‘big five’.
Small Wineries ( 100,000 bottles + )
The wineries bracketed here, would probably wish to market themselves as boutique wineries. In fact none of them may be considered true boutique wineries by any definition. They have simply grown too much. However some of the country’s finest wineries – Castel, Amphorae, and Yatir and some of the fastest growing – Tzora & Tabor , are in this category.
11. HACORMIM – Mishor Adumim
Winemaker – Eli Shor
Shor family winery specializing in orthodox market. Produce Conditon – one of the more widely distributed kiddush, sacramental wines.
1 12. ZION – Mishor Adumim
Winemaker – Zvika Shor
Another Shor family winery focusing on the orthodox market, mainly producing kiddush wine & grape juice.
13. TABOR - Kfar Tabor
Winemaker – Arie Nesher
Fast growing winery situated next to its own vineyards in Lower Galilee. Distributed by Carlsberg drinks giant. White wines from their own Lower Galilee vineyards, reds from Upper Galilee.
14. YATIR - Tel Arad
Winemaker – Eran Goldwasser
Joint venture between Carmel and the growers of the region. Wines come fron Yatir Forest vineyards, 900 meters above sea level. Australian trained winemaker. Ranked by Hugh Johnson 2005 as Israel’s third best winery
15. ELLA VALLEY - HaLamed Hei
Winemaker – Doron Rav Hon
New, well financed winery with high expectations. Wines from their own vineyards.
16. LATROUN – Latroun Monastery
Winemaker – Father Paul
A Monastery selling ‘Holy Land’ wines mainly to Christian pilgrims and exporting to adjoining countries.
17. TZORA - Kibbutz Tzora
Winemaker – Ronnie James
Kibbutz winery with vineyards in Samson & Judean Hills region. A Tzora wine finished first in a tasting of best Israeli wines by Jancis Robinson M.W.
18. Domaine du CASTEL - Ramat Raziel
Winemaker – Eli Ben Zaken
Family estate winery situated in Judean Hills, west of Jerusalem. Ranked by Hugh Johnson as Israel’s best winery. Three times Decanter Wine of the Month. Exports to 12 countries.
Arguably Israel’s most beautiful winery.
19.. AMPHORAE – Makura Ranch
Winemaker – Gil Shatsberg
Privately owned winery with U.C Davis trained winemaker. New winery built at Makura Ranch north of Zichron Ya’acov. Vineyards from Upper Galilee. Given two stars in the Pocket Wine Book 2004.
Boutique wineries ( less than 100,000 bottles)
There are over 100 boutique wineries. Some are serious wineries – many are home based cottage industry wineries ( or garagistes.) Some are true international class, many are not. A top ten ( in alphabetical order ) may include the following:
BAZELET HA GOLAN:
Winery & vineyard from Moshav Kidmat Zvi, Golan Heights.
CHATEAU GOLAN:
New estate winery with extravagant spend from southern Golan Heights. U.S.A trained winemaker.
CHILLAG:
Women owner/ winemaker; trained in Italy & worked for Antinori.
FLAM:
One of finest boutique wineries run by Flam brothers. Winemaker Golan Flam studied in Italy. Vineyards – Upper Galilee & Samson region. New winery being built in Judean Foothills. Ranked by Hugh Johnson 2005 as Israel’s third equal best winery.
HAREL:
New winery – Clos de Gat label. Very good Chardonnay. Winemaker trained in Australia. Fruit from their own vineyards.
MARGALIT:
Most famous boutique winery. Yair & Asaf Margalit father & son owner winemakers. Yair – studied at U.C. Davis. Acted as advisor/ guru to many boutique wineries in early years. Wrote winemaking books which are sold internationally. Winery in Sharon Plain; vineyards – Upper Galilee & Shomron.
MERON :
First of new boutique wineries. Founded in 1987.
SASLOVE:
Family winery at Kibbutz Eyal. Vineyard in Upper Galilee. Barry Saslove is also one of Israel’s most significant wine educators. Saslove wines have won Gold & Silver medals in international competition.
SOREK:
Estate winery at Tal Shahar – Samson region. Father is the wine grower, son the winemaker.
ZAUBERMAN:
Quality wines made on a tiny scale from grapes in the Samson region.
Other good boutique wineries are:
Alexander, Ben Haim, Bustan, Carmei Yosef, Deux Paysans, Gush Etzion, Gustavo & Jo, Mayshar, Sde Boker, Sea Horse.
New Winery Boom
The most famous wineries were founded in the following periods :
Pre state – Carmel, Efrat & the Shor wineries
Early State of Israel – Eliaz ( now Binyamina) , Segal ( now owned by Barkan )
1980’s – Golan Heights Winery , Baron (now Tishbi) , Meron, Margalit
Early 1990’s – Dalton, Castel, Tzora
Late 1990’s – Soreq, Saslove
From 2000 – Galil Mountain, Recanati, Yatir, Amphorae, Flam, Tabor, Ella
However: 85 % of Israel’s wineries have been founded in the last 10 years !
