The rebirth of Israel’s wine industry

Wine production is first described at the time of the Biblical Noah although it probably began much earlier in history. The Biblical patriarch Jacob prophesied that the wine production of his son Yehuda in his future Biblical inheritance would be so plentiful that he would be able to wash his clothes in wine (Genesis 49:1). By the Byzantine period, wine making had become a significant export industry for this now Christian country. In the Muslim period, in the 7th century, wine production came to a halt because of the Islamic prohibition on drinking alcohol. The vines in the country were uprooted and olive trees planted in their stead.

 During the Second Aliya, Baron Edmond de Rothschild (1845-1934) appreciated that wine production could be a source of income for the Jewish settlements he was supporting financially, and in 1882, at a personal cost of millions of francs, he established Carmel wineries in Rishon le Zion and Zichron Yaakov.  He also brought to then Palestine a number of grape varieties from his own vineyards in his home country France, such as Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. These vines did not grow that well in Israel and demand for them was not that great. However, a hundred years later, wine production from these Bordeaux varieties (i.e., vines from Bordeaux in France) really took off. This is why most Israeli wines nowadays have French names.

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 Carmel Winery remains the largest winery in Israel. However, over the last 15 years there has been a profusion of small, quality wineries in Israel, many of which have won prizes in prestigious international wine competitions.

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 Israeli wines are somewhat expensive compared to those of countries that produce large amounts of wine. Much of this is related to the scale of production. Most wines exported are kosher wines and this also adds to the cost.

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Wine is almost invariably kosher, but a number of rabbinic enactments were enacted around wine in past centuries to reduce social interactions with gentiles, and these and the Jewish agricultural laws have to be adhered to for a wine to be considered "kosher." Kosher wineries are also closed on Friday night and Shabbat as distinct from many non-kosher wineries.

Recent trends in Israeli wine production are for the wineries to develop their own vineyards, as distinct from using grapes from elsewhere in the country, and to grow new grape species from other Mediterranean countries.

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Wine is an extremely healthy food because of its content of anti-oxidants, and in particular its content of the chemical resveratrol. Anti-oxidants are potent protectors from excessive oxidative stress. This occurs in many chronic diseases, in particular cardiovascular disease. Resveratrol is found especially in red wines. This is because the alcohol content aids in the absorption of the resveratrol from the grape skins. Grape skins are not left in the fermentation process in the production of white wine. Therefore white wine contains little resveratrol.

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 The protection provided by red wine against cardiovascular disease has been studied scientifically and takes the form of a J-shaped curve. The optimal amount in terms of cardiovascular protection comes from 150 mL or 5 oz of red wine per day. Excessive wine drinking may be harmful. Because of the risk of alcoholism, wine drinking is not part of the recommendations of the American Heart Association, but modest wine drinking has been a feature of civilization since its beginnings and can be part of a healthy Mediterranean diet.