DOES ISRAEL HAVE A SIGNATURE WINE OR GRAPE VARIETY YET?
AM: “Clearly our finest wines seem to be Cabernet Sauvignons or Bordeaux style blends. These tend to be the wines receiving the most compliments from major wine critics. Clearly red wines blends from Bordeaux varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc are so far our most successful wines. Malbec is the latest newcomer and Petit Verdot is proving highly influential in some prestigious blends. There are also some promising varietal Cabernet Francs. However Israel has also won major recognition for Sparkling wines, Dessert wines and Chardonnays. Furthermore our other white wines have improved no end, and our Sauvignon Blancs, Gewurztraminers and White Rieslings show far more varietal character than was the case ten years ago. The future may well be Mediterranean varieties. Shiraz and Viognier are already showing some success, and grapes like Mourvedre and Grenache are being planted (or replanted because they have been in Israel before.) It is too early to judge if Israel
