A whirlwind of wining and dining

The Cramim Spa Hotel offers exclusive wine weekends.

By NERIA BARR
Updated: JANUARY 6, 2016 13:43
Cramim Hotel. (photo credit: Courtesy)
Cramim Hotel.
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Wine enthusiasts are offered the opportunity to learn more about local wineries and the secrets of wine tasting on a special wine weekend offered at the Cramim Spa Hotel in the Judean Hills.
We attended the wine weekend in November during the region’s Wine Festival, but the hotel holds such weekends throughout the year.
Our activities started with a cocktail party, where the wines, poured by staff from the wineries, had been selected to suit the hors d’oeuvres. The cocktail party was followed by a dinner, which included wines carefully chosen to accompany the dishes.
Following the meal, the participants were invited to an enchanting evening with musician Dan Toren and wine expert and journalist Yair Gat, co-author of The New Israeli Wine Guide. Gat dedicated the evening to recounting stories about wine and the people in the area who make it.
The next morning, boarding a private bus and each given a bag of goodies for the trip, the guests went on a guided tour of the area, visiting and tasting wines at local wineries. Many of the participants took advantage of the opportunity to purchase wines from the small wineries at special prices.
The weekend also included a dessert wine workshop led by the hotel’s sommelier, and an enlightening wine-tasting workshop with Gat, who explained what experts look for when tasting wine and gave tips about how to taste wine and how to select wine.
Some of the guests suggested that it would have been better to run this workshop at the beginning of the weekend rather than at the end.
All the meals that weekend were accompanied by wines that the hotel’s sommelier selected to pair with the delicious food prepared by the hotel chef.
Cramim is part of the prime luxury hotels of the Isrotel chain. Located in Kiryat Anavim, it is the first wine-centered hotel in Israel, offering guests ongoing wine workshops, a wine boutique, grape and wine treatments at the immense spa and much more.
Between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, it is the perfect getaway for a short vacation and an opportunity to learn more about the region, especially the wines.
The writer was a guest of the hotel.
For more details about the wine weekends and other offers, call *5585 or go to www.isrotel.co.il.