Israel Wine Company

Israeli Wines get big scores in the latest Wine Spectator

2008-09-17T13:19:00.000-07:00

90 points for the Clos De Gat Harel Syrah!!!! Write me if you would like to order some... You can get the latest Wine Spectator at any magazine stand.

July, August and September Wines- Exclusive!!!

2008-09-08T22:30:00.000-07:00

/September%20Quarterly%20Newsletter%202008.doc

Gift Packages

2008-09-01T09:45:00.000-07:00

We now offer gift packages for birthdays, holidays, celebrations and thank-yous. A special selection of Israeli wines are the perfect gift for any occasion. There is no better way to give a piece of Israel to someone you love, appreciate, or care for than wine directly from The Land. Free greeting cards are also available to include in your shipment.

http://Israelwinecompany.com/wines.html

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 SIPS

2008-08-27T21:37:00.000-07:00

Look for us on Thursday night, August 28th from 7-9pm in Marina Del Playa at the Around the World in 80 Sips wine tasting!!! http://www.drinkeatplay.com/aroundtheworldin80sips/

Wine and Health- Israelis Discover the benefits of Wine Pairing

2008-07-09T13:49:00.000-07:00

Wine and health
Of sommeliers and stomachs
Jul 3rd 2008
From The Economist print edition

Red wine exercises its benefits before it enters the bloodstream
FINE food sings on the palate, but pairing it with the right wine creates a chorus. Among those in the know, the plum, chocolate and spice flavours of Cabernet Sauvignons, Merlots, Pinot Noirs and Sangioveses best accentuate the rich flavours of red meats. Now, however, a group of researchers led by Joseph Kanner of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has discovered that pairing red wines like these with red meat appears to be more than just a matter of taste. If the two mix in the stomach, compounds in the wine thwart the formation of harmful chemicals that are released when meat is digested.
The idea that red wine is actually good for your health is irresistible to the average tippler. But it appears to be true. In particular, red wines are rich in polyphenols, a group of powerful antioxidants that are thought to protect against cancer and heart disease by destroying molecules that would otherwise damage cells. How the polyphenols in wine exercise their beneficial effects, though, has been mysterious. That is because they do not seem to travel in any quantity from the stomach into the bloodstream.
The answer, Dr Kanner has found, lies in the stomach itself. The digestion of high-fat foods such as red meat releases oxidising toxins. One in particular, called malondialdehyde, is implicated in arteriosclerosis, cancer, diabetes and a host of other serious diseases. Dr Kanner suspected that the key to wine’s protective effect is when, precisely, it is consumed. He hypothesised that if the polyphenols arrive in the stomach at the moment when the fats are releasing malondialdehyde and its kin, then this might stop these toxic materials from getting any farther into the body.
To test this idea, he and his colleagues fed a group of rats one of two meals—either red meat from a turkey (a foodstuff shown by previous research to raise malondialdehyde levels in humans) or such meat mixed with red-wine concentrate. An hour and a half after the rats had eaten, they were killed. Dr Kanner then removed their stomachs and analysed the contents. As he reports in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the wine concentrate did indeed reduce the formation of malondialdehyde. It also cut the level of hydroperoxides, another group of oxidising agents that cause cell damage.
Based on these results, Dr Kanner and his colleagues argue that looking for antioxidants from wine in the bloodstream was a mistake; they do not need to be there to be useful. Their research also suggests that the habit of eating fruit at the end of a meal is a healthy one. Many fruits, too, are rich in polyphenols (wine is, after all, just fermented fruit juice). By treating them as dessert, these fruits arrive in the stomach at the point when meat-digestion is poised to do its worst—nipping the problem in the bud, as it were.

L.A. Wine Fest

2008-07-02T23:51:00.000-07:00

Look for us at the Raleigh Studios in Hollywood for the L.A. Wine Fest. www.lawinefest.com

It should be a lot of fun and we are going to have some great wines there!! Come check it out!

See you there!

Jewish Vintners Celebration in Napa Valley was a huge success

2008-06-22T23:10:00.000-07:00

It was amazing to see how many famous wineries have Jewish owners or winemakers... The list was long (and not comprehensive), the wines were fabulous and the guests had a great time.

