 On Sunday, February 20th both Corinne and her family and Katie and her group were troopers on a true Winter wine tour which was rainy, chilly and windy, but we all enjoyed our time at the Jerusalem Hill Wineries drinking deep, rich, red wine. We started the day at Agur Winery where Alon, the manager, gave us a nice tasting of their Blanca 2009, Rosa 2009, Kessem 2009 and the 2008 Special Reserve. Shuki talked to us a bit about how happy he is that it is finally winter and the vines are receiving the necessary rain for a good 2011 harvest.
 Our second winery was Tzora Winery where we enjoyed a hearty tasting of cheese, bread, olive oil with a tasting of Tzora’s Shoresh white blend of Chardonnay and Gewürztraminer, Jerusalem Hills blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, Givat Haluchim which is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, and lastly the red Shoresh blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Syrah.
 Before the rain started to pour down, we took a 5 minute explanation in the Tzuba Vineyards and explained the importance of low yield and high yield. We then visited the ancient wine press where I explained how they made wine 2100 years ago! Paul, the winemaker at Tzuba Winery, gave us an in depth explanation of Chardonnay 2009, Shiraz 2008, Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, Metsuda 2006 and the hit of the afternoon was the late harvest Chardonnay dessert wine.
We ate a big lunch of kosher grilled meats and hummas at Moshiko in Mivaserette and then headed back to Tel Aviv. Everyone loved the Israeli wines, food, atmosphere of the wineries and they learned a lot about wine and the modern day trends in Israeli wine industry.
On Sunday, February 13th, David, Liz, Hannah and Tzvi enjoyed a wine tour to the Jerusalem Hill Wineries. We started our day at Katlav Winery where we met with Yossi, the winemaker and owner. Yossi explained to us his traditional methods of winemaking and his story on how he was tired of being in the workforce as an architect and winemaking began for him as a hobby that turned into an addiction. We tasted the Katlav Merlot 2007, Wadi Katlav 2007 (blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdo). We then received a barrel tasting of the Wadi Katlav 2009! At this point, I took a picture of the group with Yossi, but my camera was lost at some point in the day, so there are some pictures from Liz’s camera.
 Our second winery was Ella Valley Winery where we enjoyed a tasting with Inbar of their Merlot 2004, Syrah 2006, Chardonnay 2008, and Cabernet Sauvignon 2006. The group loved the quality and elegant wines of Ella Valley.
Our third winery was Tzora winery where we tasted Neve Ilan 2009 Chardonnay, Jerusalem Hills 2008, Givat Haluchim 2008 and Shoresh 2008. Shula, the manager, put out a very nice selection of cheeses, bread and olive oil.
David and Liz wanted to make a quick stop at Tzuba Winery to stock up since they loved the Metzuda 2007 and Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 so much. We had a nice meeting with Eiton and they restocked!
 We all enjoyed some meat, salatim, lafa and pita, and hummas at Moshiko Grill in Mivaserrette and on our way back to Tel Aviv, Liz was nostalgic for the Elvis Diner that she went to 20 years ago. It was an experience!
 Danny loves wine and travels the world through wine tasting. Since Danny lives in CA he visits Napa fairly often and he knows which wines he likes! This is Danny’s first time in Israel and he is visiting his daughter who is studying in Israel. Danny and Hannah enjoyed an educational and fun day visiting wines in the Jerusalem Hills. Our first stop was Agur Winery where Danny loved the conversation with Shuki, the winemaker, and enjoyed his wines as well some cheese. Shuki's Rosa is perfect for Spring time!
 The second winery we visited was Ella Valley Vineyards where we enjoyed another intimate tasting with Doron Rav Hon, the winemaker at Ella Valley. We tasted the Syrah 2006, Chardonnay 2009, Merlot 2005 and the RR. The whole experience was a treat since Eran was able to give the tasting.
 The third winery was Tzora Winery where Shula, the manager of the Visitors Center, gave an in depth tasting and explanation of Tzora’s background. We tasted the Neve Ilan Chardonnay, Shoresh, Givat Haluchim with a delicious cheeses, bread and olive oil.
The last winery we visited was Tzuba Winery where Eiton, the manager of Tzuba Winery, gave a tasting of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir 2008, Sangiovese 2008, and Metzuda 2007. We visited the ancient wine press on the Tzuba premises and the vineyards.
