Tag Archives: Winery

Beit El Winery Releases First Reserve Wine

Recently I had the pleasure of visiting Beit El Winery again. I was hosted by Hillel and Nina Manne, winemaker and owners of this estate winery located a half hour north of Jerusalem. Just two weeks ago Jews throughout the world read the weekly Torah portion that describes Jacob’s dream and the ladder he saw extending to the heavens, with angels ascending and descending. When he woke up he said “Surely the Lord is in this place” and called the name of that place Beit El (Bethel meaning the house of God). When Hillel and Nina moved to Beit El in 1996 they planted vineyards at an altitude of 850 meters above sea level.

Ancient watch tower in the Beit El Vineyards

Hillel and Nina Manne

Here the landscape’s ancient terraces bring to life the Biblical Song of the Vineyard found in Isaiah 5:1-7 complete with ancient stone walls and ruined watch towers. Currently the Beit El’s wine production is about 17,000 bottles produced from Cabernet Sauvignon and Carignan varieties.

The timing of my visit was opportune as Hillel has just released his first reserve wine, the Beit El Majestique Reserve 2014 made of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. While for many wineries the “reserve” term is a general indication of quality, for Hillel his reserve wine is also his first wine to be aged in oak. The Majestique Reserve was aged for 20 months in new French oak barrels made by Gamba Cooperage. The wine was fermented with three weeks maeration in open vats resulting in a deep ruby color. The wine has aromas of plums, vanilla, chocolate and earth and opens in the mouth with black currents, plums, earth, spices and a hint of sage. The wine is very dry with less than 1 gram residual sugar.The tannins and acidity will allow this wine to develop with age, I’d love to store a case and open a bottle once a year for the next decade and compare notes with each successive tasting. The wine is unfiltered and has 15.4% alcohol.

Judean Hills Wine Tour

The Judean Hills was an important center of grape cultivation and wine production in Ancient Israel. The centrality of wine to the area is expressed in Jacob’s blessing to Judah (Genesis 48:11-12): Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washeth his garments in wine, and his vesture in the blood of grapes. His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk. The grapevine were so prevalent in the Judean Hills, that it was obvious that the grapevine was where one tethered his donkeys. Hundreds of rock-hewn wine presses that date back to Biblical times are further testimony of the widespread grape cultivation and wine production in ancient Judah.

Old Vines Carignan in the Sorek Valley

2,000 year old wine press

In recent years, grape cultivation and wine production have returned with a vengeance to the Judean Hills. Over 30 wineries ranging from small garagiste to large commercial wineries dot the landscape of this hilly region. Some of the Judean Hills wineries have already achieved international recognition for their world-class wines.

Our Judean Hills Wine Tour begins from either Tel Aviv or Jerusalem where we depart to Sea Horse Winery on Moshav Bar Giora.

Entrance to Sea Horse Winery

Ze’ev Dunnie, a former filmmaker, became interested in wine while working on a documentary about Israeli wine. He was mentored by Ronnie James, founder of Tzora Winery and father of Israel’s Terroir Driven Wines.

Zeev Dunie, owner and winemaker at Sea Horse Winery

Ze’ev believes in letting the terroir lead him in his winemaking, using minimal intervention and only used oak barrels. He is one of only a handful of Israeli winemakers producing a Chenin Blanc varietal wine that he named James in honor of Ronnie James who passed away from cancer. Ze’ev’s wines are highly regarded by critics in Israel and abroad. http://www.seahorsewines.com/ Sea Horse Winery is not Kosher.

Continue to the archaeological site of Hurvat Etri, the remains of a Jewish farming village from the end of the Second Temple Period. The residents of Itri took part in both the Great Revolt and the Bar Kokhba Rebellion against Rome, with evidence of destruction layers from each of these wars. The most interesting part of the remains for a wine tour is the well preserved Second Temple Era wine press that will enable us to learn about the production of wine in Ancient Israel and the centrality of wine in both diet and culture in antiquity.

