This year’s Passover will be different, just like the previous one. It's not easy to celebrate freedom when 59 of our brothers are still suffering in damp and dark tunnels. And yet, we must continue living—and celebrating life. Passover is undoubtedly a holiday of wine. And this Passover, too, we will honor Israeli wines.
This review is a kind of beginner’s guide to the local wine world, featuring both small and large wineries. The Israeli wine industry in recent years reflects a young and evolving wine culture.
The winemakers who are now leading the scene are creating wines with Mediterranean varieties that adapt well to the regional growing conditions and local cuisine. Light, refreshing, and friendly wines—elegant and lower in alcohol, suitable for the local climate—are what characterize contemporary Israeli winemaking today.
In the first of two recommendation articles, the spotlight is on white wines—wines that are a perfect match for the hot Mediterranean climate. Fresh and crisp wines, tangy and filled with diverse aromas and flavors, light and friendly, that will brighten our holiday and pair beautifully with both the spiced, lighter Mediterranean dishes and the heavier traditional holiday foods.
Barkan Winery, Seven Hills, Chardonnay 2023
One of the largest commercial wineries in Israel launched a new wine series called Seven Hills. Interestingly, it didn’t choose a Hebrew name for it. One of the wines in the series is a Chardonnay made from grapes grown in the Judean Hills, one of the best growing regions in Israel.The wine features aromas of summer fruits and citrus, with a balanced and refreshing mouthfeel. Price: NIS 65.
Recanati Winery, Keremey HaGalil, Sauvignon Blanc 2023
The winery, now ideally located near its vineyards in the Upper Galilee, offers a wine series named Keremey HaGalil, featuring single-varietal wines made mostly from Galilean grapes.The Sauvignon Blanc in this series has fresh aromas of citrus and flowers, a light grapefruit bitterness, and refined acidity. Price: NIS 69.
Binyamina Winery, Chenin Blanc 2023
Binyamina Winery also launched a new series named Sheva. One of the most impressive white wines in the series is made from Chenin Blanc grapes sourced from the Upper Galilee.This is a fresh, summery wine with aromas of pears and apples, summer flowers, light minerality, and pleasant acidity. Price: NIS 85.
Pinto Winery, Chenin Blanc 2023
From the desert winery located in Yeruham comes a wine made from one of the white varieties that thrive in the unique southern climate.An aromatic wine with bitter and tangy citrus notes and pleasant greenness, it’s a delicate and enjoyable wine with impressive presence. Price: NIS 85.
Sea Horse Winery, Labyrinth 2023
From the boutique winery in the Judean Hills, owned by the thinker and former filmmaker, comes a harmonious and enjoyable wine made from Grenache Blanc and Roussanne grapes.The wine combines tropical and white summer fruits, elegance and minerality, herbal notes, and refreshing acidity. Price: NIS 98.
Ramat Negev Winery, Exodus White 2023
A pioneering family venture in Moshav Kadesh Barnea, located in a desert terroir that is a global rarity in the wine industry.Chardonnay and Semillon grapes created a wine with aromas of white summer fruits and a light buttery note that invites food alongside. Price: NIS 109.
Mika Winery, Sauvignon Blanc–Roussanne 2024
At the winery’s new home in the community of Bnei Yehuda in the Golan Heights, the talented winemaker crafted a delightful, fresh, sharp, and tangy wine with citrus aromas and a pleasant lemongrass greenness. Price: NIS 110.
Carmel Winery, Single Vineyards, Riesling Har Avital Vineyard 2022
The single-vineyard wines are Carmel Winery’s premium series. A lovely Riesling, rich in aromas of white summer fruits and citrus.An elegant wine with nice acidity and balanced minerality, honeyed and intensely floral. Price: NIS 120.
Yaacov Oryah, Queen of Hearts 2023
The COVID-19 pandemic forced the winemaker to blend Chenin Blanc, Semillon, and Chardonnay grapes, with a light seasoning of Gewürztraminer.The resulting wine is enjoyable and flattering, while also elegant, light, refreshing, mineral, and aromatic. Price: NIS 120.
Ahat Winery, Roussanne–Viognier 2022
Two varieties that pair well together were blended by the winemaker to create a complex, elegant, and fresh wine with perfumed aromas of fresh pears, grapefruit, pleasant minerality, and balanced acidity. Price: NIS 130.
Vitkin Winery, Grenache Blanc 2022
A wine that exemplifies the vision of Mediterranean winemaking that began at the winery about two decades ago.White Grenache with a touch of Macabeo created a wine with delicate citrus aromas blended with summer fruit, green almond-like herbaceousness, balanced acidity, and wonderful freshness. Price: NIS 150.
Yatir Winery, Nahal Yatir White 2021
Made from Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, Viognier, and Clairette Blanc grapes grown in the Yatir Forest, in the majestic landscape between the desert and the mountains, Yatir Winery created an elegant, restrained, and refreshing white wine—mineral and citrusy, lemony and nutty, with a pleasant texture suited to a gastronomic wine. Price: NIS 170.
Tabor Winery, Artigianale, Rosé Barbera 2023
The Artigianale wines from Tabor Winery represent a blend of tradition and innovation and uphold sustainability and ecological agriculture principles. This rosé, made from Barbera grapes, is characterized by red fruit aromas, a fresh, sharp, and balanced wine. Price: NIS 65.
Tiota, Rosé M&M 2023
Marselan and Mourvèdre grapes created a wine that bridges white and red, depending on the taster and the temperature. Red fruit aromas are blended with greenness and umami seasoning.Best enjoyed with food on the side. Price: NIS 129.
Ketz Hada’at Cider
After twenty years as a winemaker, Naama Sorkin in the northern Golan Heights developed her own brand, producing wine and cider in small quantities. The cider is made from various apple varieties, with wild pears collected and sometimes quince added.The result: an exceptional dry cider—fruity and refreshing—one of the best ever made in our region. Price: NIS 110.
