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Expert’s Choice: Israel

These ancient vine-growing Mediterranean lands have lingered in the fine wine shadows, but in recent years, the wines of Israel have begun to make waves at home and abroad.

Personality. I can think of few parts of the world of wine that possess as much of it, alongside individuality, as Israel. Its story needs to be heard. Wine has been central to this land since before it was even Israel, and Judaism celebrates with wine for much of its ritual.

Modern Israeli wine was born in the 1880s when Baron Edmond de Rothschild introduced mainly Bordeaux varieties to the region. Ambitious planting programmes took place a century later, and many Israelis studied winemaking abroad – particularly in California.

The 1990s saw a flourishing of innovative smaller wineries, though the most marked developments have occurred in the past 10 years.


Scroll down for Demetri Walters MW’s pick of the best 18 wines from Israel



See Demetri Walters MW’s pick of the best 18 Israeli wines


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