Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WINE
Although the middle east was
the home of grape cultivation and
wine-making, the first two modern
wineries in the Holy Land were
founded in the mid-19th century.
They belonged to Baron Rothschild (at
Zikhron Yaakov, not far from Caesarea)
and the Salesian fathers (at Cremisan,
near Bethlehem). The Salesian
estate is still operating. For years it
was the only producer of good, dry
white wine, but its standards were
later matched by the Latrun Trappist
T
monks' winery, which has French vines and
uses French wine-making techniques.
The number of vineyards then increased
steadily and wine quality has improved dramat-
ically since the early 1980s. The main wine areas
are now: Golan and Upper Galilee at around
500 m (1,640 ft) above sea level, with ideal
volcanic soil; Lower Galilee, the Jezreel Valley,
V
the Mount Carmel region and Sharon, which
are lower and more humid;
Samson, the
coastal plain south of Tel Aviv; and the hills of
A
Judaea, which have poorer terrain and are
very dry. A number of experimental vineyards
An Israeli
Chardonnay
A
in the Negev Desert are now in production.
The largest producers are the Carmel Winery,
based in Zikhron Yaakov, whose Mizrachi
“Private” series is especially good, and the Golan
Heights Winery, based in Katsrin, whose main
labels are Golan, Yarden, Gamla and Tishbi.
Wines from small producers such as Kibbutz
Tsora can be excellent.
Jordanian and Egyptian wines are very poor
value for their price and, in both countries,
imported wine is prohibitively expensive.
Israeli red wines
are also good, but, with some
notable exceptions, tend either to lack body or to be
slightly heavy. The grapes most commonly used are
Carignan, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with
many wines being a blend of the last two. Among
the wines now produced by a growing number of
small-scale, specialist wine makers are the fine
Cabernets produced by Castel, and the Margalit reds.
Israeli white wines
, especially the Chardonnays
and Sauvignon Blancs, are generally very enjoyable:
often aromatic, sometimes fruity, smooth and full-
bodied. Many of the reasonably-priced whites are
produced by the Golan Heights Winery.
Kibbutz Tsora
Yarden
white
Carmel
Mizrachi
g
red
Chardonnay
Muscat
