Israeli Wine: Galilee, Judean Hills and the Negev

Wine has been made in this land for thousands of years, but the modern Israeli industry is young, fast-moving and genuinely good. In three decades it has gone from bulk sweet wine to boutique estates winning medals abroad.

The Upper Galilee and the Golan Heights are the cool, high-altitude heart of it. Volcanic soils, real winter nights and vineyards up to a thousand metres give structured Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and increasingly convincing whites. Many wineries here are small family projects with a tasting room attached to the barrel hall.

The Judean Hills, on the terraced slopes between Jerusalem and the coastal plain, are the most talked about region today. Limestone, old terraces and Mediterranean varieties give elegant blends, and several estates work with Carignan and Grenache from old bush vines. Because the region is thirty minutes from Jerusalem, it makes an easy half-day.

The Samson region and the Sharon plain near Zichron Ya'akov are where the story began, with the Rothschild cellars founded in the 1880s. Further south, the Negev highlands are the surprise: desert viticulture, drip irrigation and huge day-to-night temperature swings that produce bright, fresh wines nobody expects from sand and rock.

Two things to know before you taste. First, kosher and quality are not in conflict; many of the best estates are kosher, and it changes handling rather than the wine. Second, Israeli tasting rooms are informal and personal. You are quite likely to be poured by the winemaker.

A good tasting day is two wineries, not four, with a long lunch between them and a driver who is not tasting. That last part is where we come in.