Jewish Vintner Website

There were also some Israel Wine Company wineries from Israel pouring their wines... They showed really well and accentuated the Israeli climate, soil and winemaking. It is hard to compare wines from Israel to Napa as it is hard to compare Italian wines to Napa, but in terms of quality, they definitely stood their own!!!

Adam Sandler (The Zohan) and crew like their Israeli Wine with Humous!!

2008-06-16T22:57:00.000-07:00

Adam, his producer Jack, and chef Albert came up to my winery for a tour and tasting. They loved the wine and winery and were super friendly. In fact, they invited us to come check out their latest set and filming of Bedtime Stories at Castello Di Amarosa. I brought them some Israeli wine and they'll be signing up for the Israel Wine Company, Israeli Wine Club!!! I was told that Jackie (Adam's wife), will like the Rimon Desert Wine, and the Clos De Gat Merlot will probably be tasted tomorrow in their trailer. Thank you guys for being so hospitable and friendly.

Photo optimized by Robb Farrington Digital

Israel Wine Company- June Wine Club Selections

2008-06-12T09:41:00.000-07:00

Dear Israel Wine Company Member (and potential member),

I hope you have been enjoying the 60th Independence Day celebrations for the State of Israel!!!! We are excited to bring you Israel’s finest wines and to connect you with Israel’s best boutique wineries. Below you will find information on this month’s selections.

If you have not yet signed-up, you can still get June's selections if you sign-up here http://IsraelWineCompany.com/join.html

I hope you enjoyed last month’s wine selections. We have started this blog on our site for your reviews and comments about each shipment. Please let us know what you think of your wines by leaving a review in the comments section below.

This month I have chosen some especially unique wines. One very nice red and the other is not even made out of grapes, but pomegranate. I chose this wine because it is different and very tasty.

We appreciate your membership and look forward to providing you with unparalleled service. Please contact me with any questions or if you would like to order more of this month's wine selections at: ari@israelwinecompany.com or call: 707 307 4303

Please tell your family and friends about us!!!

Of course, Wine Club Members receive a 10% (or higher) discount on all orders. This month you will be receiving a 14% discount plus subsidized shipping. Please contact me with any questions or if you would like to order more of this month's wine selections at ari@israelwinecompany.com

L’Chaim,

Ari Erle
Israel Wine Company, Founder
ari@israelwinecompany.com

June, 2008, Israel Wine Company Exclusive Offerings:

HaMasrek: Kings Blend

Situated in the mountains at the 'gate' to Jerusalem, HaMasrek planted their
vineyards on ancient terraces above the famous 'Burma Road.' The newly planted forests and vineyards on rocky limestone and volcanic soil overlook the Ayalon Valley and Coastal Plains below. During the siege on Jerusalem, it was the mountain pass through Hamasrek vineyards that an alternative route to Jerusalem was found, ending the siege. Many pages of history from biblical times have been written about the area of Hamasrek vineyards and winery. The winery itself was established by the Greengrass brothers, who are third generation farmers at Beit Meir where the winery is located. Just driving up to this world class winery, is a gorgeous, history lesson which imbues quality.
When I was studying at Hebrew University, I used to work for JNF, planting trees on the hills around HaMasrek’s Vineyards. I remember the hardy, rocky, volcanic soil that forces the vines to struggle, ultimately, creating, even higher quality wine.

Tasting Notes
The King’s Blend is an eclectic blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Zinfandel. It is also a blend of the 2004/05 vintages. Regardless of vintage, or grape, HaMasrek put together the very best wine from their top lots. I get hi-tone minerals with sweet vanilla and barrel spice. It opens-up to raspberries, cranberries and juicy meat in the middle. The mouth-feel is clean and intense with nice, smooth tannins and a spicy long finish.
I think this would go great with my wife’s famous, Israeli meatball recipe
Recipe on our blog at this link: Keren's Mediterranean Meatballs

Retail Price: $27

Rimon: Dessert Wine 2005

Unlike other pomegranate wine and spirit beverages on the market, Rimon wines are not merely flavored with pomegranates. They are the only wines in the world made exclusively from 100% pomegranate with no addition of sugar. They are produced from a unique variety of pomegranate (patent pending) specially cultivated by the Nachmias family to have natural sugars equivalent to that of grape varieties used for winemaking.

