Exploring Israeli wines

According to the Old Testament, Noah was the world’s first documented viticulturalist. When the flood subsided and he descended from the ark on Mt.Ararat the first thing he did was to plant a vineyard. The patriarch obviously enjoyed the fruits of his labour for, as the Book of Genesis states, ‘He drank of the wine and he became drunk…’ An occupational hazard perhaps.

Israel may be able to trace its wine history back to 1500 BC but two millennia later a war put an end to wine production and it was not until the nineteenth century that it was revived.

The modern history of Israeli wine can be broken down to three phases. The first was the arrival of Baron Edmond de Rothschild in 1882. Edmond’s father James had purchased Chateau Lafite, the pride of Bordeaux, in 1868 for 4 million francs. Fourteen years later Edmond established a winery at Richon Le Zion south of Tel Aviv, and in 1890 another facility at Zichron Ya’akov south of Haifa. Rothschild, thinking like a Bordelais, had his French vineyard workers plant Bordeaux varieties - Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Malbec - but these vines were wiped out by phylloxera and had to be replanted with grapes more suitable to the coastal climate – Carignan and Grenache.

The creation of the two facilities and their vineyards along Israel’s coastal region – which, incidentally, cost Rothschild 11 million francs - formed the Carmel co-operative of vintners, still Israel’s largest winery today. (Carmel translates as ‘God’s vineyard’.) Today the company produces about 15 million bottles and has 35% of the market. The Rothschilds sold their interest in Carmel in 1957. Such is the prestige of this enterprise in Israel that three Israeli Prime Ministers have worked at Carmel, including Ben Gurion, Levi Eshkol and the incumbent Ehud Olmert. When I visited the winery for a tour I was told in no uncertain terms that I was not to touch any barrel or tank, as the winery is strictly kosher. ‘If you touch it,’ said the marketing director, Adam Montefiore, ‘you buy it.’

Carmel, like Gallo in California, realized that in order to change its image from a mega-winery supplying gallons of cheap plonk, it had to create high quality wines in small batches. Its best wines can be found under the Limited Edition label (a Bordeaux blend) and under its Single Vineyard series which includes Cabernet Sauvignons, Merlots, Shirazes, Chardonnays and Sauvignon Blancs from the following vineyards: Zarit, Kayoumi, Ben Zimra, Ramad Arad and Scheh. They also produce late harvest wines from the Sha’al vineyard in the Upper Golan Heights.

The second phase of the modern industry occurred in the early 1980s with the planting of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc on the Golan Heights. In 1972 a Californian oenology professor from UC Davis, Dr. Cornelius Ough, visited the Golan and suggested it would be an ideal region for grape-growing, given its elevation and basaltic soil. Four years later the first vineyards were planted.  Daniel Rogov, Israel’s most influential wine writer, recalls receiving a bottle of Golan Heights Winery Sauvignon Blanc 1984. ‘I tasted it and all the red lights started flashing in the brain. I thought, no, this new winery is playing tricks. Nobody can make wine like this in Israel. It was excellent. I know what they did! They imported some wine from France and rebottled it. I took my car and drove up to the Golan and without any announcement I just showed up. They took me through the vineyards; they showed me the equipment. I met the winemaker. I did barrel tasting and suddenly the penny dropped – you can make good wine in Israel.’

Today the Golan Heights Winery is the third largest in the country with winemakers trained in California and France. Their wines are marketed under three labels – Yarden, Gamla and the early-drinking Golan. Their flagship wines (a Bordeaux blend and a Chardonnay) carry the Katzrin label.

The opening of the Golan Heights winery made Israeli consumers aware that their soil could produce good wine. In the early 1980s Israelis started to travel aboard in large numbers and began to realize that wine – hitherto not part of the Israeli lifestyle - was more than a beverage for sacramental use. Wine was, in fact, part of a cultured way of life. They returned to Israel from their travels in Europe and North America demanding better wines at home. This consumer ground swell coincided with a more discerning attitude towards dining. Four young chefs opened French and Chinese restaurants at that time. The old socialist ethic was dying. According to Daniel Rogov, ‘You didn’t have to feel guilty if you spent more than 20 Shekels ($5) on a good meal.’

The third phase of the Israeli wine industry happened in the early 1990s with the opening of two boutique wineries: Margalit and Domaine du Castel. Dr. Yair Margalit, a scientist, began his winemaking as a hobby. A chemical physicist, he admits to having been burnt out as a researcher in California’s UC Davis wine school. He now produces some of the finest wines to come out of Israel. His Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux blend called Enigma are topnotch by any standard.

You could easily mistake Domaine du Castel for a Bordeaux chateau, not only the layout of the cellar and the rose bushes at the end of the vine rows but also because of the quality of the Grand Vin Castel and the Petit Vin. Yes, the labels are even French. The only white wine made here is a Chardonnay called ‘C’ which could easily pass as a white Burgundy. Proprietor Eli Ben-Zaken’s first vintage was 1992.

Today there are, amazingly, over 200 wineries in Israel. The winemakers are young and passionate about their work. They make up the rules as they go along. Wineries to look out for:

In the Jerusalem Hills – Tzora Winery (MistyHills Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon, Ian Merlot)

Bravdo (Cabernet Sauvignon)

Recanati (Special Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot)

Chateau Golan (Royal Reserve Geshem Grenache Syrah, Eliad Cabernet Sauvignon Syrah)

Pelter (Cabernet Shiraz)

Odem  Mountain (Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve)

Galil Mountain (Pinot Noir, Yiron Sirah, Yiron Cabernet Sauvignon)

Dalton (Sauvignon Blanc, Barbera, Meron Cabernet Sauvignon)

Saslove (Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon)

 

The Kosher Question:

There is no contradiction in making fine wine and kosher wine, says Daniel Rogov. For a wine to be kosher the following requirements have to be met:

1.          The grapes have to be at least fourth year harvest after planting.

2.          No vegetables or fruits can be grown between the vine rows.

3.          Following the first harvest, every seventh year the vineyard must lay fallow. (The Israelis circumvent this Talmudic injunction by leasing the land to non-Jews every the seventh year).

4.          The equipment used in the winemaking process must be kosher.

5.          Only observant Jews can touch the equipment that makes the wine.

6.          The wines have to be clarified by kosher products.

7.          A small portion of wine must be poured away from the tanks or barrels, representing the tithe once paid to the Temple.

Mevushal wines are super-kosher. That is, they have been flash heated to kill off any microbiological activity.