▻ The Wines of Israel

Let's Talk About

6 Jan

Written By Sarah Kemp

In conversation with Tal Sunderland-Cohen

Episode Summary:-

Jane Anson talks to Tal Sunderland-Cohen, author of “Wine Trails of Israel,” and an expert on Israeli wines, who is currently writing a book about the country’s wines from biblical times to today. He describes Israeli wine as neither Old World nor New World, but Ancient World, along with Georgia, Turkey, Lebanon, Greece and Syria. There is evidence that they were making huge quantities of wine 4000 to 6000 years ago.

Tal tells Jane how he became interested in wine at 16, when his family moved to Adelaide in Australia. The wine which made “the switch in my head” was, however, from New Zealand: Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc. He returned to Israel for his army service, and then became a bartender, where his interest in wine grew. Tal explains how the industry used to be all about kosher sweet wine but that today, Israel is making wines which can compete with the best in the world and winning major awards.

He reveals that the first records of wine were in the bible – Noah was a winemaker, and the first thing he did after he landed his ark was to plant vines. In the bible, wine is mentioned 300 times: 150 times it is about good things, such as celebrations, and 150 times it is about bad things, like drunkenness and evil.

Tal discusses Israel’s 5000-year wine history, from the golden age of Canaan (today part of Egypt, Israel, Jordan and Lebanon) when the wine was part of daily life and also exported, to the arrival of the Romans, who conquered Israel in 63 BC (today you can see the remains of their wineries all over Israel). As well, just a few months ago there was an archaeological discovery in Tel Yavne of a 'wine factory' from Byzantium times that at its height produced 3 million litres of wine a year. Tal then explains how the wine industry declined in the 7th Century after the Muslim conquest, but was temporarily revived during the Crusades.

He then fast-forwards to 1848, when a Jewish family from White Russia came to Jerusalem and started a small wine industry, though the real start to the modern wine industry was powered by Baron Edmund de Rothschild of Chateau Lafite, who began importing French grape varieties and technical know-how, and helped establish the Carmel Winery. He contributed a lot of money to build two modern wineries, and installed one of the first telephone lines in Israel at the Carmel Winery. They made mainly sweet sacramental kosher wines for Jewish communities all over the world.

Tal then discusses how the modern revolution of quality wine in Israel began, in 1974, when Professor Cornelius Oh of the University of California at Davis was invited to evaluate Israel’s vineyards. He advised the industry to consider the Golan Heights, due to its elevation and volcanic soil, ideal for quality grapes. In 1983, the Golan Heights Winery was founded, and that was the beginning of the modern era. The 1990s saw more changes, as more Israelis travelled, and people imported foreign wine. Tal had opened a bartending school in 1988, and soon started teaching wine-appreciation courses.

““In the ‘70s and ‘80s, we had seven wineries in Israel, big massive wineries making mainly sacramental sweet red wine; going forward almost fifty years, today we have almost 400 wineries making beautiful, amazing wines.””

— Tal Sunderland-Cohen

Tal and Jane discuss what Kosher wine means. Jane notes how, if you go into pretty much any of Bordeaux’s classified growths, they are making a kosher wine in a corner alongside their normal wines, and points out that kosher is not a style of wine, it is the way the wine is made. Tal explains the rules behind calling a wine kosher.

This leads to some revelations. “As there is no appellation system, we do whatever we want,” Tal says, as he discusses the grapes which are today grown in Israel. “Ten years ago, we started researching wines from the biblical era. . . we found you can make wines from grapes which were not recognised. Most of the names are coming from Arabic words.” In some abandoned villages the university found some grapes they didn’t recognise, so analysed their DNA and realised something new, yet also very old: “They found out they went back 3000 years ago. There are 60 indigenous grapes today, such as Bittuni (red), or Marawi or Dabouki, which are white grapes. . . You can imagine the wines that King David or King Solomon or even Jesus Christ used to drink 3000 and 2000 years ago, which are nothing to taste like Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon, or any other wines that we now drink. ”

Tal then recommends the wineries we should be looking out for today (see list in ‘Further Information’ section). Jane asks if politics has an impact on winemakers. Tal says “No, in the wine world you don’t look at politics, you look at quality.” He remarks that 85% of the wine is consumed within Israel, almost like in Switzerland. When Jane asks when Tal will finish his book, he replies, “I really hope I will finish writing it in the middle of next year. It is harder than you can imagine, we don’t have archives, what I need to do is speak to archaeologists and rabbis, and to explain not just the wines of Israel but kosher wines around the world.” He will also be publishing maps of the vineyards of Israel; there are none so far.

Running Order:-

0.00 – 19.37

“Israel is connected to the ancient wine world.”

– Discussion on how wine was made in Israel 4000 to 6000 years ago.
– How Tal Sutherland-Cohen became involved in wine and sweet kosher wine.
– Wine mentions in the bible.
– The “golden age” of wine in Canaan (today’s Egypt, Israel, Lebanon and Syria) .
– The Roman influence on the wines of Israel.
– Archaeological sites of Israeli wineries.
– Muslim empire shuts down wine industry.
– The Crusaders bring the wine industry back to life.
19.38 – 31.41

“1882 was the biggest renaissance and resurrection of the wines of Israel, by Baron Edmund de Rothschild.”

– The modern wine era begins.
– Baron Edmund de Rothschild's role in investing in Israel, Israeli wine, Carmel Winery, first telephone line in Israel. Generally, the Rothschild involvement in reviving the industry in the 19th Century.
– The first wineries making sweet kosher wines for Israel and for Jewish communities worldwide, port style, madeira style etc.
– Israel’s creation in 1948, his own family, the focus on building a nation, and this kosher wine being part of creating that identity. His own family arriving in Israel from Bulgaria in 1949.
31.42 – 58.09

“There are 60 indigenous grapes today, such as Bittuni (red) or Mahoui or Dabouki which are white grapes. . . You can imagine the wines that King David or King Solomon or even Jesus Christ used to drink 3000 and 2000 years ago, which is nothing to taste like Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon or any other wines that we now drink.”

– The quality revolution in the wines of Israel starting with the Golan Heights Winery.
– The story on how a Californian professor discovered the potential of the Golan Heights.
– The 1990s in Israel, and the revolution in education, winemaking and wine drinking.
– Kosher wine and the rules on how it is made.
– The discovery of Israel’s indigenous grapes, which date back 3000 years.
– Tal’s recommended wineries (see list in ‘Further Information’ section).
58.10 – 01.04

“In the wine world you don’t look at politics, you look at quality.”

– The question of how politics impacts the wines of Israel.
– Tal’s recommended wineries to look out for.
– The book Tal is writing on the wines of Israel and kosher wine around the world.

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