Israel & Wine: Golan Heights Gewurztraminer
When you buy a bottle of wine for three or four dollars from a bargain grocery store, it’s hard to know what to expect. Especially when the wine comes from a country you don’t normally associate with wine. When I picked up the bottle of 2006 Golan Heights ‘Yarden’ Gewurztraminer from Israel, therefore, I had no point of comparison. According to Tom Stevenson’s Encyclopedia, Galilee, and more specifically Golan Heights, is the country’s premier wine region. Part of this is due to UC Davis oenologists bringing their knowledge and skills across the ocean. Take, for instance, Victor Schoenfield, who got his feet wet with the likes of Robert Mondavi and Champagne before beginning a 16-year committment to the wines of Golan Heights. In my research, I learned from Robert Whitley that he’s had much success with Cabernet and Gewurztraminer, which an Italian winemaker was taken with enough to import to his home country. And I can see where the interest comes from. The floral, fruity aroma was so strong, I could smell the glass of wine on the table beside me. My co-workers and I enjoyed trying it, and we found ourselves in a flower garden full of honeysuckle, gardenia, sunflowers, and lemon blossoms. There was also a fruit basket holding pineapples, grapefruits, and mandarin oranges. The more we tasted, we found honey and crushed rock (and strangely, a hint of anchovy–but that was just the one time). Having a sip with the honeycomb we had on hand punched up the wine even more.
I don’t think I’ve ever had a Kosher wine before, so this one was new to me on several levels. And for the price, I’d highly recommend buying this one, though I’m not so sure how easy it will be to find.
Tags: galilee, Gewurztraminer, golan_heights, grocery_outlet_finds, wine_from_israel, yardenRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Gewurztraminer, out-there wine stuff
5 opinions for Israel & Wine: Golan Heights Gewurztraminer
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Nov 29, 2007 at 11:37 am
[…] for a nice Kosher Wine from Israel, Farley can direct you to a fine wine he recently sampled. Israel & Wine: Golan Heights Gewurztraminer sounds like a great way to enjoy your celebration or bring as a […]
Avi
Dec 2, 2007 at 5:40 am
Don’t be scared off by the kosher label. There are many fine wines from Israel and elsewhere which just happen to be kosher (although many small boutique Israeli wines aren’t certified - mostly for economic reasons) as the kosher process has no impact on wine making.
Israel is making top wines, but b/c many of the larger ones are kosher, those who aren’t interested in that ignore them. Yet, Domaine du Castel is in Bettane and Dussave’s list of 100 of the world’s best wines. Parker is now tasting Israel’s top 100 wines (not blind). Golan Heights Winery’s top labels are great and GHW is responsible for changing the Israeli wine map and proving that Israel can make great wines and even the Golan - the lower label - is an excellent label for wines meant for early drinking. And Israeli wines are achieving international recognition, although far too many aren’t available or only in small quantities abroad. I am lucky and live in Israel, so I get to see the many great Israeli wines. For more information on Israeli wines, check out my blog HaKerem: The Israeli Wine Blog at http://israelwine.wordpress.com.
And, to find the Yarden for $5? That’s quite odd — even in Israel, it’s at least $20, and yet still so great.
Wine has been made in Israel for thousands of years - check out the Bible and at the daily archaeological excavations, new wine presses and wine jugs are constantly found. We’re the NEW Old Wine world - perhaps the original Old Wine world. Check it out!
Avi
Dec 2, 2007 at 7:38 am
Sorry, it’s not $20 but closer to $12. But still, to see if for $5-6 is quite odd.
Israeli wines are completely underestimated. My prediction - in the next decade, you will start seeing far more in the US and abroad for a general wine lover, assuming we get our act together marketing in israel.
Farley
Dec 2, 2007 at 12:55 pm
Avi,
Thanks for all the information. I wasn’t scared of the fact that it was kosher, that just made it more interesting to me. And I would love to learn more about wines from your region–it’s just that you don’t see them very often. I found this bottle at a bargain grocery store, hence the low price and my worry about the quality due to possible storage issues.
As you say, marketing has a lot to do with it. I look forward to seeing more Israeli wines more often.
Edouard Varron
Mar 5, 2008 at 10:40 am
I try to broadcast this information via many web sites.
We are a french cooper. We have been providing the highest quality oak barrels and alternatives to worldwide wineries and we are looking for oenologists contacts working in isaeli wineries or someone to represent us.
I do agree with AVI, Israel produces top wine. I would also like to learn more about it.
Thank you,
Edouard Varron
ev@tonnellerie-vinea.fr
http://www.tonnellerie-vinea.fr
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