Hewn Wine Press at Hurvat Etri

Guiding a group at the Etri Wine Press

Wine Tasting at Ella Valley Vineyards

Next we’ll visit Ella Valley Vineyards, the largest winery in Israel with a woman winemaker. Lin Gold got her Masters in Oenology at the University of Adeline in Australia. She is the second winemaker at Ella Valley taking over from the founding winemaker, Doron Rav-Hon.

Lin Gold, winemaker at Ella Valley Vineyards

Wine Maker Lin Gold with Elizabeth Gabay MW

Ella Valley is a true Estate Winery with all of its vineyards under full control and in close proximity to the winery. Of special note is their Merlot which manifests itself a bit differently in the Ella Valley, coming out bolder and less soft than in most other locations. Most of the wines are produced from Bordeaux and Rhone varieties of grapes. http://www.ellavalley.com/en

Domaine du Castel’s Logo in Their Stained Glass Window

We’ll end our tour at Domaine du Castel. Domaine du Castel was started by Eli Ben Zaken as a home winery making wine for family and friends. Elia and his wife Monique had the first real Italian restaurant in Jerusalem. One of Eli’s friends send a few bottles of his wine to Serena Sutcliffe MW who was the head of the wine department at Sotheby’s in London. Serena’s fax to Eli in which she described his Grand Vin as the best Israeli wine that she had tasted convinced Eli and his family to devote themselves to making their small family winery a commercial success.

Eli Ben Zaken at Castel Winery

Domaine do Castel’s Wines Displayed in the Tasting Room.

Domaine du Castel’s offerings slowly grew to now five wines: the Grand Vin and Petite Castel, Bordeay Blends, “C” a French-style Chardonnay, the Rosé du Castel and a new red wine.

Wine Tasting at Domaine du Castel.

Wine Tasting at Domaine du Castel.

Wine Tasting at Domaine du Castel.

The Ben Zaken family-Eli’s two sons and daughter all work in the winery. Castel has just completed a new winery facility in Yad Hashemona-our tour will be soon be at the new site. http://www.castel.co.i

A Real “Killer” Wine

Assaf Winery’s Shiraz Caesarea Reserve 2008

To be perfectly honest, I am not objective when it comes to Israeli Syrah/Shiraz wines. I believe that being at the southern fringe of the Northern hemisphere’s wine growing region gives the various Israeli terroirs a tremendous adventage with this Southern Rhone variety. This is a lovely Shiraz with a deep purple/garnet color, red berries and spices with a nice balance and long finish.

The late Daniel Rogov, who is sorely missed as Isreal’s leading wine critic, writing and scoring thousands of Israeli wines wrote tasting notes for this wine before it was released. His review appears in the Israel Wines website: Assaf, Shiraz, Caesaria, 2008 (Advance Tasting): Oak-aged for 20 months but showing a gentle influence of the wood, a full-bodied, round and soft wine, with a generous array of plum, wild berry and raspberry fruits, those supported nicely by notes of saddle leather and earthy minerals. Generous and elegant. Best from 2012-2017. Score 90. (Tasted 8 Nov 2010)

We tasted this wine at the new visitors’ center opened by Assaf Winery as the beginning of the Kedem family’s “Wine Village” to include the winery, a visitors’ center with tasting rooms, a gourmet restaurant and a Bed & Breakfast. The “Wine Village” is located next to Moshav Kidmat Tzvi on the Golan Heights, home to the Kedem family.

The New Visitors’ Center

The New Winery

Assaf Winery was founded by Assaf Kedem in 1997 after raising grapes for other vineyards since 1990. Assaf Kedem has served as the winemaker at other vineyards and currently provides laboratory services and consults other wineries. Recently Assaf’s son Oren has joined the winery as winemaker and manager.

Assaf and Oren Kedem

So What Makes the Shiraz Caesarea a “Killer Wine”?

Assaf Kedem named the wine “Caesarea” to honor his father who served for many years as a warrior for the Mossad‘s Casarea’s unit which is tasked with “planning and carrying out special operations beyond Israel’s borders”.

The Caesarea unit purchases Shiraz Casarea wine and reportedly gives everyone who finishes their training course a bottle. Bottles are also given as gifts from the unit as appreciation for help and services. And bottles are opened and members of the unit toast “Le’haim” , “To Life” following successful missions.

