Time for wine to shine

NORMAN GLADSTONE

A winemaking renaissance has been taking place in Israel over the past 30 years, but it has taken that long – plus the previous 5,000 years – to be considered by many to be an “overnight” success.

Wine and Judaism are intertwined. There are numerous references in the Torah to grape growing and wine production. Noah’s planting of a vineyard (and becoming intoxicated) is the first mention, while the spies Moses sent to Canaan reported that special frames were required to carry the abundant vines. There are references to grapes and wine throughout the Torah, including planting, production and use, and wine is part of Shabbat, weddings and Passover rituals, among the other many lifecycle and festival events.

It wasn’t until the 1800s that a more scientific approach to grape and wine production occurred. Sir Moses Montefiore, an English Jewish philanthropist, encouraged Jewish farmers in then-Palestine to grow grapes. In 1870, Rabbi Abraham Teperberg opened the Efrat Winery, which, is now known as Teperberg Winery and has since been relocated to Kibbutz Tzora in the Judean Hills town of Beit Shemesh. Teperbeg is also credited with establishing an agricultural school near Jaffa that was the first to plant European varietals.

Probably the most significant boost to Israeli grape and wine production came from Baron Edmund de Rothschild in the late 1800s. His fame as the owner of the Bordeaux estate of Château Lafite is known to this day. He agreed to help finance new grape production, brought in French wine experts and built wineries at Rishon Lezion and Zichron Ya’akov. In 1906, he helped to establish the Carmel cooperative of grape growers in order to manage the two wineries. Carmel was the dominant name in wine production in Israel for decades afterwards.

The establishment of Golan Heights Winery and the release of wines under the Yarden label in 1983 marked the beginning of the current Israeli wine renaissance. Golan Heights demonstrated that quality wine production was possible when serious scientific evaluation of soils and climate was employed. What has since followed has been nothing short of a wine revolution. Millions of dollars have been invested in new vineyards and wineries and, today, there are approximately 150 boutique- to large-size wineries operating in Israel. Estimated Israeli wine production is 36 million bottles, most of it being modern table wines of world-class quality.

A geographical classification of Israeli growing areas has been developed. There are six designated regions, some with sub-regions. One of the best is the Upper Galilee, home of Galil Mountain Winery. With warm days and cool nights, wines of character, depth and structure are produced. Another region is the Judean Hills, which has excellent soil conditions and a moderate Mediterranean climate. In this area, there are some excellent wines, Teperberg Efrat being just one of several.

No discussion of Israeli wine is complete without a reference to the laws of kashrut. Most, but not all, wines produced in Israel are kosher. For many wine consumers, kosher wine is synonymous with sweet. Those lingering impressions are carry-overs from ritual wines that were often produced from Concord grapes. However, there is nothing inherently kosher about a Concord grape. Chardonnay, Cabernet or Merlot grapes are equally as kosher as long as the rules of kashrut are followed. Today, a fine kosher wine is not an oxymoron. Israel is producing world-class wines, many of which just happen to be kosher, a definite bonus for those who observe kashrut.

In British Columbia, all of the Israeli wines produced under the Galil Mountain and Efrat winery labels are kosher. For your Passover needs, you will be able to find many of these wines in select private and B.C. government liquor stores.

Norman Gladstone is director/principal with the wine marketer and importer International Cellars, Inc.

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