When most people think of a tour of Israel, the first thing that comes to mind is not a winery tour. But Israel today is home to over 200 wineries, many of which are award-winning boutique operations. The United States is the major importer of Israeli wines, but they are enjoyed the world over.
Unfortunately, the general public tends to think of “supermarket” kosher wines when it thinks of Israel and winemaking in the same sentence. However, most wineries operating in Israel today were founded in the last decade, and they are turning traditional ideas about kosher wines on their head!
Israel has a long and historic tradition of winemaking. Its location along the ancient wine trading route between Egypt and Mesopotamia brought knowledge about the craft to the region. Wine was being produced in what was then the land of Canaan over 2,000 years before it was available in Europe.
Israel has ideal growing conditions for the cultivation of wine grapes. As a “long” country, it enjoys several microclimates, with rainy, snowy, Mediterranean, and desert regions in close proximity to each other. Many grape varieties are able to grow in differing soil types and climates.
Now as people discover how Israel has combined ancient traditions with modern innovations, the country is experiencing a boom in not only winemaking, but winery tours. A wine route of Israel tour provides the opportunity for wine connoisseurs to experience the best in modern winemaking, but any tourist will enjoy the visits to various parts of Israel’s winemaking country.
Israel’s wine route covers a total of five wine regions. We’ll make a brief stop in each of them and describe a few of the wineries you will find along the way. NOTE: We have listed only wineries that provide kosher wines, but there are over 70 non-kosher wineries throughout Israel as well.