Markets.
The main wineries to be found in different markets:
Mass Market/ Supermarkets etc – The big three wineries dominate the volume domestic market - Carmel 45 %, Barkan 22 %, Golan 16 %, followed by Binyamina.
Quality market – In the quality market of fine wine shops and restaurants, the boutique wineries feature much more. Here the Golan Heights Winery is very prominent and medium sized wineries like Recanati, Dalton and Galil Mountain feature strongly. The finest restaurants normally list Yarden, Castel, Margalit, Flam.
Religious market – Though most of the bigger wineries are kosher, some wineries do especially target the orthodox Jewish, religious market. These are Carmel, Efrat, Tel Arza, HaCormin, Zion (the last three almost exclusively.) Two monasteries, Latroun & Cremisan, produce wine for the Christian, pilgrim markets looking for ‘wines from the Holy Land.’
Export – Carmel & Golan between them have over 75 % of Israeli wines exported, followed by Barkan. Dalton, Galil Mountain, Recanati, and Tishbi have managed to quickly receive good reports for their quality, particularly in the USA. Binyamina & Efrat also sell to the traditional market.
Quality Rating
There are two international publications which rate the Israeli wineries each year..These give some guide as to relative quality of the different wineries .
Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book 2005
Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book is the world’s biggest selling wine book. It is the target of all Israeli wineries to be listed in his annual book.
1. 1. Domaine du Castel – received three stars
2. Golan Heights Winery – two to three stars
3= Flam – two stars
3= Yatir – two stars
5. 5. Margalit – one to two stars
6. Amphorae – one star
The other wineries listed in alphabetical order are :
Barkan, Carmel, Chateau Golan, Dalton, Galil Mountain, Harel, Recanati, Saslove, Tabor, Tishbi, & Tzora.
The World Wine Report 2005 by Tom Stevenson
The World Wine Report is a publication by Tom Stevenson, the author of the Sotheby’s Wine Book. In this the top ten Israeli wineries are rated as follows:
1. Golan Heights Winery
2. Domaine du Castel
3. Flam
4. Amphorae
5. Margalit
6. Dalton
7. Saslove
8. Galil Mountain
9. Tzora
10. Recanati
He also rated the ‘Fastest Improving Wineries’:
1. Carmel Winery
2. Tishbi
3. Tabor
4. Sde Boker
And the ‘New Up & Coming Wineries’:
1. Harel
2. Chateau Golan
3. Ella Valley
4. Yatir
Daniel Rogov’s Guide To Israeli Wines 2005 ranked Israeli wines the same way, because he is also the Israeli contributor to Tom Stevenson’s book.
Small & Boutique Wineries
The explosion in the local wine industry can best be illustrated by the boutique wineries. In 1988 Meron in the Galilee became the first followed by Margalit . Today there are over 150 – no-one really knows as it changes by the day.
The successful wine making classes by wine educator Barry Saslove in the early 1990’s was one catalyst. The craze started with some like Meron, Margalit and Castel who were really home winemakers. They saw how their wines were appreciated and realised the new wine fanatics were prepared to pay high prices and started to become more serious. Castel was helped by the comments of Serena Sutcliffe, MW , of Sotheby’s whose intial compliments drew attention to the qualities of this particular winery. Yair Margalit became a bit of a guru, advising some of the fledging wineries and the new releases of his wine became a talking point amongst wine lovers.
Others started because they had the vineyards. Tzora, Soreq and Dalton began as growers got tired of selling all their grapes to others. Of course some the wineries mentioned are no longer boutique wineries. For instance Castel & Dalton are no longer so small – but they still represent their own region in the search for the local terroir.
Many of the boutique wineries are over priced and satisfy the ego of the owner rather than the quality discerning market. However some are genuinely international class representing the passion & character of the owner/ winemaker/ grower and providing much needed variety to the Israeli wine scene.
Competitions & Third Party Recommendation:
Whilst there are many cynical about competitions, wineries throughout the world take them very seriously. They act as a third party professional recommendation.
Well Israeli wines have achieved a great deal.
Yarden wines, produced by the Golan Heights Winery, have won three Trophies at the International Wine & Spirit Competition in London and five at Vinexpo in Bordeaux! Golan have also won a phenomenal number of gold medals at the very highest level. Barkan, Recanati, Tishbi, Saslove, Segal have won golds in major French competitions and Carmel has won golds in Monde Selection in Brussels.
Yarden has been presented with the Critics Award by the Wine Spectator and twice has been invited to the New York Wine Experience – open only to the top 200 wineries in the world.
Castel has three times won the Decanter Wine of the Month Award , and has been invited to the Decanter Rising Stars Show and the Decanter Fine Wine Show – a small, elite gathering by invitation only.
Carmel wines can be found in supermarkets in Western Europe, California and Japan.
