Israeli Wine

Wine has been produced in the Middle East region since the dawn of history...The vineyards were originally planted with ordinary high-yielding varieties and until the 1980s, most of the production was of sweet wines shipped around the world to satisfy demand for kosher wine. Today, however, Israel has a booming domestic wine culture and the fashion is for premium dry wines from such familiar varieties as Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Merlot.

Israel has five major wine districts. From north to south, the first and foremost is Galil/Galilee, which includes the Golan Heights and Upper Galilee regions. The best known Israeli winery is located here, the Golan Heights Winery, which ships under the Yarden, Gamla and Golan labels.