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Every so often, I get a few single people that would like to visit Israeli wineries. I was able to put together a wine tour for some of these people in the Jerusalem Hills in mid-November.  We started the day visiting Tzuba Winery where we saw the ancient wine press and we went into the vineyards.  We tasted the newly released Harmony which is a Chianti style wine.  We also tasted the Merlot 2009, Metsuda 2007, Port style and dessert wine. The view was gorgeous and everyone enjoyed the wines. 
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The second winery we visited was Tzora Winery where we tasted the Neve Ilan 2010, Judaen Hills 2008 and 2009, Shoresh 2008. The cheese that accompanied the wine was also delicious.
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After lunch, we finished the day at Agur winery where everyone got a little lost in Shuki's philosophy on life, but after all the wine, no one could concentrate that much. We tasted Shuki's Blanca 2010, which was extremely oily and viscous, Rosa 2010, Kessem 2010 and Special Reserve 2009. The Special Reserve 2009 was already an amazing wine, even though it is still young and should age for another 7 years at least!

The whole day was enjoyed by everyone!
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Ellen was so excited to show her son the wonderful wine that Israel has to offer.  We started the day at Amphorae Winery where we took a tour of their beautiful facility and got an explanation of the fine details that Amphorae conducts to make their quality wine.  We tasted the Chardonnay 2007, Rhyton 2007, Syrah 2007, Maharal 2006, the Port-style and Medeira Wine. They loved all the wines but especially the Chardonnay and Medeira. They will enjoy these wines for months to come. 
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The second winery that we visited was Tishbi Estate Winery.  We enjoyed a lunch of pizza and salad along with a tasting of the young Tishbi wines.  After lunch we ventured over to the Wine and Chocolate tasting room.  They tasted the Pinot Noir 2007, Organic Syrah 2007, Merlot 2007, Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 Single Vineyard,  the Jonathan Tishbi Special Reserve 2007 from Sde Bokar, which Ryan will enjoy in a couple of years after properly storing it, and lastly the Barbara Zinfandel Port-style wine.  Each wine was paired with a specific Valharona chocolate and was delicious!
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The third winery I took them to was Somek Winery, one of my favorite wineries in Israel.  Barak showed us his little fermentation room where he ferments the wine in plastic barrels and a few times a day manually stirs the wine with the skins.  We tasted the Chardonnay 2009, Adom 2008 and Carignan 2006, which is a new release.

Ellen and Ryan loved their wine tour and now know a lot more about the developing Israeli wine industry. 
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After a week of meetings, dinner and lectures a few Weizmann Canadian and Mexican friends enjoyed a wine tour in the Carmel Region.  It was a perfect rainy day to enjoy 3 wineries and a brewery. We started out at Amphorae Winery where we took a tour of their beautiful Italian style facility and enjoyed a tasting of the Chardonnay 2007, Syrah 2006, Rhyton 2006, Merlot-Barbara Maharal, and the Port-style wine call Favor. 

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We enjoyed a lunch of delicious bread, cheese, salad, and spreads at Binyamina Winery with a tasting of their Reserve series. We tasted the Gewurztraminer 2010, oaked Chardonnay 2009, Shiraz 2007, Zinfandel 2008, Cabernet 2008, and finished with the late harvest Gewurztraminer dessert wine.   

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The third winery we visited wasTishbi Estate Winery, where we sat in the wine and chocolate tasting room and savored the pairing of Valharona chocolates with the Estate Tishbi series.  The group loved the winejams and the atmosphere of the new tasting room. Tishbi was getting ready for their beaujolais nouveau 2011 festival that night and celebration was in the air! 

We ended the day at Pavo Brewery.  We tasted their IPA, Stout, Red Lagger and Wheat Ale.  We watched the pouring rain over the Carmel Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea. It was a spectacular site and great end to a wonderful wine tour. 

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Israel21C created a short video about the wineries in the Carmel Region, specifically, Carmel Winery and Somek Winery, one of my favorite wineries in Israel.

Enjoy! 
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A few Canadian friends came to Israel and wanted to experience a different kind of Wine Tour so I took them to the Negev, where no one could imagine wineries existing, but they do.  We first actually visited Tzora Winery, which is in the Jerusalem Hills, but it was on the way to the Negev.  They really enjoyed the variety of wines and atmosphere of Tzora.  Shula gave them a taste of Or 2008, Tzora's ice-wine, and as Canadian's they thought it was superb, even if it came from a freezer and not a natural freeze!  

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We then drove down to Sde Boker Winery and Zvi, the owner and winemaker, who is originally from California and made Aliyah 30 years ago, told us how he grows grapes in the Negev and how he started his winery through a kibbutz community.  We tasted his Cabernet Merlot 2006 and Zin Zin which is his late harvest Zinfandel dessert wine.  Zvi told us about a little “hole in the desert” restaurant called Cornmill Farms where almost every dish has their local goat cheese included. The food was delicious, the atmosphere of being outside in the Negev was enchanting and the service was fantastic. 

