THE HONORARY ISRAELI

I have always been interested in developing Israeli Carignan. When I worked for Carmel Winery it was a policy, but even though there is a lot of Carignan in the country, there are not so many varietal Carignans made here. Nevertheless, it remains even today the second most planted grape variety in Israel. We are obviously drinking far more Carignan than we are aware of!
Over the years I have written about Carignan in Israel, but my interest received an infusion after meeting Momo Shmilovich at his Neve Yarak Winery. He has taken over the mantle of Carignan warrior in Israel and organizes a Carignan Day, which encourages visitors, hosts tastings and lectures all on the subject of this far from noble variety, which has a long association with volume rather than quality.
There is no grape variety which tells the story of Israeli wine quite like Carignan. It is part of the modern history of Israeli wine. It has been here from the beginning, from even before Baron Edmond de Rothschild’s involvement.