Trip to Israel - Part 1

While on my recent trip to Israel this November, I had the opportunity to eat many amazing meals, and go wine tasting at some seriously good Israeli wineries. For a long time, Israel had had a reputation for producing only poor-quality kosher wine for sacramental use. But, during this visit, it became clear to me that not only has the tide begun to change in favor of producing serious, high-quality wines, but it’s been going on for a while. The rest of the world just hasn’t noticed yet. Israel isn’t a big country, but it does feature a variety of terroirs that affect the finished product, including rocky and dry deserts, rolling hills with chalk and fossils in the soil, and more mountainous regions with cooler weather. And, was able to visit wineries in all three of these different regions. But more instructively, I also got to visit a variety of producers with different philosophies too. These included a traditional, established, high-quality kosher wine house, an experimental wine school, a solo winemaker making a stab at establishing a new region in the desert, and a small winery, indulging their whims and making outrageously decadent wines to satisfy their own palates. So, on this first trip to Israel, I feel like I got a pretty good introduction to what the country has to offer.

Nana Estate - 11/19/19

I made my first visit to a winery the very first day I arrived in Israel.  I drove directly from the border to the Nana Estate Winery in the Negev Desert for a tasting I had arranged with owner and viticulturist Eran Raz.  Nana Estate is a small operation and really was a trailblazer in establishing this area as a wine growing region.  Other vineyards have since popped up nearby, but Nana was the first, and shouldered the burden of figuring out the necessary regulations and paperwork for receiving government recognition, and being certified as a kosher winery. 

 Being a desert vineyard, the climate is dry with hot days, cold nights, and persistent wind.  This climate means that there is not much danger from fungal disease, which eliminates the need for a lot of chemical sprays, but irrigation is necessary, and Raz does admit that there are many wild animals who would love to eat all his grapes.  Apparently, birds love the taste of Chardonnay grapes, and wild donkeys go after all the leaves.  Since the Israeli government decided that it is illegal to fence in vineyards, Nana Estate manages pests by netting their vines.

 Eran poured four different wines during our tasting.I got to sample his 2018 Chardonnay, which had rich notes of tropical fruits and cream.Then I tried the 2018 Chenin Blanc, which offered flavors of green and yellow apples, blossom, and a bit of vanilla.The 2017 Tethys blend (71% Cab. Sauv., 22% Petit Sirah, 7% Syrah) featured the typical notes of black fruit, leather and spice, but with and a hefty dose of greenness as well.Finally, the 2017 Cassiopeia blend (90% Syrah, 5% Cab. Sauv., 5% Petit Sirah) was a mix of red and black fruits, baking spices, and earthy and herbal notes of garrigue.I think the Cassiopeia blend was my favorite of the mix, but then I’ve been in the mood for richer, more full-bodied reds this season.

Adir & Dalton – 11/24/19

My next visit to some wineries took place a few days later on the 24th of November.  I drove north into the Upper Galilee where a handful of wineries are really gearing up for more large-scale production.  The sites I visited boasted modern, high-tech wineries, with all the latest equipment and gadgets.  This is definitely winemaking on a much larger scale than Nana Estate.  And, the two wineries I visited that day were found in close proximity in a sort of industrial park.  Although, from what I understand, this is normal in Israel, since the government has classified wine-making as an industrial activity, and thus may not be located near the actual vineyards. 

 The first stop was Adir.  This is a combination winery and dairy specializing in goatmilk cheeses and butters.  I arrived near lunchtime, so I decided to grab lunch in the winery’s garden restaurant in addition to doing the tasting.  The brunch that I ordered was an incredibly elaborate affair, consisting of fresh juice, an omelet, a large Israeli salad, olives, a platter of about six different selections of goatmilk cheeses, yoghurts and butter, and a glass of the winery’s Blush Port.  All the food was delightful.  Unfortunately, our server decided to bring us our wine tasting flight at the same time as our meal, which definitely detracted from my ability to assess each wine with a fresh palate.  And, I fear that the acid and bitterness from my fruit juice, the vinegar from my salad, and the savory aromas from the hot omelet definitely interfered with my smelling and tasting abilities.  But, of course, I soldiered on. 

I tasted the 2015 Kerem Ben Zimra Sauvignon Blanc, which had classic notes of white grapefruit and peach.  Then I tried the 2015 “W” Chardonnay blend, which had rich peach and pineapple flavors with cream and vanilla.  Next was the 2015 Kerem Ben Zimra Cabernet Sauvignon, which surprisingly had light red fruit flavors of strawberry jam, canned cranberries, spice, and sweet tarragon.  The next red wine, the 2016 “R” Shiraz blend, returned to a more expected profile, with notes of black cherry, blackberry, earth and wild brush.  To finish, I tried the Blush Port that came with my meal.  I’d never tried one before, and this one was quite interesting with aromas of honey, apricot, vanilla, and spice.

The second winery of the day was Dalton Winery, another larger operation. The weather was nice, so I took my tasting in the outside picnic area, where I was joined by a very persistent, very affectionate orange cat, who insisted on head scratches the entire time.Naturally, I was happy to oblige.I chose the Classic tasting, reasoning that it would be a good idea to get a feel for the winery’s mainstream line.But, in retrospect, I probably just should have gone for the Premium tasting.I determined that the standard line was probably designed to maximize consistency between vintages, and to minimize cost to the consumer, and thus didn’t offer very expressive wines.The premium reserve wines is probably where the winemakers get to show off their skill and craft.Fortunately, our sommelier offered us a taste from a couple reserve bottles too, so it wasn’t a total bust.I had the 2018 Unoaked Galilee Chardonnay, which had crisp notes of green apple, green papaya and mineral, but which had a bitter finish.Then I tried the 2018 Reserve Galilee Sauvignon Blanc from the premium list, which offered notes of ripe peach, ripe melon, grapefruit, and an odd waxiness that I don’t normally associate with Sauvignon Blanc.The 2018 Dalton Crimson Bordeaux blend was probably my least favorite of the afternoon.It had classic notes of black and red fruits, black tea, green pepper, and cocoa, but I didn’t feel like the flavors and structure came together very well.Things started looking a little better with my next wine, the 2016 Petite Sirah, which had rich, ripe flavors of blackberries, black cherry, and baking spices.And, I finished on a high note with the 2015 Single Organic Vineyard Zivon Cabernet Sauvignon.This was the most concentrated of the wines from Dalton and had rich aromas of dried red and black fruits, as well as some savory notes that reminded me of black olives.