Our story begins in the middle

Who in ancient Greece, Rome or the other Mediterranean nations was not acquainted with the wines of the land of Israel? Kings, Caesars and governors indulged on the wonderful wines from overseas, shipped in huge amphorae marked by the names of the then famous wine regions: Gezer, Ashkelon, Lachish, Givon, Hebron, Caesarea and others. All of these once famous names almost disappeared from the face of the earth along with the vines themselves, due to Islamic conquest during the seventh century A.D. Twelve hundred years passed by until wine production was renewed and new wine regions slowly emerged.

The revival story of the new Israeli wine regions begins in the most unprecedented place – smack in the center of the country, on the outskirts of today's Tel-Aviv. Small scale wine production had continued over the years of conquest and through the Ottoman period mainly for religious purposes, both by Jews between the walls of the old city of Jerusalem, and by Christians chiefly between the walls of monasteries, near Jerusalem and in the lower Galilee. However, organized so to speak commercial wine production in the new era started in the "Mikve Israel" agricultural school just south of Tel-Aviv in the year 1870.

The first three wine regions

The substantial drive towards wine producing, which laid down the foundations for three of the wine zones of recent days, began in the years 1882-3, with the establishment of the earliest Baron Edmond de Rothschild's (of Bordeaux Chateau Laffite Rothschild) colonies: Rishon le Zion (in the center of the country south east of Tel-Aviv of today), Zichron Yaakov (on the Carmel Mountain south of Haifa) and Rosh Pina (in the far north Upper Galilee, northeast of Safed). There is written evidence concerning plantings of wine grape vines by the Baron's French experts from 1884 and onward.

The growing of wine grapes among the Jewish community evolves and thus two main wine regions develop: "Judea" to the south, sprawling around the communities of Gedera, Rehovot, Nes Ziona and Rishon le Zion; and the northerly "Shomron (Samaria)" in the greater Zichron Yaakov Area. Small vineyards grow in the Galilee between Safed and Rosh Pina. Since the Baron insisted that the future of winemaking is in quality wines, most varietals planted were the then popular French Petit Bouche, Carignan, Mourvedre, Grenache, Alicante, Aramon, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Claret, Muscat and others.

Though the first years showed good potential, trouble soon arrived. The Phylloxera louse hits the vineyards at the end of the 19th century and rapidly spreads. The Upper Galilee area suffers from high shipping costs and a limited market. The documented total area of vines as of the year 1900 reaches 28,000 Dunam (7,000 Acres) consisting of more than 12,000 Dunam in the south, approximately 10,000 in the Mount Carmel region, 2,000 Dunam in the Galilee and only 130 near Jerusalem. During this period the powerful Vintners Syndicate is founded in the Shomron region which continues to grow on account of the southern Judea region.

A new wine region forms in the Jerusalem Mountains

The period between two World Wars was a harsh one for the population of the land of Israel, and the wine producers were no exception. Political ups and downs, attacks by Arab militants on Jewish settlements, heavy shortages, loss of oversea wine markets and severance of foreign aid, along with natural hazards – tough weather and even locus arriving from Egypt, and of course damages caused by the horrors of wars themselves.

In the meanwhile, Arab vintners recognized the potential of selling grapes to the Jewish wine industry and learned how to grow wine grapes. The Arab population also enjoyed aid from the British Mandate government, which encouraged plantings, though mainly of edible grapes. Many vineyards were planted around Jerusalem. The Arab vineyards created fierce competition with the Vintner Syndicates since many producers prefered to purchase the cheaper Arab Grower's grapes, in spite of their inferior quality. Another advantage of the Jerusalem area edible grapes, was the sweeter wine which they produced, which was then preferred by the general population over the more acidic French varieties wines.

Will the Jewish State become a Wine state?

Soon after the foundation of The State of Israel in May 1948 and whilst the War of Independence had not yet died down, the first vintage of the new state is harvested. At this time the Samaria area is by far the greatest with about 60% of the crop. The founding father and first prime minister of Israel David Ben-Gurion immediately recognizes the importance of the wine industry for the young economy and promises to allocate lands for planting. An Italian wine expert Professor Castelli of Perugia University is hired by the government. In his report the expert suggests continuance of experiments to find the most suitable varieties for the local climate, and recommends focusing on the mountain area for quality grapes, whilst the more simple wines shall be produced from grapes grown in the plain.

The experts report and plans for settling the country throughout its length and breadth promote new plantings, albeit slowly due to deficient budgets. Two million plants are planted at the foothills of the Jerusalem Mountains, in the vicinity of today's Beit-Shemesh and in the Gezer Area, thus starting to form the wine region known today as the Judean Foothills. Many vines are also planted in the Upper Galilee and the area under vines on and surrounding Mount Carmel expanded as well. Seventy years after the revival of wine in the holy land, the annual official statistics publication of 1954 states plantings of 7,500 acres grape vines, with an additional 2,500 already prepared for planting, up from only 3,500 acres at independence. Of the land planted with vines, some 1,750 acres are planted with varietals suited for wine production only.

