Mazal tov!

A number of Israeli wineries celebrated significant anniversaries this year.

By ADAM MONTEFIORE
White Wine 521 (photo credit: Courtesy)
White Wine 521
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Each of these wineries has given a great deal to the development of the Israeli wine industry and has contributed to the quality revolution of the last 20 years.
Taken together, they represent an example of the variety and quality of Israeli wine.
Galil Mountain – 10 Years Situated at Yiron in the Upper Galilee, on the Lebanese border, Galil Mountain is a joint venture between the Golan Heights Winery and Kibbutz Yiron. The new winery represented the Golan Winery’s desire to have a “foot” in the Upper Galilee, as well as on the Golan. The winery was built with aesthetics in mind, situated next to a vineyard rather than on the usual industrial estate. The design is stylish, modern and practical. They produce about a million bottles a year from five Upper Galilee vineyards. The top of the line wines are two blends called Yiron and Meron. The winery is known for excellent value for money wines. The Avivim white and Pinot Noir are of particular interest.
Recanati Winery – 10 Years Founded in 2000 by Leni Recanati, the winery is near Hadera in the Sharon Plain. It is one of a number of wineries built at the beginning of the 2000s, with the immediate goal of becoming a commercial winery. The winery’s best wines come from Upper Galilee vineyards. The winery is known for a series of very successful results in both international and local competitions, in particular for its celebrated Recanati Special Reserve, which is its flagship wine. Also of interest is the Recanati Petite Sirah Zinfandel blended red.
Dalton Winery – 15 Years
Founded in 1995 at Ramat Dalton, with grapes supplied from the adjacent Ben Zimra vineyards, Dalton was the pioneering winery in the Upper Galilee. It began as a small winery in the boutique boom of the 1990s and has steadily grown to become one of the 10 largest wineries in Israel. Started by Englishman Mati Haruni, it was one of the first Israeli wineries to use the services of a winemaking consultant from overseas. Dalton’s leading wine is the strictly allocated, rare and highly regarded Matatia. Of particular interest is the red Zinfandel, unique in Israel, and the wild yeast fermented Viognier.
Tishbi Winery – 25 Years
Yonatan Tishbi was a grower for Carmel when he decided to open his own winery in 1985. He is the fourth generation of winegrowers in his family and the pioneer and trendsetter of vineyard owners who have gone on to open their own wineries. It remains a genuine family winery. Yonatan is the owner, his son Golan is now the winemaker, and Yonatan’s wife, Nili, runs the attractive, informal visitors center. His daughter, Oshra, markets Tishbi Fine Foods, which include wine-based jams and olive oil. Best are the Jonathan Tishbi Special Reserve wines and the single vineyard Gush Etzion and Sde Boker wines. However, Tishbi’s most famous product may be its Jonathan Tishbi Brandy, produced in a genuine cognac alembic still.
Carmel Winery – 120 Years
The Carmel Winery has been celebrating its 120th harvest. Though its first vineyards were planted in 1882, it was not until 1890 that the first winery at Rishon Lezion was built by Baron Edmond de Rothschild. The foundation of Carmel represented the founding of a modern Israeli wine industry after 2,000 years. For more than 100 years, Carmel simply was Israeli wine. Carmel has the two largest wineries in Israel – at Rishon Lezion and Zichron Ya’acov– and two small boutique wineries: Kayoumi Winery at Ramat Dalton and Yatir Winery at Tel Arad. Carmel’s flagship wines are Carmel Limited Edition, a Bordeaux style blend, and Carmel Mediterranean, a blend of Mediterranean varieties. Of particular interest are the old vine Carignan and old vine Petite Sirah. The revival of these varieties mirrors the revival of Carmel itself.
Adam Montefiore works for Carmel Winery and regularly writes about wine both in Israeli and international publications. adam@carmelwines.co.il