Month: October 2018

The image of a food product with the word ‘Kosher’ used to describe it, is enhanced. However, with regard to wine, the connotation is usually negative. People think this must mean the wines are sweet, oxidized, cooked and undrinkable. This mistaken perception could not be further from the truth.
Kosher food and wine are necessary for Jews who observe the Jewish Dietary Laws. The word ‘Kosher’ means pure and is used in slang to describe something that is considered all right, okay or authentic.
You will know a product is Kosher from a small abbreviation or stamp on the tin or package. Many of the most famous food and beverage brands are kosher. The regular consumer will not be aware of this or even care, as it does not affect the quality of the end product.

A special wine is not just a drink and a dry tasting note. It is also a memory and an emotion. I have memories that have accompanied me throughout my career, with one wine above others: Yarden Cabernet Sauvignon. As a buyer, representative, competitor and wine writer, I have experienced this wine in different seminal moments of my wine life.
Earlier this year, the Yarden Cabernet Sauvignon 2014, won a Gold Medal at the International Wines and Spirits Competition (IWSC) in London. It was a praiseworthy result not only because Gold Medals are exceedingly rare for Israel at the IWSC, but it also proved a reminder of an event thirty one years ago that signaled the rise of Israeli wine for the first time. Then an unknown Israeli wine called Yarden Cabernet Sauvignon 1984, made by an equally unknown Golan Heights Winery, won not only the Gold Medal but also the Winiarski Trophy. This was the first major award for an Israeli wine and the first outward sign of a wine revolution in Israel.

This article appeared first time in the Jerusalem Post.
The Negev Desert in ancient times was a wine center of some repute. In the days of the First Temple, there was sparse Jewish populations there. As Jews have done throughout history, they also made wine. A pottery shard recently found at the military garrison of Tel Arad conveyed the important message “If there is wine, send quantity.” This was dated 2.600 years ago! Wine was needed for refreshment. It was in demand for the thirsty, as it was safer to drink than the water, which carried diseases. Wine had status, it was used for medicinal purposes, for dyeing, and it was a useful source of nutrients and calories. It was also a valuable currency. However, the peak of winemaking in the Negev was not at the hands of Jewish winemakers. It was the Nabateans who tamed the desert.