The Wines of Israel: World-Class Vintages

View fullsize

Carmel Winery's Kayoumi vineyard in the Gallilee. Photo courtesy Carmel Winery

“The wines of Israel are winning well-deserved notice internationally.”

The wines of Israel are winning well-deserved notice internationally. The late, great wine expert Daniel Rogov pronounced Eyal Rotem's Clos de Gat “a world-class winery.” Eli Ben-Zaken of Domaine du Castel was named Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite Agricole by France in 2013—high praise indeed from a country considered by many to be the end-all of fine wines. And Castel has taken home many other prizes, including the prestigious Decanter World Wine Award—the Oscar of British wine prizes. The great oenological arbiter Wine Spectator included Recanati’s 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Galilee on its 2014 list of Top 100 Wines. And the list of accolades continues to grow along the Negev wine route.  

The cover story of Wine Spectator's October 2016 magazine was dedicated to Israeli Wines as reported by Israel21C.

Ashba Winery >

Ramat HaNegev

Carmel Winery >

Zichron Ya’acov

Carmey Avdat >

north of Mitzpe Ramon

Chillag Winery >

Yahud

Clos de Gat Winery >

Ayalon Valley

Dalton Winery >

Ramat Dalton Industrial Park

Derech Eretz Winery >

Mitzpe Ramon

Domaine du Castel >

Ramat Raziel

Golan Heights Winery >

Golan Heights

Ramat Negev Winery >

Halutza

Recanati Winery >

Emek Hefer Industrial Park

Rota Winery >

Kibbutz Revivim, Sde Boker

Rujum Desert Winery >

Mitzpe Ramon

Sde Boker Winery >

Kibbutz Sde Boker

Tulip Winery >

Kiryat Tivon

Yatir Winery >

Tel Arad

Carmel Winery: Founded in 1882 and Still Going Strong

View fullsize

Wine barrels. Photo courtesy Carmel Winery

Carmel Winery, based in Zichron Ya’acov and Rishon Le Zion, offers a perfect metaphor for how Israel is establishing itself on the cultural world stage. 

Founded in 1882 by Edmond de Rothschild, Carmel is Israel’s largest winery, and the oldest still in operation. For many years, it produced wine chiefly for ceremonial purposes—fine vintages were out of the question. But starting in the late 1980s, Israeli demand for superior wines was clearly intensifying, and Carmel played an important part in that sea change. 

“Carmel Winery has won many international prizes, including the prestigious Decanter World Wine Award.”

The vintners at Carmel realized some time ago that trying to copy the techniques of Old World winemakers would not work here. Israel is a hot country, so they brought in wine experts from warm climates: California, Argentina, Chile, South Africa, and Australia. Their chief winemaker today is Lior Lacser, who has worked in France (both Burgundy and Bordeaux) as well as in Australia. 
Carmel now also has two small, state-of-the-art wineries producing small quantities of handcrafted wines: Kayoumi Winery in the Upper Galilee, and Yatir Winery in the northeastern Negev. Carmel Winery has won many international prizes, including the prestigious Decanter World Wine Award for its 2008 Kayoumi Single Vineyard Shiraz. It continues to wow wine experts with its old-vine Petite Syrah and Carignan, Mediterranean-style prestige blends, and more. 

Carmel Winery and Kayoumi Winery >

Yatir Winery >

Carmel Winery operations. Photos courtesy Carmel Winery

Lior Lacser of Carmel

View fullsize

Chief winemaker Lior Lacser. Photo courtesy Carmel Winery

As you stroll from building to building at Carmel Winery you might be treated to the site of Lior Lacser, Carmel’s chief winemaker, hurrying by. Stall him with a question, and Lior may demur: “I’ve got to go . . . I’ve got to go!”—as pressed for time as the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. Lior is young and intensely focused—refreshingly impatient with visitors—he obviously has big things on his mind.

“Laxer oversees wines made from Carmel Winery’s nearly 3,500 acres of vineyards, from the Upper Galilee in the North to the Negev in the South.”

Rehabilitating the behemoth of Carmel took great expertise and concerted drive. Originally from Tel Aviv, Lior studied in Burgundy, and has worked at wineries in Bordeaux and Australia. He oversees wines made from Carmel’s nearly 3,500 acres of vineyards, from the Upper Galilee in the North to the Negev in the South. His inner sanctum is by the small tanks for experimentation at Carmel’s microwinery. This is where Lior can let his brilliant fantasies run loose, blending new grapes being grown high in the hills to create the wines for Carmel. 

Carmel Winery >

Beautiful Vintages Grown in the Desert

View fullsize

Rota Winery, Negev Desert. Photo by Katherine Martinelli courtesy Creative Commons.

Carmey Avdat—which grows Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes—is part of the “Negev Wine Route”; other wineries on that itinerary are the Ramat Negev Winery, Rota, Ashba, Rujum, Derech Eretz, and Sde Boker. What a surprise that the desert can be so fruitful, so generous—and that the wine from this region can be so fabulous!