The day was very enjoyable and fun for both Danny and Hannah. We ended the day in true Israeli style with hummas, falafel, eggplant and Israeli salad.
Enjoy the interview with Paul Dubb, the winemaker at Tzuba Winery. Paul is originally from South Africa and moved to Israel in 1996. He planted the first vineyards in Tzuba Kibbutz and in 2005 he become the winemakers when they established Tzuba Winery.
Tzuba Kibbutz sells their grapes to 10 wineries in Israel, including Domaine du Castel.
Enjoy the show!
I signed up for a wine tasting at Derech HaYayin with Daniel Rogov a month ago. I went into the store one day and I know the sales people fairly well and he asked me if this interested me for 150 NIS. I said yes as I knew I can expense it as a learning opportunity. I was looking forward to this evening for a while but in the end was disappointed because Daniel Rogov never showed up! Maybe my expectations were off or maybe the details about the evening were lost in translation, but I thought I was going to be tasting wines from around the world with Daniel Rogov, but instead I ended up tasting some good Israeli wines with the marketing manager and 20 other old Israeli men, that knew a little about wine, for two and a half hours. What kept me entertained the whole time was actually tweeting about my wine tasting experience!
The table was set nicely with a hearty selection of cheeses, bread and olive oil. The ten wines that we tasted were Garage de Papa Blanc 2009, Clos De Gat Harel Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, Psagot Special Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, Pelter Shiraz- Grenache T Selection 2006, Yatir Shiraz 2007, Flam Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, Golan Heights Cabernet Sauvignon from Yonatan vineyards 2007, Recanati Special Reserve 2007, Carmel Limited Edition 2007 and lastly Domaine du Castel Grand Vin 2008.
If I knew the list before the tasting, I probably would not have attended since I go to a lot of these wineries on a regular basis and have tasted the majority of their wines. The new wine that I had not tasted that exceeded my expectations was the Golan Heights Cabernet Sauvignon from Yonatan vineyards 2007. The reality was, that I was really looking forward to tasting wines from France, Spain, Italy and California that I usually do not have access to for 150 NIS, so if anyone knows when this is happening, please invite me!
 So here are my tasting notes:
Garage de Papa Blanc 2009 (140 NIS) - Made from 100% Chardonnay, vineyards from Karmai Yosef and Tzuba in the Jerusalem Hills, nice nose of apples, minerals and a smooth buttery/creamy taste. A very nice Chardonnay.
Clos De Gat Harel Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 – Taste of traditional Israeli Cab, nice tastes of cherries, chocolate and plums. Very bitter on the end and a felt the alcohol of 14% on the way down!
Psagot Special Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 (145 NIS) – Dark burgundy color, on the nose smoke and black fruits. Very savory with medium tannins and body, sweet chocolate on finish.
 Tal Pelter, winemaker of Pelter Winery Pelter Shiraz- Grenache T Selection 2006 – Very stinky! The initial stink actually reminded me of a Gary Vaynerchuk episode where he said the wine smelt like Rhino Poo! This was my least favorite wine and the green pepper, green herbs and soil were very strong tastes.
Yatir Shiraz 2007 (130 NIS) – Deep purple almost black in color with 2% Viognier. Nice hints of pepper and spice, bitter chocolate on the taste, very smooth, reflections of plum, green herbs, and a bit of sweet and sour sauce (to me).
Flam Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 – This is a very elegant wine with a deep red color and full body, tastes of ripe cherries, raspberries and a hint of chicken soup. Not ready yet but very nice to drink now.
 Golan Heights Cabernet Sauvignon from Yonatan vineyards 2007 (175 NIS) This was my favorite wine by far! I tasted the volcanic soil, deep red fruits, smooth and very elegant.
Recanati Special Reserve 2007 (150 NIS) – This is a blend of Cabernet sauvignon, Melbec and Merlot. There were definitely hints of manor and chicken soup (maybe I was craving it at the time, but I definitely tasted it), elegant after first taste, but a bit flat for me.
Carmel Limited Edition 2007 (200 NIS) – This wine has hints of tobacco and raspberries. The first bottle was corked so she opened a second bottle but it was still tight. I did not think it was worth the 200 NIS.
Domaine du Castel Grand Vin 2008 (220 NIS) – I have tasted this wine many times since I go to Castel with clients and it is an elegant wine, reflects French style more than the other wines. It is not ready to drink yet, I would give it at least 3 years.
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