Tuesday, June 18, 2024

Israel as a noted wine region?

 My latest wine column. I didnt have room to discuss the high quality petit verdot grape which ripens nicely in Israel and makes a nice single varietal wine - as opposed to Bordeaux where it doesn't ripen as well and is often part of a blend. Maybe next week.

Thoughts welcome.



Are Israeli wines world-class? For those like me with a strong affinity for our homeland, we have no doubt. We can point to Israeli wineries that regularly are awarded top scores. Wineries such as Castel, Flam, and the Golan Heights Winery rack up medals at competitions worldwide. Jezreel Winery’s Carignan recently became the first kosher and Israeli wine on the menu at a 3-star Michelin restaurant in France. However, the broader wine world has not taken much note of Israeli wines.

Walk into any general wine store, and there are always sections devoted to France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, and sometimes Greece. Most even feature wines from Argentina and Chile, as well as Australia and South Africa. The USA is a mainstay, with California, Oregon, and Washington typically receiving top billing. However, outside of kosher wine stores, there is rarely (as in never) an Israeli wine section. There may be a kosher wine section, with Israeli wines represented for the convenience of the kosher consumer. Still, customers typically have little to no exposure to Israel as a wine region. The WSET 3 course I recently completed is the “gold-standard” in the wine trade, requiring extensive knowledge about winemaking in dozens of worldwide areas. Israel is not one. Read more at the Wine and Whiskey GlobeWine and Whiskey Globe and the Philly Jewish Exponent


https://wineandwhiskeyglobe.com/wine/israeli-wines-offer-world-class-varietals/

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