An exciting new addition to the wine lovers library!  At last a quality wine book in English which reflects the enormous strides recently made in the Israeli wine industry. This new guide to Israeli wines will fill an important void in spreading the message about the quality and variety of Israel’s wineries. The book was recently launched at Derech Ha’yayin in Tel Aviv, Israel’s pioneering wine store. It will be sold in America, Europe, England – and of course in Israel.

Rogov’s Guide covers  no less than 120 wineries and  numerous wines.  It is comprehensive – perhaps even  too much so, as it covers some  wines no longer produced and others not yet released !

It is well written , stylish and informative. In content and presentation, it ranks with the finest wine guides. It will guide the newcomer to Israeli wines and  even those who think they know everything, will find some wineries mentioned that they have never heard of.

It is entirely appropriate that it is Daniel Rogov who has written this most professional guide yet of Israeli wines. He is writes for Ha’aretz – the serious newspaper of Israel and his popular website has an almost guru like following. He also  writes for Tom Stevenson’s ‘Wine Report’ and contributes to Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book – the world’s best selling wine book. He is by far  Israel’s most credible wine journalist

Rogov  makes some brave choices including a top 12 wines and there are also informative rankings under different headings. The only wineries to receive five stars are The Golan Heights Winery, Castel, Flam, Amphorae and Margalit.

 Dalton, Saslove, Galil Mountain, Tzora and Recanati round out the top ten. The top  ‘new up and coming wineries’ like Harel, Chateau Golan, Ella and Yatir are ranked and Carmel is rated as the ‘most improved producer.’

If the book has a fault –  it  cries out for a wine map ( ideally a topograghical map) showing where the wineries and wine regions are situated. However as this, the 2005 edition, is the first effort,  there is hope of correcting this next time.

There have been some books written in Hebrew on Israeli wine by Michael Ben-Joseph, Tal Gal Cohen and Barry Saslove. However, the only other book in English was ‘The Bible Of Israeli Wines’ by Michael Ben-Joseph (Modan Publishing House, published in 2002.). This contained more pictures and background, but as a detailed , up to date, international standard wine guide, Rogov’s book is hard to beat.

Rogov’s Guide To Israeli Wines by Daniel Rogov is published by Toby Press. It retails for NIS 99 in Israel; US$ 14.95 in America; EUR 18.00  in Europe and 9.95 pounds sterling in the UK.

August 2004

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