The History of Israeli Wine
Israeli wine-making stretches back thousands of years, and wine culture provides the backdrop for many notable events in the Torah and Old Testament. Similar to Greece, the vine was central to many religious observances and customs. As a result, Israel led the ancient world in grape growing, winemaking, and amphora production. While much of the output was consumed locally, the Israelites exported their signature wines to ports throughout the Mediterranean; even the Romans were fans.
This ancient lineage is being kept alive in Israel today through a combination of old-world techniques and new-world innovation. Israel is currently home to over three hundred boutique wineries from its Mediterranean coastline to interior mountains and desert regions. They produce all styles of wine, from dry and sparkling styles to single varietal wines and blends.
Since the 1800s, the focus of the Israeli wine industry has been on French grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere. However, enterprising young winemakers are cultivating the almost two dozen native grape varieties that show great promise.
The Greatest Israeli Wineries
Israeli Kosher Wines
The vast majority of wines made in Israel are kosher. But modern winemakers are quick to point out that kosher is not a synonym for subpar wine. In fact, many of the best producers are making elegant and long-lived wines that can compete with offerings from the best regions in the world. Once you taste wines from the five recommended wineries below, we’re sure you’ll agree.
Psagot Winery
For almost twenty years, the Psagot Winery has been making exceptional wine with grapes sourced from its vineyards in the northern hills of Jerusalem. The vines are situated on ancient limestone terraces almost 3,000 feet above sea level. Keeping tradition alive, it ages its wines in an ancient cave uncovered during the winery’s construction.
Its portfolio of eleven different Israeli wines, mainly from classic Bordeaux and Rhone Valley varieties, offers up a bold, powerful, and fruit-forward portrait of Israeli wine. Its signature red is the Edom, a Left Bank-inspired blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with classic blackberry, plum, and cigar box flavors.
If you can find it, we recommend the Psagot Peak, a striking blend of Syrah, Petite Syrah, and Mourvedre with spicy aromatics and a stunning finish. This may be a Kosher wine, but don’t let that distract you from its world-class pedigree.
Dalton Winery
Dalton Winery was established in 1995 when the pioneering Haruni family came from England to settle in Israel and make Kosher wine. They located their winery in the beautiful mountainous country of the Upper Galilee near Kerem Ben Zimra, about five kilometers from the Lebanese border.
Since the winery’s establishment, the Upper Galilee area has been transformed into Israel’s most lauded wine region. However, Dalton continues to lead the pack with its estate bottlings of classic French grapes.
Dalton’s Alma Crimson Red highlights the winery’s affinity for old-world Bordeaux. For a lighter offering, check out their Pet Net, a blend of Semillon and Muscat with sparkling citrus and floral notes.
Jezreel Valley Winery
The founders of Jezreel Valley Winery are two young guns who arrived on the Israeli wine scene about ten years ago with the dream of making wine “speak Hebrew.” Amid the rolling patchwork fields of the Jezreel Valley in the Lower Galilee, they established a boutique winery focusing on grapes most suited to cool elevations and iron-rich terra rossa soil.
Along with Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, and Carignan, they planted a unique Israeli grape, Argaman. Argaman was created in Israel by crossing Souzão and Carignan, and until recently, had not enjoyed a stellar reputation. But by blending Argaman with Cabernet Sauvignon and Carignan, the winery showcased the grape’s dark fruit flavors and smooth tannins to maximum effect. This signature blend, the “Adumim,” has put Jezreel Valley Winery on the map and portends great things to come.
Recanati
Recanati Winery is perhaps the flashiest winery on this list. Founded over twenty years ago by Israel’s premier Kosher wine collector, Lenny Recanati, the style here is a fusion of the family’s Italian heritage with new world finesse.
Located in Israel’s Hefer Valley within the Upper Galilee, grapes are sourced from some of the area’s finest high-altitude vineyards. While classic Bordeaux varieties abound in their portfolio, a recent series features indigenous varieties, Bittuni and Marawi, grown in the West Bank by a Palestinian grower. The Bittuni wine is a winner: light, flowery and aromatic, with minerality and a bouquet of red cherries and Mediterranean spices.
Yatir
Yatir Winery is situated in the Negev desert on a site where archeologists recently discovered almost two hundred ancient wine presses. The winery celebrates this heritage by creating hand-crafted, artisanal wines with a distinct sense of place.
