Israel

History

The land of Canaan, the origin of modern-day Israel, is one of the oldest wine-growing regions. The "Promised Land" was settled by the Israelites under Abraham around 2000 to 1900 and under Moses around 1300 to 1200 BC. However, the two events were not exactly the same area, as the borders were fluid and constantly changing. Canaan stretched from Sidon (now Sayda in Lebanon) to Gaza and encompassed the coastal strip and hinterland on the east coast of the Mediterranean, including modern-day Israel and parts of Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. The current name Palestine (not to be confused with the much smaller Palestinian autonomous area on the West Bank) only came into being in the 2nd century AD under Roman rule. At the time of Moses, Phoenicia (Syria, Lebanon), the Hittite Kingdom (Armenia) and Assyria (Iraq) lay to the north to north-east, as did Egypt (Upper Kingdom) to the south. Viticulture played an important role in these countries and the Mesopotamian landscape is regarded as one of the cradles of wine culture.

Viticulture in antiquity

The vineyards between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea produced large quantities of wine, which was also supplied to the Egyptian court. Wine played an important role for the Israelites and was part of their religious and cultural life. There are many examples of the drinking culture of the time in the Bible. Some Jewish kings gave their names to oversized bottles, such as Solomon (Solomon's judgement in the picture on the right), Jeroboam and Rehoboam. The Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II (605-562 BC) conquered Jerusalem in 586 BC. Even after the destruction of Jerusalem and the expulsion of the Jews under Emperor Titus (39-81) in 70 AD, viticulture continued under Roman rule. After the Arab conquest around 650 AD, most of the vineyards were cleared due to the Muslim ban on alcohol. It was not until the Crusades between 1100 and 1300 that there was a temporary return to modest viticulture. After the final expulsion of the Jews, however, it came to a complete standstill for over 600 years.

The free-growing vines were left to climb up other trees, with the fig tree being a favourite. Near the vineyards there was a stone treading ground (1 x 2 metres, 20 cm deep) where the grapes were trodden with the feet; it was not until Roman times that tree presses were also used. Several pipes led from this treading area to a collecting basin where fermentation took place. In the hot climate, fermentation took place very quickly and the wine was then poured into earthen amphorae, which were sealed with pitch. Wine was an important medium in sacrificial rituals, where wine was spilt to thank God. Wine for everyday use was poured into small wineskins made of goatskin.

According to one report, "there was more wine than water in Canaan". It was usually mixed with water (as in ancient Rome) and often flavoured with aromatic herbs and other ingredients. An important centre of wine production was the city of Gibeon (today Al Djib) near Jerusalem. According to archaeological finds, in the 7th century BC, the wines from Gibeon had a designation of origin and the name of the vineyard owner on the amphorae. There were numerous cellars where wine could mature at a constant temperature for many years.

Viticulture in modern times

The first documented winery of modern times was founded in Jerusalem in 1848 by Rabbi Shore. From 1880 onwards, Jews began to return to Israel from the diaspora and there were attempts to revitalise viticulture, but these failed due to a lack of experience. In 1882, Baron Edmond de Rothschild (1845-1934) revitalised viticulture with a donation of 60 million gold francs. This was an enormous sum at the time and he was given the honourable title of Hanadiv (benefactor). Vines were imported from the Rhône Valley and the Midi by French oenologists and the local winegrowers were supported in viticulture and winemaking.

Initially, however, only kosher wine was produced, which was exported to Jewish communities all over the world. In 1906, Rothschild handed over the cellars of Rishon LeZiyyon near Tel Aviv and Zikhron-Yaacov near Haifa to the winegrowers. Today, the two together form a co-operative winery with the Carmel brand. After the Six-Day War in 1967, a new wine-growing region was opened up on the conquered Golan Heights at an altitude of 1,000 to 1,200 metres above sea level on volcanic soil.

Wine-growing regions

Israel is divided into five wine regions. The largest is Shomron (Samaria) near the Mediterranean coast south of Haifa. It includes the vineyards around the Carmel Mountains and around the two towns of Zichron Ya'akov and Binyamina. The Galilee region to the north includes the area around the Sea of Galilee and the Golan Heights. The Shimshon (Samson) lowlands between the Judean highlands and the Mediterranean coast include the vineyards around Rishon Letzion and Rehovot. The Harei Yehuda region (Judean Mountains, Hebron Mountains) includes vineyards around Jerusalem and in the West Bank. The Negev desert region to the south is divided into the sub-regions of Ramat Arad and South Negev.

The climate is characterised by two long seasons. There are dry summers from April to October without rain and rainy winters from October to March. Despite the extreme conditions, there are very good conditions for viticulture. Most of the vineyards are irrigated artificially. Particularly in the south, the large temperature difference between day and night favours a high level of acidity in the grapes. The dry climate prevents fungal diseases.

Grape varieties & vineyards

In 2021, the vineyards covered 12,011 hectares of vines and the wine production volume was 385,000 hectolitres. Mainly table grapes from e.g. Sultaniye (Sultana) are produced. There are no indigenous grape varieties. From the beginning of the 2000s, a switch was made to varieties suitable for the Mediterranean climate. The grape variety index (Kym Anderson):

Wine production

Even today, wine production is often under the religious supervision of a rabbi in order to guarantee the specifications for a kosher wine. Israeli wine names are often of Hebrew origin. Traditionally, full-bodied, sweet red wines, Muscat wines and sweet white wines were produced in the past. However, dry or semi-dry wines now account for around 70%. Sparkling wines are produced from Chardonnay using the Champagne method. There are around 250 wineries, well-known ones include Avidan, Barkan Wine Cellars, Binyamina, Carmel, Castel, Cesarea, Clos de Gat, Dalton, Efrat, Flam, Galil Mountain, Golan Heights Winery, Har-Meron, Margalit, Nachshon, Pelter, Recanati, Sde-Boker, Segal, Soreq, Tabor, Teperberg 1870, Tishbi, Tulip, Vitkin and Yatir. The main export markets are Germany, France, the UK and the USA.

Text source 1st paragraph: WIKIPEDIA Israel
Map: © Goruma
Flag: Public domain, Link
Coat of arms: from Original design by Max and Gabriel Shamir; Tonyjeff, based on national symbol. - symbol created in 1948, Public domain, Link
historical map: by Oldtidens Israel, FinnWikiNo; Richardprins - map, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
Judgement of Solomon: by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Public domain, Link
Carmel: by RickP - Own work, CC BY 2.5, Link