The traditional techniques used by the Nachmias Family to make the Rimon pomegranate wines are virtually identical to the traditional methods of making grape wine. The fruit is harvested at optimum ripeness and crushed, then moved into large temperature-controlled steel tanks to ferment. After fermentation, the wine is then aged in French oak barrels to add complexity and softness. The only difference is in the machine that crushes the fruit. Rimon Winery uses a specially-designed machine to open each pomegranate into a flower-like shape, scoop out the ripe, edible seeds, and crush them for their rich red juice.

Each Rimon wine is produced using traditional winemaking techniques, which also preserves the pomegranate's succulent flavors and healthful attributes. The result is a beautiful wine that attracts the eye with superb clarity and rich color and warms the heart with remarkable and unique flavors. All Rimon wines are produced according to the highest quality winemaking standards and all are certified Kosher.

Tasting Notes
The aroma reminds me of the first rain in the Fall. It smells like a handful of pomegranate seeds that you just took a big bite into. The taste is sweet with an intense burst of pomegranate juice. Both the aromas and taste are much more elegant than any pomegranate juice I have ever had. It would be perfect with peach cobbler or blueberry pie. Some might want to even use it to cook their dessert syrup. This is truly a unique product, bound to attract a new group of health conscious wine drinkers. I would drink this with a chocolate covered peach cobbler.

Retail Price: $31

Please visit: www.IsraelWineCompany.com to learn more.

israel wine company| +1 (707) 307-4303 | ari@israelwinecompany.com

Wife's Israeli Meatballs- Goes great with HaMasrek King's Blend

2008-06-03T15:44:00.001-07:00

This is my wife's Israeli Meat Ball Recipe. It goes great with the HaMasrek King's Blend that is going out with the Israeli Wine Club June Selection Wine Shipment.

1/2 Kilogram of ground meat
1/2 Kg of ground chicken breast
Cilantro
2 chopped and fried onions
a little flour
a little bread crumbs

Mix it all together. Roll into meatballs and cook them on the grill as a shish Kebab or in the oven with tomato sauce.

You will enjoy these with a nice Israeli Wine like the King's Blend

Wine Spectator makes Exclusive Video about Israeli Wines

2008-05-31T08:27:00.000-07:00

Check it out here:

Israeli Wine video by The Wine Spectator

They reviewed Clos De Gat which was one of the wineries that was part of our May Selection!!!

Rimon, HaMasrek and Ella Valley Israeli Wines are now available in Napa

2008-05-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

JV Wine and Spirits (JVwine.com), the biggest wine store in Napa, CA is now carrying our Israeli Wines!! They are carrying the Rimon Dessert Wine, HaMasrek King's Blend and Ella Valley Chardonnay.

Israeli Wine on CNN

2008-05-29T00:05:00.000-07:00

Israeli Wine made it to CNN. CNN did a nice piece on wines from Israel. They were at the wine expo in Tel Aviv (I was there too!)in February and filmed this piece. Marc Squires from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate was also there. They also wrote a good article about Israeli wine and reviewed over 85 Israeli wines. They have helped the Israeli wine industry jump faster into the U.S. market and get more exposure here.

Links are to the right on my links section...

June Israeli Wine Club shipment being prepared

2008-05-28T23:51:00.000-07:00

I am currently working on putting together the next shipment for the Israeli Wine Club. I have a great line-up of wines. If you haven't yet signed-up, I will still ship the May shipment of Israeli Wines until the last day of the month. After that, you can order them separately. This month there will be some very unique Israeli Wines. One hint: one of them isn't made out of grapes...

Looking forward to sending your Israeli wines out... Don't forget to post your reviews and comments about the Israeli wines you received under the May wine club posting below...

Israeli Wine Reaches the Western Most Corner of the World

2008-05-18T20:04:00.000-07:00

Israeli Wine is now being enjoyed at the Western, Eastern (100 miles from the dateline) (and almost Northern) most point in the World. This week I am shipping four really nice bottles of Israeli wine to Nome, AK to my good friends Loren and Tara Prosser. Even as the snow pack melts and the ice drifts out to sea, they will be enjoying a great bottle of Israeli Chardonnay from my Israeli Wine Club.