Israeli wines may also feature on quality wine lists of some of the world’s leading restaurants.
As a sign of international respect & acceptance on the world stage, two Israeli wineries sponsor trophies at the prestigious International Wines & Spirits Competition , whose sponsors include some of the world’s finest wineries. The trophies are: “The Carmel Trophy for Best Eastern Mediterranean Producer” and “The Yarden Trophy for Best Bottle fermented Sparkling Wine.” In fact, the 2004 Carmel Trophy for Best Eastern Mediterranean Producer was awarded to the Golan Heights Winery – keeping this important prize in Israel.
Israeli wineries have much to be proud of.
Exports
For many years wine exports from Israel were directed at the U.S.A. and European Jewish market. The recent improvement in quality has resulted in much favorable comment in the wine world outside Jewish communities. Consequently sales to the non-Jewish markets have increased impressively throughout the world, and Israeli wine is demanded not only because it represents a new appellation, but also for quality reasons alone. Having said this, over 50 % of Israeli exports are to America.
Carmel (Single Vineyard, Appellation, Private Collection, Vineyards Selected) and the Golan Heights Winery ( Yarden, Gamla , Golan) export most of the Israeli wines sold overseas, followed by Barkan (Barkan & Segal. )These are the only wineries whose exports are above a million dollars a year. The other main wineries exporting are Binyamina, Efrat (both mainly to the kosher market), and Tishbi, Galil Mountain, Recanati, Dalton & Castel. In addition, some of the boutique wineries sell very small amounts of wines abroad. The main markets are the USA, England, France & Germany but Israeli wines may now be found in all five continents. What was once regarded as 'kosher wines for a Jewish market' are now looked upon as quality wines coming from a new, quality even exotic wine region in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Israeli wines may today be found on the wine lists of some of the top 3-star Michelin restaurants in France, America and around the world, in exclusive fine wine shops in England and in supermarkets throughout Europe.
Israeli wineries attend trade shows but only at Vinexpo in Bordeaux will you find all the bigger wineries attending in a national stand organized by the Israel Export Institute. Those wineries attending in 2003 were Carmel, Barkan (inc. Segal), Golan Heights, Binyamina, Tishbi, Galil Mountain, Recanati & Castel, which gives an idea of the main wineries wishing to invest in export.
In the absence of any activity from any other official body, Carmel has formed a consortium of ten of the best boutique & small wineries in Israel under the name “Handcrafted Wines Of Israel.” This group is attending international trade shows and organizing tastings to put Israel on the wine map. The wineries which are part of this consortium are : Amphorae, Bazelet ha Golan, Castel, Chillag, Flam, Margalit, Saslove, Tzora, & Yatir.
Exports total more than 11 million dollars and is increasing fast.
Wine Authorities.
There are two official authorities controlling Israeli wine,
The Israel Wine Institue, founded in 1957, is managed by Shlomo Cohen, a graduate of Montpelier in France. It is part of The Ministry of Trade & Industry. Based in Rehovot, their job is to check wines for import and export in their laboratory and to lead the research & development of winemaking. They have a responsibility for the Wine Teken – the winemaking rules laid down by the Standards Board, which is part of the same ministry.
The Israel Wine & Grapes Board is part of The Ministry of Agriculture. Situated in Tel Aviv, it is managed by Dudu Baram. The responsibility here is for controlling & monitoring the planting of new varieties, new vineyards and agreeing basic price levels for the grapes at harvest.
Neither has a marketing brief but there is an annual Israeli Wine Exhibition under the auspices of the Wine & Grapes Board. There are also plans for competitions using international standards.
The Israel Export Institute does act as an umbrella organization for wineries seeking to export. Their Food & Beverage Division organizes exhibitions overseas, Israel tastings and produce a booklet ‘Wines From Israel.’
SUMMARY
Israeli wine represents for the religious Jew the biggest and best quality range of kosher wines in the world.
For the general wine world, Israel represents a new world wine region in one of the oldest wine producing regions in the world. Israel is the quality wine producer in the Eastern & Southern Mediterranean – only the new boutique wineries of Greece & the better wineries from Lebanon come close.
For Israelis, wine represents the opportunity to slow down, enjoy the good things in life. A little more wine & a little less coffee would make a big difference to everyone’s quality of life.
To the tourist or visitor to Israel, wine offers the opportunity to see the country afresh via its vineyards and wineries – a new world wine country in one of the oldest of all wine producing countries.
Whatever your needs, the quality is now good and variety enormous. LeChaim !
Bibliograghy
www.israelwines.co.il
Rodov’s Guide To Israeli Wines 2005, Toby Press, London 2004
The Bible of Israeli Wines, Michael Ben-Joseph, Modan Publishing, Ben Shemen, Israel 2002
The Wine Route (‘Shvill Ha’Yayin’), Tal Gal Cohen, Cordinata, Tel Aviv, Israel 2003
