Wine tasting brought Israelis to Jerusalem this week for the country's first kosher wine festival. According to a TV report by JewishNewsOne, kosher wine was previously far inferior to non-kosher wines because it was boiled to meet Jewish Halakha requirements. But today, Israeli winemakers no longer boil or flash pasteurize their wine except for the most strict kosher certifications, and kosher wines are now selling well and winning acclaim.
Renowned critic Robert Parker gave his 90+ rating to three Israeli wineries: Castel, Yatir, and Yarden. Israeli reds from Carmel and Tepperberg have garnered prestigious Decanter awards in world-class competitions.
Israel produces about 35 million bottles a year at over 250 wineries. A climate with extreme heat and cold makes it ideal for winemaking. Israel's 200 million dollar wine industry is forecast to keep growing and keep collecting awards.
The head of the Israeli Wine Society, Eli Poch, told JN1, "Kosher wine today is not like your grandparents' kosher wine. This is -- we're talking about a world class wine. We're talking about, I mean, pretty much every Israeli winery these days is winning awards internationally. Ramat HaGolan winery last year took 'best winery in the world' in a contest in Italy. A lot of winemakers are now starting to go outside of the country to Italy, and to France, and to the United States to learn how to make wine properly as opposed to just crushing grapes in a barrel."
Shilo winery owner Meir Chomer had this to say, "There's an incredible commentary on the portion of the Torah when Yaakov gave over Schem and the area of Shilo to Josef as an extra gift for him. And Rashi comments on the spot -- what is so special about this land, and he says the fruits are sweeter."
Israel produces about 35 million bottles a year at over 250 wineries. A climate with extreme heat and cold makes it ideal for winemaking. Israel's 200 million dollar wine industry is forecast to keep growing and keep collecting awards.
The head of the Israeli Wine Society, Eli Poch, told JN1, "Kosher wine today is not like your grandparents' kosher wine. This is -- we're talking about a world class wine. We're talking about, I mean, pretty much every Israeli winery these days is winning awards internationally. Ramat HaGolan winery last year took 'best winery in the world' in a contest in Italy. A lot of winemakers are now starting to go outside of the country to Italy, and to France, and to the United States to learn how to make wine properly as opposed to just crushing grapes in a barrel."
Shilo winery owner Meir Chomer had this to say, "There's an incredible commentary on the portion of the Torah when Yaakov gave over Schem and the area of Shilo to Josef as an extra gift for him. And Rashi comments on the spot -- what is so special about this land, and he says the fruits are sweeter."
Enjoy the video, and enjoy the wines!
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