Days of wine and roses
As our tiny little country is attacked on all sides by the road and house builders, more and more it is the green of the vineyards that saves our precious land.
Israel's wine industry is going from strength to strength. People are often surprised to know that the Jewish farmers (who were then known as the Palestinians!) were winning international prizes way back at the beginning of the 20th century too, but today's success is on a far grander scale.
A fun thing to do is to plan a tour of a few wineries, not forgetting to take in a cheese-making place or two along the way! And order yourselves a driver as well as the guide so that you can happily drink without worrying about where you are going or where you have been!
Different areas, different wines, different approaches.
From the (sometimes!) rain-swept Upper Galillee to the (always) sun-baked Negev; from the sophisticated Cabernet Sauvignon to the amusing pomegranate wine (actually surprisingly good. Point of interest: Rimon is the only real pomegranate wine in the world - the rest are just pomegranate juice plus alcohol); from the state-of-the-art of the famous Golan winery to a boutique winery (like Ben Zimra, a small, rustic intimate place).
What a great way to learn about the wine laws and lores!
L'chaim
