To take a tour of wineries in Israel is to embark on an adventure that appeals to all of the senses. You will be surrounded by the beauty of the rolling mountains and hills, and feel the tingle of the nearly ever-present sun on your skin.
You can sample the wines of the local rural vineyards, each with its own distinct color, aroma, and flavor. A large number of wineries are open to tourist visits throughout Israel and promise to provide you with an educational, yet also leisurely, welcoming and fun experience.
You’ll find a total of 11 wineries within Israel, each one with its own characteristics.
The largest and most popular winery within Israel is the Carmel-Mizrachi Winery, which has existed since 1882. The Carmel Winery in Rishon Lezion is well-equipped to accommodate a large number of visitors with about 100,000 tourists annually. It is the largest wine producer in the country, making about 13 million bottle of wine annually, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, and Emerald Riesling.
Carmel is a particularly popular winery tour destination because it offers the opportunity to see ancient, old, and new wine making methods all in one setting. Wine-aging methods have progressed from wooden barrels, to cement tanks, to stainless steel tanks.
If you are a true lover of wine, you will love visiting the Upper Galilee region of Israel. It is known for the superb quality of its grapes. The plentiful sun, cool winds, and abundant rainfall, combined with mineral rich soil, create the ideal growing conditions.
Here you’ll find the Benhaim Winery, which has two vineyards: one on the peak of the Meron Mountain range and the other outside the city of Zefat. Benhaim produces a wide array of wines, including red, whites, and ports. All together, the two vineyards produce about 40,000 bottles annually in eight different varieties.
For a special event, you’ll want to check out the Tishbi Winery, which was founded in 1882, and is located near Zichron Yaacov. The winery holds an array of cool parties, concerts, and events here including music concerts on summer nights and cocktail and dance parties.
The Tishbi Winery includes a beautiful tourist center that overlooks the vineyards of the estate. It also has a delicious kosher dairy restaurant and a gift shop with many interesting wine-related gadgets and gifts.
If you’re interested in a smaller scale, more intimate setting, then Israel’s wineries offer something for you, too. Boutique wineries are small wineries that produce wines which specifically reflect the personalities of their owners and winemakers.
Three boutique wineries, Tzor’a, Soreq and Saslove, offer opportunities for visitors. These boutique wineries offer guided tours, have beautiful outdoor picnic facilities, and each one has a little delicatessen attached, too.
Did you know that each year during Passover about 7 million bottles of wine are consumed worldwide? About 90% of these bottles of wine are made in Israel!
Touring the wineries of Israel will give you the fascinating opportunity to see where this honored tradition begins.
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