Wine tastings and events - September in Israel
Derech Hayain meets Golan Heights Winery
I recently attended a very impressive and interesting wine tasting where wines from the Golan Heights Winery were paired with ‘old world’ wines, mostly from France, providing the taster with a sense of comparison between the different styles. This special tasting event is conducted annually and it was the late Daniel Rogov who was the catalyst for this tasting. Rogov said that Derech Hayain, the leading wine store chain in Israel and the Golan Heights Winery both represent the quality revolution in the Israeli wine industry. The Yarden Brut Rose was tasted alongside an NV Rose Champagne from Drappier. Both are pleasant bubblies; with the Drappier showing much more yeasty aromas compared to the local version. Yarden, Chardonnay, Odem Organic Vineyard is one of my favorite white vinos from the Golan Heights and the 2012 was no exception and held its ground compared to its French counterpart - Olivier Leflaive Frères St Aubin Premier Cru Sentier du Clou 2008. There were some nice red vinos as well and an interesting comparison was the Chateau Senejac, cru bourgeois Haut Medoc 2010 alongside the Yarden Cabernet El Rom 2008, both in magnum size bottles. Last but not least was a real treat – Ramos Pinto, Porto, Vintage 2003 – an excellent vintage port with layered aromas and flavors of dried fruits, nuts and warm spices with great texture on the palate. The Ramos Pinto was served alongside the T squared which is the closest you can get to an “Israeli port” – produced from the traditional Portuguese grape varieties Tinta Cao and Touriga Nacional.
Museum Wine Festival
Next week thousands of people will visit the Israel Museum to attend the 11th annual Jerusalem wine festival. This impressive event is organized every year by leading Jerusalem wine stores, Avi Ben and Shachar Wines, providing wine aficionados with an opportunity to meet the people behind the wines and sample some of the new vinos on the market. The exhibition features wineries of varying sizes and styles from all over Israel as well as gourmet cheese, liquor and olive oil producers. Live music will be played throughout the evening and visitors can also visit the new Big Bambú exhibit, which is drawing a lot of attention, for an extra NIS 10. This year’s festival will run between 1-4 September from 19:00-23:00 and for NIS 85 visitors will receive a complimentary wine glass and enjoy unlimited tasting and the different booths. The Galil Mountain Winery will be organizing a cute PR campaign to promote their Alon and Ella red vinos. Couples, friends, roommates etc. who are named Alon and Ella can take a picture and visit the Galil Mountain Winery’s booth with a form of identification and receive a gift from the winery.
Tulip Winery
On September 19th, the Tulip Winery will be hosting their annual wine-launch event. The event will start at 17:00 at the winery in Tivon and guests will enjoy wine tasting, live music and snacks. Some of the wines that will be featured include the White Tulip 2013, White Franc 2013, Just, Cabernet Sauvignon 2012, Syrah Reserve 2012 and others. Entrance is free.
L’Chaim!
