Carmel have launched a new look for their Private Collection label. The new label is in a stylish black and white with a new, easy to read logo.
The first wine released with the new look is the Private Collection Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2007. Made from 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Merlot from the Galilee region, the wine was aged for 8 months in a combination of French and American oak barrels. One big difference from the past is that all the new Private Collection wines are not mevushal or flash pasteurised. This first wine represents the ongoing quality revolution by Carmel, the historic winery of Israel, which was first revealed with their flagship wine Carmel Limited Edition, Single Vineyard wines like Kayoumi and Appellation, a series of regional wines. It has now filtered down to wines geared to the quality mass market.
Private Collection was first launched as Carmel’s number one label in 1988. Today it features more in the supermarkets but has gained a name for representing quality, reliability and excellent value.
Another representative of the new Private Collection is a sparkling wine called Private Collection Brut NV, made for the first time and only recently released. This wine is made from 50% Colombard, 40% Chardonnay and 10% Viognier, produced mainly from the Shomron Wine Region. Five per cent of the Chardonnay was fermented in French oak barrels and the wine was made by the Charmat or Cuve Close process. The label for this wine is a striking black but it also shows off the new Private Collection logo.
These Private Collection wines are regarded as representing a great leap in quality by many critics and a break with the past. Wine lovers are eagerly awaiting the release of the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and the 2008 whites, including Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.