Thoughts concerning the future of the industry, development, modernization, innovation and the search for new markets, along with broadening the growing areas, bring about the establishment of the Israeli Wine Institute in 1957, and the Wine Board of Israel in 1961. The vine initiative lays down foundations for a new wine region, with experiments being held with wine plantings in the Northern Negev and Lachish area, although this possibility shall fully develop only 50 years later. Some experiments are concluded near the town of Ofakim, intended to supply jobs to the newly come Moroccan immigrants. This area will be later deemed as unsuitable for wine grapes, though wine is recently produced from grapes grown somewhat further south. A survey of wine grape plantings relating to the years 1961/62 shows that the Zichron Yaakov region accounts for 45% of the vines, the Gezer-Ramla (Judean Foothills) area for 17%, Rehovot-Gedera for 16%, Negev for 10%, Ashkelon-Lachish for 5% and other areas - 7%.

Two wars and a map

Towards the end of the 1960's the wine regions in the central part of Israel have been already pretty much formed and buds of wine grapes appeared in the southern Negev. However, the main and quality oriented well known wine regions of the north were no more than an anecdote. It would take two wars and major .changes in immigration patterns to design the Israeli wine map of recent times

The 1967 Six Days War broadened the territory of the young country and added areas suitable for wine grapes, specifically in the Jerusalem Mountains, the Hebron Mountains and the Golan Heights. The 1973 Yom Kippur war in effect affixed the new borders. Following the Six Days War came a prolonged period of abundance for the average Israeli citizen, who could now afford drinking quality wines. The economic boom enabled Israelis to travel abroad and see the world, including the world of wine, and youngsters were able to study abroad, wine studies not excluded. At the same time the immigration to Israel from welfare countries grew, amongst them wine producing countries like France, the United States, South Africa and Australia, and within the new immigrants quite a few could be found who engaged in wine producing in their home countries.

New varietals arrived and some of the old timers disappeared completely. Many new sites were planted in the Galilee region, not only in the traditional Safed- Meron Mountain- Rosh Pina area, but also in Yiron, the Dalton Plateau and Kedesh Valley. The first Israeli wines to win international medals, in the second half of the 70's, were Cabernet Sauvignons made from Galilee grown vines. This varietal soon became the Galilee's and Israel's main varietal.

In 1977, due to pressure from the appellation oriented European Committee, Israel officially and for the first time, draws a Wine Region Map. The classification is coarse, actually specifying the full scope of Israeli territory, including areas not under vine. The names and borders of the regions are based on those which were consolidated even before the establishment of the state of Israel. Though very much has since changed with regards to the growing of wine grapes in Israel, this map is still binding to this very date, mostly due to bureaucratic squabbles.

The establishment of the Golan Heights Winery in the year 1983 signaled the beginning of the "Quality Revolution" of Israeli wines, and was also the outset of a new wine region. Surveys began during the late seventies as to the agricultural possibilities of the volcanic "Tuff" soil of the Golan and conclusions indicated that it is most suitable for wine grapes. The first vineyards were planted at the onset of the next decade. The success of the first wines of the Golan Heights Winery brought on more plantings especially of Syrah, Chardonnay and Merlot, while new boutique wineries arose.

The Golan Heights however was not the only wine region which developed after the two wars. The political turnover of 1977, bringing for the first time a right wing party to the helm of government, initiated the giant leap in the foundation and reinforcement of the settlements in the West Bank. The main drive towards turning the Northern Part of the Central Mountains into an independent wine region occurred however more or less in the beginning of this century, encouraged and promoted by the government.

Similar to the process in the Golan, trial plantings were carried out in the Southern Hebron Mountains, and their most positive outcome brought the Carmel Winery to build its southern extension – the very successful nowadays Yatir Winery. Several other wineries have since planted in this area. Today an increase in plantings is underway even farther south in the Negev Mountain, both by small farms and by commercial wineries and a mini wine region is already developing there.

In the year 2006, with the contemporary wine regions already pretty much developed, officials of the Ministry of Agriculture laid down a proposition for a new and modern wine regions map. As opposed to the existing map the proposition is based on geographical-topographical lines, imaging the existing division but expelling regions unsuitable for wine grapes. The names of the regions were also modernized. Unfortunately this map had not succumbed bureaucracy and has yet to be recognized by law, though most wineries abide to most of its boundaries and regional designations, as follows:

Upper Galilee: including the sub regions known as Kedesh Valley and Merom Galil (including the smaller regions of the Dalton Plateau, Yiron and Meron).

Lower Galilee: including sub region Tabor.

Golan: divided into Northern, Central and Southern.

Coastal Plain: including the sub regions known as The Nadiv Valley, Carmel Coast, and Dan.

Judean Foothills: divided into the Ayalon Valley, Gezer, Adulam and Lachish sub regions.

The Central Mountains: including sub regions Menashe and Carmel Mountains, Shomron (Samaria) Mountains, Jerusalem Mountains, Gush Etzion and Yatir.

Negev: with sub division Negev Mountain.