Hundreds of Israeli wines from over 20 wineries were on display at the Mediterranean Inspiration: Wines of Israel Grand Tasting at the Prince George Ballroom in New York City, attended by vintners, retailers, journalists, and the general public. The event aimed to change Americans' concepts about Israeli wines, which are perceived as a niche product of kosher wines for religious Jews.
Participating wineries included Barkan Winery, Benyamina Wines, Carmel Winery, Dalton Winery, Galil Mountain Winery, Golan Heights Winery, Tishbi Estate Winery, and Yarden Inc., as well as boutique wineries, such as Domaine du Castel, Elah Valley Winery, Hevron Heights, Margalit Winery, Noah Winery, Teperberg 1870 Winery , Recanati Winery, Tabor Winery, Tzora Vineyards, and Yatir Winery.
The Israel Export and International Cooperation Institute and Israel Minister for Economic Affairs in New York Yair Shiran organized the event, which he said was the largest Israeli wine fair ever held overseas.
Shiran told "Globes", "Most American wine lovers and drinkers are not exposed to Israeli wines at all, because they are often placed in the kosher corner of supermarkets and wine stores. Most consumers skip these shelves, and the losers are both the consumer and the Israeli vintners."
The US has accounted for 30% of Israel's wine exports in the past two years. Wine magazines, including "Wine Spectator" and Robert Parker's "Wine Advocate" cover Israeli vineyards and give favorable reviews.
The event garnered some enthusiastic reviews. Blogger Marisa Dvari wrote, "I thought the Merlot and Syrah wines from Israel, virtually across the board, were fantastic." She added, "I had to restrain myself from another taste of the Jonathan Tishbi Muscat Dessert Wine 2007.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on February 5, 2009
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