I taste, rate, and write often about Israeli wine on many platforms. I argue that there are biblical and Zionist echoes in every glass of good Israeli wine. Al-Jazeera doesn't like this. Earlier this year, a columnist for the Qatar-sponsored Al-Jazeera accused me of being "drunk on Zionism" and "wine-washing the occupation." (By "occupation" Al Jazeera means of all Israel.)
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"Israel is using its wine industry to distract from its other domestic pastimes like ethnic cleansing, apartheid, and the periodic massacre of Palestinians," bleated the sour writer. I plead guilty to the former charge. In fact, the tagline of my website is now "Drunk on Zion." I also am proud to be the first Israeli accused (as far as I know) of the new crime of "wine-washing." I consider this a badge of honor!
(I suppose that wine-washing is akin to pink-washing and green-washing, which are terms that allege Israel promotes its openness to LGBT rights and its environmental prowess as methods of obscuring its "occupation" of Palestinians.) In any case, I remain drunk with conviction that the Israeli wine revolution is a sign of divine favor; what Jewish tradition calls a siman muvhak – an undeniable, stark indication of support from the heavens.
The professional wine publications seem to agree. The upcoming October 2022 issue of the prestigious Wine Spectator magazine features Israeli wines on its front cover, predicting "an exciting future for this emerging wine region." (The magazine published a similar story in September 2016: "Surprising quality from an emerging region.") The new tasting report highlights an Israeli focus on grape types (varietals) that are indigenous to the Rhone Valley and on white wines.
With the summer wine festivals coming to an end, and the High Holidays nearing, it seems apt to survey a selection of superb Israeli wines. Picking-up on Wine Spectator's lead, let's focus on the trend to move away from the classic varietals from Bordeaux in France (like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot) and instead craft wine from grapes native to Spain, Portugal, and the Rhone Valley in southern France – like Chenin Blanc, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah, Tempranillo, Touriga Nacional, and Roussanne. Many Israeli winemakers feel that these grapes are best suited to Israel's Mediterranean climate.
Pierre Miodownick's Domaine Netofa Winery specializes in Rhone varietals. Netofa's Latour, Tel Qasser Moursyr (both full-bodied Syrah/Mourvèdre blends), and Netofa's Dor Syrah wine are remarkable – all grown in the lower Galilee near Mt. Tabor.
Even Teperberg, the country's oldest winery which makes outstanding Cabernets, Merlots, and Bordeaux blends (think of the winery's "Essence" and "Inspire" series of wines), now has crafted a GSM (Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre – the classic Rhone Valley blend). Teperberg's youngest winemaker, American immigrant Dani Friedenberg, has produced his own unique wines under the Teperberg label including an excellent Grenache.
More beautiful expressions of this Rhone trend: Yaacov Oryah's Eye of the Storm (a GSM blend), Spirals of Smoke (GSM and Carignan), and A Dream of Espamia (Tempranillo, Grenache, and Carignan); Bachoushe Winery Carpenter (GSM and Carignan); Gush Etzion Winery Spring River GSM; and the MAIA Red (a satisfying blend of Carignan, Syrah, and Mourvedre, known as CSM). MAIA is an acronym for Mediterranean Approach Israeli Art, a boutique sub-label of Tulip Winery.
In another direction, let's highlight three boutique wineries from Israel's south. Many people don't know this, but the Yatir Forest area in the southern Hebron hills is as high in altitude as the Golan Heights (800 square meters above sea level), is well-watered with winter rainfall, very hot during the day, and very cool at night – perfect conditions for grape growing.
Bruno Darmon and Yaacov Bris' La Foret Blanche winery, located in Beit Yatir with grapes sourced in the Hebron hills, offers several outstanding, very "chewy" blended wines (chewy, meaning they have texture and substance in the mouth, almost like food). These include the young 2020 Talpiot Red (a blend of Cabernet, Shiraz, Petit Verdot, and Merlot); the new world style 2019 D'vir Cabernet-Shiraz-Merlot blend; and the flagship 2018 Ya'ar Levanon single vineyard Cabernet).
Elad and Nava Movshovitz's Drimia Winery in Susya makes a wonderful flagship wine called Sfar (meaning edge, or borderline, since the Hebron hills are on the edge of the Negev desert). This is a Cabernet-Petit Verdot blend with grapes grown in the Yatir forest. Drimia Shiraz is spicy and well-crafted too.
Eli Shiran's eponymous winery, based in Kiryat Arba, draws on grapes from all parts of the country including Petit Sirah from the Galilee and Petit Verdot from Gush Etzion, producing a delicious wine called The Conductor. Song of the Birds is a GSC (Grenache, Syrah, and Carignan). Shiran also makes numerous white wines from Chardonnay, Semillon, Viognier, and Riesling.
Shiran likes to mix things up, breaking conventional rules, trying different blends every year. This year, observing shmitta, the Biblical sabbatical year, Eli Shiran did not make any wine. Good on you, Eli!
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