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Every year, I review Israeli wines for the April issue of our magazine. I do this because the majority of wines from Israel are Kosher, and a lot of Kosher wine is purchased and consumed in the month of April for the Jewish holiday Passover (September is also a busy season for the category with the High Holy Days including Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur). Every year, I have noticed an improvement over the previous vintage, and marvel at the fact that some fabulous winemakers are creating beautiful stuff that too many people are unfamiliar with.
Enter Gil Shatsberg. Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting with one of the most prominent Israeli winemakers, Mr. Shatsberg, and his beautiful wife Tamar. Shatsberg, who has been the winemaker for Recanati since 2008, has also managed and produced the wine for seven years at critically acclaimed Amphorae Vineyard. After studying Viticulture & Enology at UC Davis, graduating with honors in 1993 and working as assistant winemaker for Jordan Winery in California, Shatsberg decided to relocate back to Israel. He spent six years as winemaker at Carmel, then joined Amphorae, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Established in 2000, Recanati is the realized life-long dream of Lenny Recanati, an international banker and wine lover from childhood, when his parents produced wine from grapes grown in their backyards in Israel. Today, as one of the largest wineries in the country and an international standard for quality Israeli wines, Recanati is one of the most established Israeli brands here in the states.
During dinner, I had the opportunity to taste through some of the newest releases from the winery, including the exquisite 2008 Reserve
Chardonnay (a single-vineyard wine) and the vibrant 2007 Petite Sirah-Zinfandel. Both remarkably balanced and showing exceptionally well, they were fantastic food-friendly offerings that left me wondering how many people would even know that these wines were Kosher. Soft, approachable and immensely enjoyable, how many people’s minds would I blow if I showed up to their Passover seder with a bottle of these wines as opposed to the sweet stuff so many are accustomed to suffering through?
But why then, I wonder, when you say the word “Israeli wine” to most people, do they automatically retort, “Oh, Kosher wine? Like Manischewitz?” Why have so many people not explored the wines of the country as a whole, delegating the offerings only to when specific holidays arise where Kosher wine is required? There are not many areas of the industry that define a wine by the technique in which it was made as opposed to the place from which it came.
It’s a tricky segment of the industry that has its pros and cons. On one side, of course Israeli winemakers want to be known as producing world-class wines, not just Kosher wines, that could stand proudly next to some of the most established and sought-after wines. On the other hand, they certainly are not too quick to dismiss or even downplay the fact that their wines are Kosher, as they know they have a dedicated base that constantly relies on their product for religious purposes and would not want to detract from that consumer group. So, the question is how to get the best of both worlds.
“We’re far from defining what Israeli wine is,” notes Shatsberg. “It’s a long process. We’re now defining where we want to go. A major change occurred when the industry stabilized, making good industrial wine without flaws… now we have to make it significant. People are more exposed and demand better; the audience has a major role in creating the way for the industry.”
And indeed, the wines keep getting better and better, and hopefully one day people will understand the true merit of Israeli wine without regard to its religious affiliation.
Filed under: Connoisseurship, Kosher Wine, Opinions and Commentary
10 Comments
10 Responses to “It’s Israeli Wine… Not Kosher Wine”
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January 28th, 2010 at 5:32:53 PM
Interesting post. You are right…I never think of Israeli wines unless it is holiday time. I haven’t tasted Israeli wine since visiting the Carmel vineyard many years ago. Thanks for the post…I’m definitely going to check out the Chardonnay. It sounds right up my alley!
January 28th, 2010 at 5:56:54 PM
Great post. As my friend Richard Shaffer of Israeli Wine Direct likes to say “Kosher is not a country.” And I add, Israel has both kosher and non-kosher wines and, in Israel, some of the best kosher wines in the country are found in restaurants that serve pork, shellfish and other non-kosher food so there’s no reason that a non-Jew or non-kosher keeper should avoid Israeli wines that happen to be kosher.
BTW, the question you ask is incredibly annoying “why do we talk about the sweet stuff or Manishewitz – most definitely not Israeli – when talking about Israeli or kosher wine.” I admit, even I’ve done that when I first interviewed Eli Ben-Zaken of Castel Winery — something I’m still embarrased about. But as a lover and blogger about Israeli wine (at HaKerem: The Israeli Wine Blog) myself, I’m glad to see Israeli wine start getting a bit of attention by the mainstream – even if it means less for me in Israel.
January 28th, 2010 at 5:59:29 PM
Neat piece I enjoyed the education and entertainment..
January 28th, 2010 at 6:01:04 PM
Israeli wine has come a long way. I was a french wine snob. I moved to Israel 4 years ago and Vineyards like Yatir, Tulip, Savion, Castel, Margalit and a bunch others have shown me Israeli wines are world class. They’re not expensive and incredibly worthy.
January 28th, 2010 at 7:22:34 PM
Great post! But let’s not forget we also have some amazing Israeli wine right here in Sonoma County; Longboard Vineyards’ owner/winemaker Oded Shakked was born and raised in Israel, as was I, Longboard’s tasting-room manager.
Also, to add to the list of up-and-coming small Israeli wineries I have to point out Tavor and Assaf Kedem
January 28th, 2010 at 9:56:07 PM
Although Manischewitz or the like has been a tradition for 50 years, and derided frequently, it was what my grandfather had for the holiday. Passover without it just isn’t the same. On the other hand, I have not been fortunate enough in recent decades, to find Israeli wines locally that were better than passable. Undoubtably, with interest in Israel in producing better wines, they will be more widely distributed. Guess we will be drinking better this year.
January 29th, 2010 at 12:22:31 PM
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February 4th, 2010 at 9:17:18 AM
I would appreciate a follow-up on this saying what will happen to Israel’s wne industry if the Golan Heights are returned to Syria as part of a peace settlement — something that many foreign affairs analysts think may well happen.
My impression is that while the Golan Heights are not the only wine-producing area in Israel, it is one of the most important, and its loss would be a blow to the Israeli industry. Is this correct?
Many thanks
December 1st, 2010 at 8:32:51 AM
ISRAELI WINE IS KOSHER WINE! IF IT IS PRODUCED IN OUR HOMELAND BY JEWS ITS KOSHER AS THE GRAPES AND PRODUCT IS FROM ISRAEL. SO HAVE A GLASS OF PINO NOIR FROM THE GALILEE FOR KIDDUSH AND SAY L’CHAIM TO OUR HOMELAND!
December 10th, 2010 at 12:54:32 PM
Menachem – not all wine produced inIsrael is certified kosher. (A rapidly declining number of) Israel’s best wines (like Margalit and Pelter) are not certified kosher.