Casarea’s Appreciation to Assaf for His Father’s Service and the Wine

A big thanks to Assaf and Oren Kedem for a great wine. And a special great thanks to the unsung warriors of Caesarea who allow us to sleep better at night and make the world a better place by helping evil people meet their maker earlier than they planned.

www.assafwinery.com

Ella Valley’s New Sauvignon Blanc

If you’re not familiar with the winery then you should get to know Ella Valley Vineyards. The winery was established in 1998 with vineyards located in three areas: Nes Harim with an elevation of 700 meters, Ella Valley with an elevation of 320 meters and Aderet with an elevation of 350-400 meters.

Aderet Vineyard

This year the winery has undergone some far-reaching changes. Udi Kaplan, who was the winery’s manager, took the place of Danny Valero as CEO, Lin Gold replaced Doron Rav Hon as winemaker and the wine bottles now have new labels.

Udi Kaplan, CEO of Ella Valley Vineyards

(Udi Kaplan, CEO of Ella Valley Vineyards)

Lin Gold recently returned to Israel after completing her masters in oenology at the University of Adelaide in Australia. Lin joined the Ella Valley Vineyards in the summer of 2011, just in time for the 2011 harvest.

Lin Goldrds, winemaker at Ella Valley Vineya

(Lin Gold, winemaker at Ella Valley Vineyards)

Today Ella Valley Vineyards hosted an event at the winery to launch three new wines to members of their loyalty program. The wines released are the Merlot 2007, Cabernet Franc 2009 and the Sauvignon Blanc 2011 all from the Ella Valley Series.

Ella Valley Release Event

The Sauvignon Blanc 2011 is special. First of all, this wine is all Lin’s. This is the first wine that Lin Gold has had responsibility for from the harvest to the bottle.

Ella Valley Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2011

The Ella Valley Sauvignon Blanc is a great summertime wine for Israel. The grapes were harvested ripe with full fruitiness and high acidity. Some of the grapes had a pH of less than 3, which allowed Lin to forgo adding acids to the wine during fermentation.

The wine has a very pleasant crisp acidity, with nice fruity flavors of grapefruit, asparagus and lime. This wine is very refreshing and if I didn’t have to drive home I surely wouldn’t have spit out any wine!

While the 2011 harvest allowed her to rely on the natural acidity and not use additives to make the wine into something else, Lin still had many tools in her bag to influence the wine. Temperature regulation, timing, blending and more were all part of Lin’s crafting this wine. Unlike an artist painting on canvas, winemakers can’t erase and start over again if they err.

I look forward to seeing Lin’s next wines even though it will be another few years before Ella Valley will release red wines that Lin has produced from harvest to bottle.

Rota Winery Visit

: Rota Farm-Sculpture and Vineyards

: Erez Rota

: Merlot Begging-Harvest Me!

: Merlot Begging-Harvest Me!

: Merlot Begging-Harvest Me!

Tonight’s the Night!

There’s something very special about Israel’s wineries in the Negev. First of all, to see a lush vineyard thriving in the desert soil is a bit unexpected. Secondly, to arrive at these vineyards you first encounter one of my favorite Israeli roadsigns…

Erez Rota established his farm in the Negev desert in the summer of 2004. Erez is an artist, known for his landscape paintings and sculptures as well as a farmer.

Rota Farm is located on a picturesque valley on the ancient Nabatean Incense Route. The farm is surrounded by low hills on all sides.

Tonight at midnight Erez, his Bedouin workers and volunteers will begin the 2012 harvest. Because of the early ripening of the grapes in the Southern desert, Erez may be the first vintner to harvest noble red varieties in Israel this year.

The Merlot grapes are so sweet! It appears that 2012 will be a successful vintage for Rota Winery.

Erez has installed his sculptures all over the farm. This adds additional beauty to the farm and vineyards.

Erez is more than happy to host visitors for a winery visit and tasting. Just don’t come early in the morning following an all-night harvest.

Erez just bottled a new wine-Neta, a blend of equal parts CS, Merlot and Syrah with about 5% Malbec. Neta will be released in about three months following aging in the bottles.

For more information on Rota Winery and Rota Wines see the web site at www.rotawinery.com.