Follow the trail of empty bottles around the Beit Shemesh area to get a taste of the region's vintages, victuals and vitality during the Wine Route Festival.
By BARRY DAVISvineyard 88 224(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
The press tour of vineyards in and around the hills of the Yoav-Yehuda region, it must be said, got off to something of a limp start. The bus heading over from Tel Aviv broke down and the rest of us were left holed up at the hotel on Kibbutz Tzova anxiously awaiting its arrival so we could get on with the solid and - far more pertinent and intriguing - liquid sustenance.
In the end, the latter proved well worth the wait. Before, during and after our sumptuous vegetarian repast, we availed ourselves of red and white wines that titillated and delighted the palate and simply begged to be imbibed. The 2007 Tel Tzuba Chardonnay, aged for four months in French Oak barrels, offered both rich aroma and a fresh buttery flavor. But the 2005 Metsuda Dry Reserve red wine was a full-bodied and succulent experience. A synergy of 75 percent Merlot and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, Metsuda comprises a beguilingly velvety textural blend that hints at all sorts of seemingly disparate but ultimately oxymoronic confluences between tobacco leaves, all manner of spices, coffee beans and ripe fruit laced with a definitively earthy feel.
This largesse, and the visits to other local wineries we managed on the press trip, were arranged to mark the 10th anniversary of the annual Wine Route Festival, beginning this evening and running until October 25. The festival agenda incorporates no fewer than 26 vineyards dotted around the area, which can be reached directly by private vehicle, or as part of various organized jaunts by bicycle or jeep.
A number of arts workshops will also be laid on, such as the Art of the Shoe workshop at Li-On, Maya Offer's The Beauty of Art jewelry design program at Tzur Hadassah and Moshe Katz's iron sculpting slot at Moshav Givat Yeshayahu.
Naturally, food features front and center throughout the festival, with special programs at eateries like Tavlin, Habayit Shel Osnat on Moshav Agur and Atsrika on Moshav Ramat Raziel. There are also plenty of places to stay, at suitably rustic spots, if you fancy making a weekend - or even a week - of it.
From Tzova we wended our way to the other side of the Eila Valley to Givat Yeshayahu, where venerable vintner Gadi Sternbach awaited our arrival. Ensconced in the shade of an enormous sprawling vine, he regaled us with edifying information about what it takes to make a good wine, and - no less important - how to make sure the end product gets to as many consumers as possible.
There certainly doesn't appear to be any problem with the quality of the product, or with connecting it with the public. The Janaba Cabernet Sauvignon was a delight and Sternbach proudly informed us that just the day before, he had dropped off "several dozen" bottles at the residences of a number of the country's "tycoons." Sternbach produces 10,000 bottles' worth of wine a year and says demand outstrips supply.
According to local wine expert Natan Lifschitz, the local industry has progressed in leaps and bounds in recent years. He attributes the advances - which he terms "a revolution," no less - to a number of developments, including enhanced professionalism, the emergence of boutique vineyards and learning from and ultimately competing with the big wide world.
"We have nothing to be ashamed of," he declares. "Our wines are up there
with the world's best."
But wine with chocolates? Surely, there can be few less appealing gastronomic combinations around. Then again, the visit to the long-established Teperberg Vineyard near Modi'in (founded in the mid-19th century in Jerusalem before relocating to more rural environs) introduced selected members of the press to such delightful and unexpected synergies as Chardonnay Silver wine with passionfruit-flavored chocolate, and Late Harvest Riesling with caramel-filled chocolate. Highly recommended.
Throughout the Wine Route Festival, visitors will be able to combine the theory and practice of wine making with trips around the vineyards where, later, they will be able to enjoy liquid refreshments and vittles. There will be lectures about a wide range of wine-related topics at various locations, including a discourse on the effects of global warming on wine at the Karmei Yosef Vineyard on October 15 followed by wine tasting accompanied by cheese, and an abundance of musical entertainment, including a David Broza show today at the Ein Hemed National Park, hosted by the Yehuda Vineyards, and a concert by a string quartet at the same venue tomorrow.
For information about the Wine Route Festival: www.m-yehuda.org.il, www.touryoav.org.il or (08) 850-2240.
if(catID != 151){
var cont = `Take Israel home with the new Jerusalem Post Store