The winery’s proximity to the country’s largest forest-inspired their signature wine, Yatir Forest. This is a classic Bordeaux blend that has garnered high scores from international wine critics year after year. Its French cellaring program means this bottle comes with a steep price; however, when the international wine press uses the words “iconic” and “breathtaking” in their reviews, it’s time to splurge and experience one of the best Israeli wines on offer. Make sure to decant this wine at least five hours before tasting.
Where to Buy Israeli Wine
We are lucky today, as many of the top wine shops in the United States sell Israeli wines. For online shopping, we recommend KosherWine.com (Formerly Jwines.com), but there are so many you probably have a great shop nearby.
Arizona
SegalsOneStop
4818 N. 7th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85014
California
613 The Mitzvah Store
9400 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
Bargain City
8666 W Pico Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90035
Cambridge Farms
12431 Burbank Blvd.,
Valley Village, CA 91607
Elat Market
8730 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
Glatt Mart
8708 West Pico Blvd.,
Los Angeles, CA 90035
Israel’s Kosher Market
5621 Geary Blvd.
San Francisco, California
La Brea Market
410 N La Brea Ave.,
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Le Market
12516 Burbank Blvd.,
North Hollywood, CA 91607
Liquid Kosher
205 South El Camino Real # B
Encinitas, CA 92024-9613
Oakland Kosher
3419 Lakeshore Ave.
Oakland, CA 94610
Picanty Kosher Wines
443 N. Fairfax Ave
Los Angeles, California 90036
Tel Aviv Strictly Kosher
2495 Irving
San Francisco, California
The Cask
8616 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90035
Vendome Fine Wines & Spirits
9453 West Olympic Blvd.
Beverly Hills, California 90212
Wally’s
2107 Westwood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Colorado
East Side Kosher Deli
449 S Elm St
Denver, CO 80246
Grapevine Liquors
900 S Monaco Pkwy
Denver, CO 80224
Lowry Liquors
200 Quebec St
Denver, CO 80230
Florida
Amazing Savings Kosher Supermarket
230 S Powerline Rd
Derfield Beach, FL 33442
Aroma Kosher Market & Catering
8819 Stirling Road,
Cooper City, FL
B E Kosher
1436 Alton Road
Miami Beach, FL, 33139
Crown Wine & Spirits
910 N.W. 10th Place
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 33311
Kosher Central Market & Catering
5650 Stirling Rd
Hollywood, FL 33021
Kosher Marketplace
22191 Powerline Road
Boca Raton, FL 33433
Kosher World
514-41st Street
Miami Beach, Florida
My Kosher Market
1324 N.E. 163rd Street
North Miami Beach, FL 33162
Sarah’s Tent
3565 NE 207th St
Aventura, FL 33180
Georgia
The Kosher Gourmet
2153 Briarcliff Road, NE
Atlanta, GA 30329
Illinois
Binny’s Beverage Depot
5100 W. Dempster
Skokie, IL 60077
Charlie Trotter’s
816 W. Armitage
Chicago, Illinois 60614
Hungarian Kosher Foods
4020 Oakton St.
Skokie, Illinois 60076
Kol Tuv Kosher Foods
2938 W. Devon Avenue
Chicago, IL 60659
Sams Wines and Spirits
1750 N. Marcey St.
Chicago, Illinois 60614
Louisiana
Kosher Cajun – New York Deli
3519 Severn
Metairie, LA 70002
Maryland
Diwine Spirits
1852 Reisterstown Rd
Suite 104
Pikesville MD 21208
Kosher Bite
6309 Reisterstown Rd.
Baltimore, Maryland
Koshermart
4860 Boiling Brook Parkway
Rockville, MD 20852
Shalom Kosher Market
1361 Lamberton Drive
Silver Spring. MD 20902
Village Wine & Liquors
7006-B Reisterstown Rd.