Eyal Izrael of Carmey Avdat farm and winery explains how he and Hannah have successfully adapted themselves to this land: “Our exploration of the desert served as the foundation for our vision and dream,” he told me. “We learned to listen to the voices of the desert and to respect it—but not to attempt to tame it.” 

Ashba Winery >

Carmey Avdat >

Derech Eretz Winery >

Ramat Negev Winery >

Rota Winery >

Rujum Desert Winery >

Sde Boker Winery >

Yatir Winery >

Israel’s Wine Revolution

View fullsize

Tulip Winery in Kfar Tikva. Photo courtesy Tulip Winery.

It may seem surprising that a country as small as Israel can boast such a diversity of terrains for its vineyards. Indeed, Israel’s wine industry is so varied and flourishing that visitors can now follow a wine route that stretches the length of the country: from the green Galilee and Golan Heights in the North, through Mount Carmel, Sharon and the coastal plains, and the Judean Hills, down to the hot, dry Negev Desert in the South.

“Driven by new technologies, new ideas, and new consumer appreciation for fine wines, Israel is undergoing what many are calling a wine revolution.
”

Each region has its superstars and its newcomers, its traditionalists and experimenters. While the industry is decidedly dominated by men, there have been some talented women in the field: Orna Chillag (Chillag) and Na’ama Sorkin (Dalton) are two notable examples. The Tulip Winery in Kfar Tikva has a unique business model: many of its employees are adults with disabilities and special needs.

Driven by new technologies, new ideas, and new consumer appreciation for fine wines, Israel is undergoing what many are calling a wine revolution.

Selected Stops on Israel’s Wine Route:

 

Ashba Winery >

Ramat HaNegev

Carmel Winery >

Zichron Ya’acov

Carmey Avdat >

north of Mitzpe Ramon

Chillag Winery >

Yahud

Clos de Gat Winery >

Ayalon Valley

Dalton Winery >

Ramat Dalton Industrial Park

Derech Eretz Winery >

Mitzpe Ramon

Domaine du Castel >

Ramat Raziel

Golan Heights Winery >

Golan Heights

Ramat Negev Winery >

Halutza

Recanati Winery >

Emek Hefer Industrial Park

Rota Winery >

Kibbutz Revivim, Sde Boker

Rujum Desert Winery >

Mitzpe Ramon

Sde Boker Winery >

Kibbutz Sde Boker

Tulip Winery >

Kiryat Tivon

Yatir Winery >

Tel Arad

Keeping Wine Kosher

View fullsize

Kayoumi vineyard in the Galilee. Photo courtesy Carmel Winery

For many years, Israeli vintners complied with halakha—Jewish laws—and ensured that their wines were kosher by heating or even boiling them. This process inevitably impaired the quality of the finished product, and kosher wine was generally known as a sweet and inferior gastronomic product. Yet as Israeli winemakers began to aim toward producing higher-quality wines, the modern Israeli wine industry found ways to meet kashrut requirements (that is, the Jewish dietary regulations) without ruining the wine. Winemakers no longer boil their wines; instead many of them bring in authorized supervisors whose role is to oversee the production and handling process. So today’s Israeli wines can be both kosher and pleasing to the most discerning palate.

Adam Montefiore, Game-Changer of Israeli Wines

View fullsize

Vintner Adam Montefiore. Photo courtesy Adam Montefiore.

For a long time, Israeli wines were destined chiefly for sacramental purposes: they were produced in mass quantities and sold in supermarkets. There was little impetus to compete with wine producers outside of Israel. For many decades, just surviving was challenge enough.

“If you compare where we were twenty years ago, and you think where we might be in twenty years’ time, it’s an absolute revolution that’s happening.”
”

— Adam Montefiore

Today, Israel’s wines can stand up to some of the great European vintages. What brought about this radical transformation?

Adam Montefiore was a chief instrument in the change. An English transplant to Israel, Adam has overseen turnarounds at the Golan Heights Winery and the Carmel Winery, both of which have won major awards in international wine competitions. As he says:

If you compare where we were twenty years ago, and you think where we might be in twenty years’ time, it’s an absolute revolution that’s happening. There’s not one winery in Israel that’s not making better wine than it did ten years ago.

Adam comes from a venerable family of wine lovers. One ancestor was the nineteenth-century British financier and philanthropist Moses Montefiore. According to Adam, Sir Moses drank a bottle of wine every day (and, perhaps not incidentally, lived to the age of a hundred). Adam concludes that his own passion for wine comes to him naturally, through his genes. That family passion continues in the form of the Kerem Montefiore Winery, which is run by Adam’s children, David and Rachel.

Today Adam writes about wine and heads several oenological consortia in Israel—he continues to earn his title: the ambassador of Israeli wine.  

Carmel Winery >

Golan Heights Winery >

Kerem Montefiore Winery >

Vintner Eran Goldwasser of Yatir Winery in the Negev

View fullsize

Eran Goldwasser of Yatir Winery. Photo by and © Vision Studio 

Eran Goldwasser is the gifted young man who oversees Yatir’s vineyards and winemaking processes.

