Twenty wineries will be pouring out tastings for thirsty wine-lovers in Ra'anana Park next week, and for the first time the festival will feature beer. Fans of suds can taste the products of seven Israeli microbreweries, with beer on tap as well as bottles to take home and taste in private. Hard cider and hard lemonade, both new in Israel, will also be on sale. The local hard lemonade is said to be much tastier than the famous American product. Har Bracha, Jerusalem Heights, Tishbi, Arza, Tanya, Adir, Mond and Tura are some of the wineries represented. Exotic passion-fruit liqueur and several imported kosher wines will be for sale as well. Among the beers will be Dancing Camel, Jems, HaDubim and Ronen. Three kosher restaurants will appease the inevitable munchies: Kyoto Sushi, Burgers Bar, and Frankie's rotisserie chicken. Alternatively you can take your pick of local gourmet cheeses, chocolates and olive oil. To keep the pulses beating strong throughout the evening, Jokers & Thieves, playing folk and classic rock, will play on Wednesday. She Rock, a high-energy, four-woman rock and blues band, will perform on Thursday. Metro asked festival organizer David Rhodes if there was a particular reason that mostly smaller wineries and breweries were being promoted at the festival. “A few big wineries like Tishbi have booths, and we appreciate their support. But they have no shortage of marketing opportunities,” Rhodes says. “They have people who pour for them at wine-shop tastings every Friday in Tel Aviv. For the boutique and newer wineries, this festival is a good opportunity to be noticed. We see the smaller wineries as partners, charging them only the cost for their booths and doing our best to promote them. For the public, tickets are fairly low-priced. It's a win-win situation, where everyone walks away happy. Or,” he says, smiling, “a wine-wine situation.” To accommodate the large kosher- keeping public in the central region, the festival is entirely kosher. “It's the only kosher wine festival outside of the winter festival in Jerusalem. It just seemed silly that you can go to more kosher wine events in New York than you can in Israel. And we're choosing our wines for quality, not only for skashrut,” says Rhodes. “It's a time for people to try new wines, take the opportunity to try a great selection and taste a few different styles.” There will be two VIP wine tastings at the nearby Culinary Theater. The Domaine du Castel winery will present tastings from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., and the Flam Winery's Gilad Flam will present tastings at 9 p.m. More information on wines presented at the VIP tastings is available on the festival website (see below). The booths are set on pavements and are wheelchair- accessible. There is also a wheelchair-friendly restroom at the nearby Central Cafe. Date: June 25 and 26 from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Place: Ra'anana Park, western entrance near the Central Cafe. The festival takes place along the pond at the park. For more about the festival and to order tickets, visit www.rwf.co.il or the Facebook page “2014 Raanana Wine & Beer Festival: June 25th & 26th.”
Fruit wines, liqueurs,ciders and hard lemonades are popular exhibitors(photo credit: MARTIN SEKEL)