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The third winery we visited was Kadesh Barnea Winery.  It is located along the Egyptian border, about 30 km south from Gaza and is really in the middle of nowhere!  We sat down with Yogev, the winemaker and son of the owner, and enjoyed a selection of their wines. We tasted the Cabernet 2009, Merlot 2009, Negev 2010, and Red Desert 2009. Everyone loved the taste of their wines and enjoyed the intimate experience of talking with such a down to Earth guy.  Kadesh Barnea Winery is an up and coming winery in Israel and is in the process of exporting their wines to the US.

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Sommelier 2011 11/13/2011
 
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The Sommelier 2011 was held at the Nokia Arena in Tel Aviv. This year there were about 40 wineries in attendance, including the large wineries and many boutique wineries. Some of the wineries that attended were: Gvaot, Adir, Saslove, Amphorae, Avidan, Naaman, Ramot Neftali, Clos de Gat, Domaine Ventura, Alexander, Tulip, Chateau Golan, Or Haganuz, Binyamina, Tishbi Estate, Carmel, Yatir, Golan Heights, Barkan and many more.

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I only went for one evening, which for some people in the wine industry, were there for 2 full days.  One highlight of my evening was meeting with Roni Saslove, winemaker at Saslove Winery and enjoying a tasting and discussion with her about marketing Saslove, which is now kosher, to the United States market. I tasted their new Avivim series and quite enjoyed the Aviv Cabernet! I always enjoy seeing my friends and colleagues in the Israeli wine industry and also seeing how much the industry develops each year in number and quality.

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If you want to enjoy another Israeli wine expo go to: www.israwinexpo-en.fairs.co.il

If you want to see other articles about the Sommelier, click here: http://blogs.forward.com/the-jew-and-the-carrot/145904/

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Barry and Beverly enjoyed a day touring around 3 Carmel Region Wineries on Friday, October 28th.  This was an anniversary present from their Brother and sister-in-law for their 30th wedding and aliyah anniversary. We did many Le'chaim's!
The first winery we visited was Amphorae Vineyards where they received a private tour and tasting.  The guide at Amphorae explained the unique methods of their winery and the quality of their grapes which makes their delicious wines.  They loved the Chardonnay 2007 and Port style wine.
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The second winery visit was Tishbi Estate Winery where we ate a delicious lunch of pizza and salad along with a tasting of the French Reisling 2010, which is sold out, and the Shiraz 2007. After lunch we went to the Chocolate and Wine tasting room and enjoyed the dark chocolate with the port.  Barry and Beverly enjoyed meeting Jonathan and Golan Tishbi!
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The last winery was Somek Winery in Zichon Yaakov. Barak Dahan, the owner and winemaker, toured Barry and Beverly around his boutqiue winery in his backyard. We drank the Chardonnay 2009, Admon 2008, Merlot 2005 and Bikat HaNadiv 2006. They loved Barak's wine and his passion for winemaking.

The day was a blast for Barry and Beverly and now when they go to a restaurant or a friend's house and wine is served, they know how to swirl, smell and taste!

Happy 30th Wedding and Aliyah Anniversary!
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On November 7th and 8th, the Sommelier Event will take place in Tel Aviv's Nokia Arena, The cost is 150 NIS per a person if you are not in the wine industry. If you do work in the wine industry, you can sign up through their website: http://www.sommelier.co.il/wine_news.asp?news=1&id=1131

https://www.eventact.com/benami/Sommelier11/

See you there!


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Enjoy the video with Roni Saslove, the winemaker of Saslove Winery, about the winemaking challeges and opportunities in Israel.

http://www.marketwatch.com/video/asset/wine-making-in-israels-upper-galilee-2011-10-10/837C30FD-2322-4217-AB19-D1C74A198FC9#!837C30FD-2322-4217-AB19-D1C74A198FC9
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The Struhl family loves visiting Israel during Sukkot and this trip they wanted to experience a wine and beer tour. Our first stop was Alexander Brewery where Ori, the owner, explained the process of how beer is made by taking us around his very clean and top-of-the-line microbrewery. We tasted two of his beers, the Blond and the Ambre. The Black beer will be ready in the Winter. The Struhl family was very impressed with the quality of the beer and Ori's start-up initiative.  
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After a stroll around Ramat HaNadiv, we enjoyed a tasty lunch of pasta, pizza and salads at Tishbi Estate Winery. During the meal, I served the family a tasting of the Tishbi wines (French Riesling 2010, Jonathan Tishbi Chardonnay 2008, Cabernet Petit Syrah 2010, Cabernet Sauvignon 2007).  We then went into the Chocolate and Wine Tasting room and they loved the Milk Chocolate!

We quickly visited Carmel Winery to see the old oak barrel room from 1893 built by Baron Edmond de Rothschild. The family had a wonderful day and learned a lot about the Israeli wine industry.
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