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sraeli wine is
produced by hundreds of
wineries, ranging in size from small
boutique enterprises to large
companies producing over ten
million bottles per year. Wine
has been produced in the Land
of Israel since biblical times. In
2011, Israeli wine exports totaled
over $26.7 million.
The modern Israeli wine industry was
founded by Baron Edmond James de
Rothschild, owner of the Bordeaux es-
tate Château Lafite-Rothschild. Today,
Israeli winemaking takes place in five
vine-growing regions: Galil (Galilee,
including the Golan Heights), the
region most suited for viticulture due
to its high elevation, cool breezes,
marked day and night temperature
changes and rich, well-drained soils;
the Judean Hills, surrounding the city
of Jerusalem; Shimshon (Samson),
located between the Judean Hills
and the Coastal Plain; the Negev, a
semi-arid desert region, where drip
irrigation has made grape growing
possible; and the Sharon plain near
the Mediterranean coast and just
south of Haifa, surrounding the towns
of Zichron Ya’akov and Binyamina,
which is the largest grape growing
area in Israel.
In 2007, recognized wine critic Robert
Parker’s The Wine Advocate awarded
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14 Israeli wines
its highest
wine rating of “out-
standing.”
History
Ruins of an ancient Israeli wine press
dating to the Talmudic period (100 -
400 CE)
Viticulture has existed in the land
of Israel since biblical times. In the
book of Deuteronomy, the fruit of the
vine was listed as one of the seven
blessed species of fruit found in the
land of Israel (Deut. 8:8). The loca-
tion of Israel along a historic wine
trading route between Mesopota-
mia and Egypt brought winemaking
knowledge and influence to the area.
Wine played a significant role in the
religion of the early Israelites with
images of grape growing, harvesting
and winemaking often being used
to illustrate religious ideals. In Roman
times, wine from Israel was exported
to Rome with the most sought after
wines being vintage, dated with the
name of the winemaker inscribed on
the amphora. In the 7th century, the
Islamic conquest of the Middle East
virtually wiped out the region’s wine
industry with wineries closing down
and vineyards, planted with now lost
indigenous grape varieties, pulled
out. Winemaking was temporarily
revived in the Crusader states from
around 1100 to 1300 but the return of
Islamic rule and the subsequent Jewish
Diaspora extinguished the industry
once again.