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wineries in the 1990s, but in 2008,
he wrote that quality had improved
immensely, especially the red wines.
Kosher wine
To be considered kosher, a wine may
only be handled by observant Jews
from the time the grapes are crushed.
If, however, the wine is boiled or
pasteurized, it may subsequently be
handled by anyone without losing
its kosher status. Additionally, kosher
wine cannot contain any non-kosher
ingredients or fining agents such as
isinglass, gelatin or casein. Although
not all Israeli wine is kosher, virtually
all of the large producers in Israel
have kosher certification.
Local con-
sumption
Annual wine
consumption
among
Israelis aver-
ages 4.6
liters of wine
per person,
similar to
Hungary or
Argentina.
S
ing Argaman.
A primary concern in Israeli
wine production is maintaining
acid levels to balance the naturally
high sugars that the warm climate
of the region produces. Vineyards
at higher elevations, as opposed
to the lower coastal plains, have
more consistently produced wines
with the necessary acid balance.
Cabernet Sauvignon has shown the
greatest aging potential thus far. The
smooth texture and ripe tannins of Is-
raeli Merlot has increased that wine’s
popularity in the market. Chardonnay
grown in Israel has shown itself to be
highly reflective of terroir and reflec-
tive of the particular characteristics of
vineyard soils. It is also the primary
grape used in Israeli sparkling wine
production made according to the
methode champenoise.
Production figures
As of 2012, the Israeli wine industry
produced an average of 36 million
bottles of wine annually in a variety
of styles ranging from red, white,
rosé, still, sparkling and dessert
wines. There are 35 commercial
wineries in Israel, and over 250
boutique wineries.
The 10 largest wineries in
Israel, in terms of production
volume, are Carmel, Barkan,
Golan Heights, Teperberg 1870,
Binyamina Wine Cellar, Galil
Mountain, Tishbi Winery, Tabor,
Recanati and Dalton Winery.
The industry is fairly concentrat-
ed, with 75% of the nationwide
production coming from the top
5 producers.
Enotourism
It was announced in early
2008 that a 150-acre (0.61
km2) wine park would be cre-
ated on the slopes between
Zichron Ya’akov and Binyamina
in order to promote tourism in
the area and enotourism in
Israel in general.
Assessment by wine critics
Bottle of Yatir Forest, 2005
Annually from 2005 to 2012
Daniel Rogov, Israel’s lead-
ing wine critic and Food &
Wine Critic for Haaretz,
ranked Israeli wines in his
Rogov’s Guide to Israeli Wines.
In the 2012 edition, Rogov de-
scribes, sorts and ranks more than
2500 wines from over 150 Israeli
wineries.
Israel’s reds, whites and rosés
also have been praised by Robert
Parker and Oz Clarke. When
Parker first reviewed Israeli wines
in 2007, he awarded 14 of them
more than 90 out of a maximum
100 points, rating them world-class.
Clarke included two Israeli winer-
ies, Domaine du Castel and Yatir
Winery, in his Pocket Wine Book
2010. Kim Marcus, managing edi-
tor of Wine Spectator magazine,
was not impressed by Israel’s