Insight Guides: Israel by Insight Guides

Author:Insight Guides
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Travel, Middle-East, Israel
Publisher: APA
Published: 2012-12-13T05:00:00+00:00

Over the past two decades, Israeli wine has become something to take seriously. Quality wines have taken their place on the nation’s table, pushing aside the sweet red wines that were once produced for religious benedictions. The once poor condition of Israeli wine was not helped by the fact that vineyards were initially planted along the humid coastal plain. In recent decades, Israel’s wineries have found that viticulture is an art best practiced in the chillier, drier inland hills of the Golan Heights and Galilee, the Judean Hills, and the Negev highlands.

The establishment of state-of-the-art wineries and importing know-how and the finest vine stock from France, California, and Australia has seen the local industry bloom. Most of all, the enthusiasm of a new generation of wine growers, and an ever-increasing, discriminating, and affluent local market have enabled over 200 companies, most of them boutique wineries, and another 100 small family winemaking farms, to make their mark on the local scene. Israeli wines have also developed an international reputation, winning prizes in overseas competitions. Some US$30 million worth of Israeli wine is exported annually and is available mainly in locations with large Jewish communities.

Winemaking is as ancient as the Old Testament. The grape was one of the seven biblical species and the Kiddush sanctification and drinking of wine before Sabbath and holiday meals has been a pillar of Judaism down the centuries.

The largest Israeli winery is Carmel Wines, established in 1882 by French Jewish philanthropist Baron Edmond de Rothschild. The Golan Heights winery founded in 1983 set new standards by introducing California know-how, while Israel’s other major winery, Barkan, traces its history back to 1899, although the modern winery was built in 1988. These big three control 80 percent of Israel’s domestic market.

Before the 1980s wine revolution, the most popular grapes cultivated were Emerald Riesling, Semillon, and Colombard for whites, and Petite Syrah, Grenache, and Carignan for red and rosés. When wine-growing shifted to the hills, new varieties were introduced such as Chardonnay, Muscat, and Sauvignon Blanc for whites and Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Zinfandel for reds and rosés to name but a few.

The proliferation of vineyards has transformed the Israeli countryside with the rich green rows of vineyards etched across hillsides in the otherwise dusty summer landscapes.

Traveling or trekking for the more adventurous across wine trails has become a popular Israeli pastime and there are potential routes in five regions, which include history, archeology, and breathtaking landscapes: the Galilee and the Golan, the Carmel region, Central Israel, the Judean Hills, and Negev.

Suggested wine routes for tourists include the Judean Hills west of Jerusalem – travel along Road 38 south of Beit Shemesh through the Haela Valley, where David, it is believed, slew Goliath. There are eight wineries (four on each side) in close proximity to the highway: from north to south on the west side at Mony, Tzora, Teperburg, and Agur, and on the east side at Katalav, Ella Valley, and two Hans Sternbach Vineyards. http://www.mil-media.co.il/wine/winejerusalem.htm.

In the

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.