Tasting, Learning and Enjoying Israeli beers and Wine

06/08/2011

 
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Deborah and Tal are no strangers to visiting Israel but this was their first time doing the "touristy" thing and visiting a brewery, dairy and 2 wineries.  We started the day at Alexander Brewery with a private tour and tasting with Ori, the owner. We tasted the Blond and Ambre, which were enjoyed very much.
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We then visited Jacob's Dairy which to all of our surprise was having a festival for Shavuot and President Shimon Peres was speeking at the festival. We tasted honey, cheese, fresh bread and delicious olive oil.

We then visited Tishbi Estate Winery for a tour and tasting during lunch. We tasted the French Reisling 2010, Sauvignon Blanc 2010, Shiraz 2007 and Port-style wine.  Tal learned a bit more on how to taste wine and some tips on how to buy wine at a shop.
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We ended the day with a tour at Carmel Winery exploring the barrel room that Rothschild built in 1893. Afterwards Deborah and Tal enjoyed a tasting of the Gewerstriminer 2010, Carignan 2009 and Muscat dessert wine.

Deborah, Tal and Ayalet had a great day learning about the Israeli wine industry and all the delicious wines we have to offer!
 

Exploring Wine in the Southern Judean Hills and more...

06/07/2011

 
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Steve is an avid wine collector and is a frequent writer on the Robert Parker board.  He brought his family to Israel to explore the history but also to enjoy the wine.  We started the day with a drive to Yatir Winery in Tel Arad.  We had a tour of the winery and then a tasting with the winemaker, Eran Goldwasser.  We tasted the Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Yatir Blend and Yatir Forest.  The tasting also included fantastic cheeses and bread. Steve’s favorite was the Yatir Forest.

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The second winery we visited was Clos de Gat where William, the export manager, toured us around the winery and to the ancient wine press.  Everyone loved Clos de Gat, not so much all the dogs around the vineyards, but the vineyards and view was spectacular. We tasted the whole Harel series, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and the Ayalon Valley blend.

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We ended the day at Tzora Winery where the winemaker, Eran Pick, gave us a tasting with cheese, olive oil and bread.  We were some of the first people to taste the Tzora Neve Ilan 2010 and Shoresh 2009 which was released only 6 hours beforehand!  We compared a tasting with the Shoresh 2008 and 2009 which was very different blend and flavors. The Shoresh 2009 has great potential!

The day was enjoyed by everyone and was finished with dinner in Abu Gosh.

 

Learning what Israeli wine has to offer

06/07/2011

 
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Ava and her mother live in the Philippines and love Israeli wine. Ava trained as a winemaker in France recently and is thinking about moving to Israel and working in the wine industry here, but first she needed to know what is going on with the Israeli wine industry because on the Philippines, they only receive Barkan Wines.  We started the day at Amphorae Winery where Ava tasted the Rosa, Chardonnay, Rhyton, and Unica Cabernet Sauvignon.  She really enjoyed Amphorae winery!

We enjoyed lunch at Tishbi Estate Winery with a pairing of wines. We tasted the French Riesling 2010, Sauvignon Blanc 2010, Cabernet Sauvignon Estate 2006 and Shiraz 2007.  After a delicious meal of gourmet pizza and ravioli Ava’s mom spoke to Jonathan Tishbi about importing Tishbi Wines into the Philippines, so they would have a bit more of a selection.

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The next stop was Carmel Winery where Valerie explained to Ava the influence of Edmond Baron de Rothschild and we tasted the Appellation Series Carignan, Viognier and late harvest Gewürztraminer dessert wine. Ava enjoyed the Carmel wines very much and hopes to also have them in the Philippines one day soon.

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Our last winery visit was an intimate visit with Barak Dahan, the winemaker at Somek Winery.  Ava loved the wines from Somek Winery! We tasted the Adom 2008, Carignan 2005 and Birkat HaNadiv 2005.  The day was a success and Ava learned more than she could have wished for about the Israeli wine industry and maybe where her expertise will assist one day.

 

Enjoying a day of Israeli Wine Tasting

06/07/2011

 
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Mark and Sharon decided to spend their Labor Day exploring the wineries of the Jerusalem Hills. Mark enjoys his wine and wanted to understand more about what is going on in the modern Israeli wine industry. We started the day at Agur Winery tasting the Blanca, Rosa, Kessem and Special Reserve. As always, Shuki philosophized the art of making wine.

Our next winery visit was Tzuba Winery where we went into the vineyards and saw an ancient wine press. We enjoyed a tasting with Paul, the winemaker, and tasted the Belmont White, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Metsuda.

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The last winery we visited was Psagot Winery. We saw a movie about the history of wine in the Binyamin Region then enjoyed a tasting of the Viognier 2010, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009, Merlot 2009, and Edom 2008.  Mark and Sharon learned a lot about the history of Israeli wine and tasted premium wines that they thought were delicious!