Month: December 2024

The ABC revolution (Anthing But Cabernet or Chardonnay), giving life to other lesser known varieties, began with the founding of a small winery situated in the Sharon Plain, called Vitkin Winery. They themselves call it ABU, Anything But Usual. They chose any grapes other than those noble varieties which were the basis of the quality revolution in Israel. The big four grape varieties that dominated quality wines at the time were Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. Furthermore, most of the wines were varietals, being named after the dominant variety.

I have just come up to my 15th year as wine writer for the Jerusalem Post. That is a lot of articles! Every December, every year, I write an article on sparkling wines for the end of year celebrations. That was until last year. I just could not bring myself to write about partying with a war going on and hostages not yet home. This year I feel the same. I never believed a year ago, that the war would still be going on a year later, that the hostages would still not be home, and so many of our finest would have been killed and maimed in the October 7th War. The country seems to be in a collective depression. It feels disingenuous to write about celebration, when the mood is rock bottom, but maybe an excuse to party is a good thing.

Wine has featured strongly in Jerusalem since the time of King David. The Kings of Judah were said to have owned vast vineyards and stores for wine. King David’s wine holdings were so substantial that his court included two special officials to manage them. One was in charge of the vineyards and the other in charge of the cellars. These may have been Israel’s first viticulturist and first sommelier!

When I came to Israel the main spirits were made by the wineries. Carmel Mizrahi made a product from imported molasses called ‘Tehila’, which was a poor imitation of Tequila. They also had products like Captain Rum and Lord Gin. You get the idea and can imagine the quality. All these disappeared when the import gates opened and the big global brands arrived. When that happened, the feinschmeckers chose Scotch whisky and the prize for volume went to vodka. It was only in the last 15 years that a local artisan distillery trend began, but on a very small scale. Julius Distillery led the way, followed by the likes of Golani, Pelter, M&H and Yerushalmi. The one that reached the furthest in international circles is the M&H Whisky Distillery that has brought Israeli whisky to the world.