 Eran has brush-cut black hair and a handsome, happy smile. There is an air of contentment about him: he is clearly satisfying a deep personal passion with the wines he produces, utilizing the experience he has gained while working at wineries in Australia, and through his inspiring explorations in India and Japan. He is a happy and successful winemaker.

“An arid region has an inherent advantage in limiting vine growth, and can potentially produce very high-quality wines.”

— Eran Goldwasser, Yatir Winery

Eran explains that the dryness of the Negev Desert can actually be an advantage, if the balance of everything is right:

The goal in growing grapes that produce quality wine is to balance vine growth (both leaves and bunches) and create an efficient “sun-harvesting machine.” When supplied with too much water, the grapevine grows excessively and the grapes can’t fully ripen. It is no longer efficient in transforming sunlight into sugar, aroma, and color molecules. So an arid region has an inherent advantage in limiting vine growth, and can potentially produce very high-quality wines. But too much stress [from lack of water] can also throw the vine off-balance and hinder quality.

We describe Yatir Forest as a “semi-arid region.” It is not a desert, but the rainfall here—about twelve inches annually—is less than the Mediterranean standard. So, with a measured addition of drip irrigation, we are able to grow vines that are naturally balanced. That’s the basis of our winemaking.

Yatir Winery >

Carmey Avdat Farm and Winery

View fullsize

Negev, Nahal Grar, Wildflowers, 2012.  Photo by Neil Folberg

The white sands of the Negev sparkle on both sides of the road as you approach the Carmey Avdat farm and winery.  

“Our exploration of the desert served as the foundation for our vision and dream. We learned to listen to the voices of the desert and to respect it—but not to attempt to tame it.”

— Eyal Izrael

At Carmey Avdat, the quiet is palpable as you breathe in the cool air, past the guest cabins that Eyal Izrael and his wife, Hannah, began building in 2000. Eyal and Hannah left their home in the North in 1998, to follow in David Ben-Gurion’s footsteps and set up a new life in the desert, not far from the kibbutz of Sde Boker, Ben-Gurion’s last home. Here at Carmey Avdat—which has the distinction of being Israel’s first solar-powered winery—no television, no wifi interrupts the desert experience (but an espresso machine, a refrigerator, and a full breakfast are delivered every morning, bringing joy to the spirit). Guests who stay here can swim in white rock pools inspired by those in the mountain orchards of the Sinai. The surrounding hillsides are planted with native trees—carob, olive, fig, and pomegranate—among which visitors can wander and from which they can sample.

Eyal and Hannah studied the ancient Nabataean and Byzantine irrigation systems: their vineyards are planted in a wadi, or dry riverbed, on Nabataean remains, following the ancient terraces and water routes, making use of the annual floodwaters to help wash the salt from the desert soil. Carmey Avdat—which grows Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes—is part of the “Negev Wine Route”; other wineries on that itinerary are the Ramat Negev Winery, Rota, Ashba, Rujum, Derech Eretz, and Sde Boker.

What a surprise that the desert can be so fruitful, so generous—and that the wine from this region can be so fabulous! Eyal explains how he and Hannah have successfully adapted themselves to this land: “Our exploration of the desert served as the foundation for our vision and dream. We learned to listen to the voices of the desert and to respect it—but not to attempt to tame it.”

Carmey Avdat  >

Yatir Winery Produces Some of Israel’s Finest Wines from Grapes Grown in the Desert

View fullsize

The green Yatir vineyard abuts the arid Negev Desert . Film still courtesy Yatir Winery.

The Yatir Winery, an independent subsidiary of Carmel Winery in the Negev Desert, produces some of the finest wines in Israel. Grapes growing in the desert? It would seem that David Ben-Gurion’s famous notion of making “the desert bloom” is coming to fruition.

Yatir was founded in 2000, as a joint venture between Carmel and the grape-growers of this region of the desert—which, because of its altitude, can get quite chilly at night, and even snowy in the wintertime. 

“Here pine, carob, and pistachio trees all play a role in creating this unique terroir.”

The Yatir Forest grapevines grow three thousand feet above sea level in rows, surrounded by the largest planted forest in Israel; here pine, carob, and pistachio trees all play a role in creating this unique terroir. In the forest the air is moist, the trees fragrant. The earth here is rich with chalk and clay, and the drainage is very good—the grapes love it.

Vintner Eran Goldwasser explains: The goal in growing grapes that produce quality wine is to balance vine growth (both leaves and bunches) and create an efficient “sun-harvesting machine.”

But what about the wine, you ask?

Uncork a 2006 bottle of Yatir Forest—Yatir’s flagship wine—with its signature red seal stamped with the face of a lion and let it breathe for a while before pouring a glass of the crimson liquid, with its bouquet of ripe black currants and Mediterranean herbs.

The wine is superb. And, as you sip it indulgently, you may taste the terroir of the desert, filled with wonders.

Yatir Winery >