The Israeli wine story begins in the Middle East over 5000 years ago. In the Bible, Noah is noted as discovering the method for making wine.
In the book of Deuteronomy, the fruit of the vine is listed as one of the seven
blessed species of fruit found in the land of Israel.
According to the Book of Numbers, Moses sent spies to scope out the Promised Land. They returned with clusters of grapes so large that they had to be suspended from a pole and carried by two men. Today, both Carmel Winery and the Government of Israel use this image as their logo. The grapes were selected to symbolize that the land flowed with milk and honey; the vine links one of the blessings of the Promised Land –the promise to the children of Israel.
Then came King David (3000 BCE, approximately) who is reported to have had an extensive wine cellar with a staffer assigned to selecting wines for his meals (the world’s first sommelier?). Wine production was halted in 600 BCE by an Islamic invasion and the vineyards of Israel were destroyed. Monks living in monasteries and Jewish communities practicing religious rites were permitted to include wine for sacramental purposes – but – nothing else.
Wine from Israel was exported to Rome during the Roman period and the industry was temporarily revitalized during the control of the Crusaders (1100-1300). Although wine restarted briefly, the invasion and control of the Ottoman Empire (1517-1917) put a full stop to wine production in Israel for 400 years. It was not until the 19th century (1848) that a winery was opened in Israel by Yitzhak Shor; unfortunately, the wine was exclusively used for religious purposes. Finally, French-born Baron Edmond James de Rothschild recognized the opportunity for the wine industry in Israel and the rest is history.
The Rothschilds know about wine – this is the family behind the Bordeaux, France, Château Lafite Rothschild. Their billion-dollar investments (starting in 1877) included vineyards as well as educational opportunities so that residents could learn how to make quality wine in the country. The impetus and support of the Rothschild family sparked the Israeli wine industry and Carmel Wine Company was started in 1895, selling wines of Rishon LeZion and Zichron Ya’akov, establishing the modern-day wines of Israel.
During the early 1900s, Israel was focused on independence (in May 1948, Israel officially declared an independent state) and winemaking was halted. Finally, in the 1970s, it was resumed and modern winemaking techniques were introduced making wine for enjoyment and not just an alcoholic beverage for religious purposes. In the 1980s California experts were brought to Israel to introduce up-to-date techniques that impacted positively on the winery and in the vineyard. In the 2000s Israeli wine became terroir-driven making wine from single vineyards as well as identifying and separating characteristics from individual plots within a vineyard.
Israel harvests approximately 60,000 tons of wine grapes and produces over 40 million bottles of wine yearly.
The industry supports 70+ commercial wineries and the ten largest wineries control over 90 percent of the production. Exports are valued at $70+ million. Over 55 percent of the exports head to the USA, approximately 35 percent is directed to Europe and the remainder is shipped to the Far East.
