For The Tower’s in-house photographer, no assignment is too arduous. But this month, he may have met his greatest challenge: drinking lots of delicious Israeli wine.
Called a revolution by Businessweek, Israeli winemaking is reaching new peaks with the gradual emergence of a distinctly Israeli grape varietal, a flood of expertise, and the arrival of new methods for rendering wine kosher. But more than this, Israeli wines—once associated with the cloying stuff used for Jewish rituals—are winning prestigious international awards and showing up on Michelin-starred menus.
Ten years ago it was almost unthinkable but today, as leading voices like Joe Gallo and Robert Parker have noted, top Israeli wines are increasingly considered world class. From the Jerusalem corridor to the Judean Hills, The Tower offers a glimpse of one of the world’s most exciting new wine regions.
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Banner Photo: Aviram Valdman
- Photos: Wine Soothes the Soul of Man / Aviram Valdman
By the time of its independence, fourteen wineries dotted Israel. But only when two California wine experts visited the Golan Heights did Israel’s wine revolution begin. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
Connoisseurs sample the wines at the annual Yoav-Yehuda festival. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
In the 1970s and 80s, Israeli vintners began marrying high-tech farming with advanced wine-growing techniques. University programs and courses like the one at Sorek Winery, above, began opening. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
From drip irrigation to advanced biochemistry, Israeli vineyards, like the acclaimed Castel, above, have excelled despite receiving only a third of Europe’s average rainfall. This November, the French government will award Castel the National Order of Agricultural Merit for their services to agricultural and oenological research. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
Above, Castel produces its beloved Domaine du Petit Castel. Its 2005 vintage was awarded 90 points by renowned wine critic Robert Parker, who called it “impeccably balanced.” Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
Vintners like Carmel Winery’s Sam Soroka are seeing decades-long efforts begin to pay off. Carmel’s Kayoumi Single Vineyard Shiraz 2008 won the prestigious Decanter award in 2010. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
As a child, Avi Yehuda of Yehuda Winery dreamed of producing wine. Today, his vineyard’s annual production is growing rapidly. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
In spite of past associations, many top Israeli wines are kosher, including Castel’s award-winning vintages. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
At leading vineyard Clos de Gat, Israel’s terroire, which has been compared to France, Napa and Italy, reveals its own characteristics, both in sight and taste. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
With the wine comes the cheese. Shai Seltzer, above, bred an Anglo-Nubian sire from a prestigious Virginia farm with Syrian-Cypriot she-goats to produce some of the country’s finest cheeses. Photo: Aviram Valdman / The Tower
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