Hopefully, they will send photos of them drinking Israel Wine Club wines from Nome with the Caribou...

IWC May 2008 Wine Club Selections

2008-05-07T23:21:00.000-07:00

Dear Israel Wine Company Member (and potential member),

Happy 60th Birthday to the State of Israel!!!!

Your wine for May has shipped and is on it's way to your house or office!!

We are excited to bring you Israel’s finest wines and to connect you with Israel’s finest boutique wineries. Below you will find information on this month’s selections.

If you have not yet signed-up, you can still get May's selections if you sign-up here http://IsraelWineCompany.com/join.html before the end of the month

We have started a blog on our site for your reviews and comments about each shipment. Please let us know what you think of your wines by leaving a review in the comments section.

We appreciate your membership and look forward to providing you with unparalleled service. Please contact me with any questions or if you would like to order more of this month's wine selections at ari@israelwinecompany.com

Of course, Wine Club Members receive a 10% discount.

L’Chaim,

Ari Erle
Israel Wine Company, Founder

May, 2008, Israel Wine Company Exclusive Offerings:

Clos De Gat: Harel Syrah 2005

Clos de Gat is situated in the picturesque foothills of the Judean mountains near Jerusalem, bordering on Israel’s biblical Ayalon Valley, where Joshua defeated the Five Kings.
In 1998, in partnership with Kibbutz Harel, winemaker Eyal Rotem who learned winemaking in Australia, began planting vines and building a winery on the land surrounding
his house, thus turning a long-harboured dream into reality.
An ancient “Gat” (Hebrew for wine press), pre-dating the Roman period, is located in the grounds of the modern winery, set in the heart of the Clos de Gat vineyards.
 When I was there, I saw the open top elongated vats that the Syrah was made in. It has 30% new oak and was not fined or filtered.

Tasting Notes
I chose this Syrah as one of the first wine club wines because it is a perfect example of how unique Israeli Boutique Wines have become today. It is a very difficult wine for a wine expert to place. It has 'old world' aroma's but is made in a 'new world' style. This Syrah has spicy, earthy, and red fruit aromas, with some black pepper and licorice. It is deep, dark and has good intensity. I think this Harel Syrah would go well with a
Mediterranean Moussaka.

Retail Price: $35

Ella Valley Vineyards: Chardonnay, 2004

Located at the site where David defeated Goliath, Ella Valley Vineyards and Winery in the Ella Valley makes high quality wines from a multitude of estate vineyards located in this historic setting. The soil and climate in this valley at the footsteps to the Jerusalem mountains, are perfect for high-quality wine growing.
Established in 1998 by the owner of Spring Mountain Vineyards in Napa, this once very small winery is growing quickly, with it's focus on quality and wide range of varietal based wines. Winemaker, Dron Rav-Hon brings experience and study from Burgundy and likes to concentrate on intensity and tannin in his wines. Dron uses upright, Italian, stainless steel tanks to carress the intensity and tannin out of the 100% Estate Grapes.

Tasting Notes
Brilliant golden yellow color. Ripe, complex aromas of pear, spiced apple & hazelnut. This is not your typical CA Chardonnay. The nice acid level on this wine gives it a good, crisp stucture that will go well with food. Well integrated oak flavors round out the palate with a hint of toasted white bread and yeast. I would pair this wine with Terryaki Salmon on the BBQ.

Retail Price: $21

Please visit: www.IsraelWineCompany.com to learn more.

israel wine company| +1 (707) 307-4303 | ari@israelwinecompany.com

Intro

2008-05-03T23:36:00.000-07:00

Dear Israel Wine Club Members,

I have set-up this blog in order to post each month's wine, tasting notes, recipes and reviews. But, most importantly, this is a place for your to voice your opinion. What did you think of the wine? Post your tasting notes. What did you eat with this wine? Or any other interesting facts or comments about Israeli Wines. Please post your comments here.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks for your support,

Ari