Baltimore, Maryland 21225
Massachusetts
Boston Wine Cellars
474 Columbus Ave
Boston, Massachusetts 02118
Gimbels Fine Wine
1637 Beacon Street
Brookline, Massachusetts 02146
Grape Leaves
414 Harvard St.
Brookline, MA 02446
The Butcherie
428 Harvard Street
Brookline, MA 02446
Nevada
Smith’s Kosher Experience
2211 N.Rampart Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89117
New Jersey
Bottle Hill Wine & Spirits
42 Main Street
Madison, NJ 07940-1814
Canal’s Liquors
10 W. Route 70
Marlton, NJ 08053
Englewood Wine Merchants
3 E. Pallisade Ave.
Englewood, NJ 07631
Fillerup Kosher Wines
174 West Englewood St.
Teaneck, NJ 07666
Gary’s Wine & Marketplace
1308 Route 23
North Wayne, NJ 07470
Jackson Wine & Liquor
150 James St
Lakewood, NJ 08701
Lakewood Liquors
105 Cedar Bridge Avenue,
Lakewood Township, NJ 08701
Queen Anne Wine
247 Degraw Ave.
Teaneck, NJ 07666
Shoppers Vineyard
875 Bloomfield Ave.
Clifton, NJ 07012
The Vineyard
104 Hillside Boulevard
Lakewood, NJ 08701
Village Wine Shop
163 Maplewood Ave
Maplewood, NJ 07040
Wine Academy Superstores
2996 Route 35 South
Hazlet, NJ 07730
Wine Academy Superstores
167 Route 9 South
Marlboro, NJ 07746
Wine Chateau
85 Central Ave.
Metuchen, NJ 08840
Wine Chateau
1380 Centennial Ave.
Piscataway, NJ 08854
Wine Depot
127 Forest Drive
Lakewood, NJ 08701
Wine Legend
277 Eisenhower Pkwy,
Livingston, N.J 07039
973-992-4441
Wine on the 9
6531 US 9
Howell, NJ
New York
67th St Wine & Spirits
179 Columbus Ave.
New York, NY 10023
Ambassador Wines & Spirits
1020 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10022
Chateau de Vin
544 Central Avenue
Cedarhurst, NY 11516
Colombus Wine and Spirits
730 Columbus Avenue
New York, NY 10025
Empire Liquors
10305 Queens Blvd
Forest Hills, NY 11375
Empire Wine
1440 Central Ave
Albany, NY 12205
Gotham Wines
2517 Broadway
New York, NY
Hakerem Wine And Liquor
14122 Jewel Ave
Flushing, NY 11367
Kosher Wine Company
2052 Lakeville Rd.
New Hyde Park, New York 11040
L’chaim Wines & Spirits
348 Roebling St.
Brooklyn NY 11211
Liquors Galore
1212 Ave J
Brooklyn, NY 11230
Mister Wright Fine Wines & Spirits
1593 Third Avenue
New York, NY, 10128
Monsey Wine & Liquor
24 Orchard Street
Monsey, NY 10952
Skyview Wine & Liquors
5681 Riverdale Avenue
Riverdale, NY, 10471
The Grapevine Wine and Spirits
455 Route 306
Wesley Hills, NY 10952
Tops Wines & Liquors
2812 Ave U
Brooklyn, NY 11229
Varietal Wines & Spirits
21 E. Shore Road
Manhasset, NY
Wine & Spirits At Cheers
1070 Wilmot Road
Scarsdale, NY 10583
North Carolina
Gleibermans Kosher Mart
5668-D International Drive
Charlotte, NC 28270
Ohio
Cedar Green Wine & Cheese
2179 So. Green Rd.
University Hts., OH 44121
Jungle Jim’s International Market
5440 Dixie Highway
Fairfield, OH 45014
Pennsylvania
Jerusalem Israeli Gift Shop
7818 Castor Ave.,
Philadelphia, PA 19152
Kesher Israel
2500 N. 3rd Street
Harrisburg, Pa 17110
Pinsker’s
2028 Murray Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15217
Rosenberg Judaica & Wine
142 Montgomery
Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004
Washington, D.C.
Potomac Wines & Spirits
3100 M Street, N.W
Washington, DC 20007
The Wine Specialist
2115 M St., NW
Washington, DC 20037
Texas
Belden’s Supermarket
99 Braeswood Sq
Houston, TX 77096
Fleischer International Trading
4565 S. Wayside Drive, Suite 101
Houston, Texas 77087-1127
Sigel’s Beverages L.P
2960 Anode Lane,
Dallas, TX 75220
Sunset Bakery and Kosher MK
1820 Coit Rd. #107
Plano Texas 75075
