Wine has been produced in Israel for thousands of years, but few Israeli wineries can boast of having a tradition of more than 120 years of winemaking.

Teperberg Merlot

While wineries in some European countries, among them Germany, Austria, France and Italy, may have a long history of grape growing and wine production, the modern Israeli wine industry has only been around for a few decades.  

In the past, the industry was dominated by a handful of wineries producing wines for local consumption as well as exports to Jewish communities around the world. They include the Zion Winery, which was established in 1848 in Jerusalem by the Shor family, and Carmel – or as it was better known back then, Carmel Mizrachi – established in 1890 with locations in Rishon Letzion and Zichron Ya’akov by philanthropist Baron Edmond de Rothschild. Another veteran is the Efrat Winery, which has been rebranded as Teperberg. It was established in 1870 by Ze’ev Zida Teperberg in the alleys of the Jewish Quarter in Jerusalem’s Old City.

All three wineries have undergone a major quality revolution in recent years.

The Zion Winery relocated its facilities to Mishor Adomim and the quality of its offerings – red as well as white wines – is constantly on the rise. I recently tasted the Chardonnay, Armon, 2009, and found it very enjoyable.

The Carmel winery is producing excellent wines in all price categories, and receiving recognition both in Israel and abroad. Carmel’s Shiraz, Kayoumi, 2006, recently won a prestigious award from Decanter magazine, and a few months earlier, its Petite Sirah, 2006, from the Appellation (a.k.a. regional) series was selected as the wine of the month by the same publication.

For many years the Teperberg Winery went by the name “Efrat” and was known primarily for producing relatively low-end table wines, grape juice and wine for religious purposes, which offered little interest to wine aficionados. All this was about to change, however, when in 2002, California-trained winemaker Shiki Rauchberger took the helm there. Since, Teperberg has been undergoing a constant transformation process, purchasing new equipment, constantly experimenting and emphasizing the quality of the grapes and vineyards used by the winery.

The first step was part of the winery’s rebranding efforts, changing its name from Efrat to Teperberg, redesigning its labels and limiting the number of series produced. After spending more than 30 years in Jerusalem’s Motza neighbourhood, the winery relocated to a newly constructed structure in Kibbutz Tzora, at the foothills of the Judean Hills. Today, more than a century since it was established, the winery is managed by members of the fifth and sixth generation of the Teperberg family.

The Teperberg Winery currently produces more than four million bottles a year, making it one of largest (fourth in size) wineries in Israel. The wines are produced in several series, including Teperberg Reserve, Terra, Silver and Teperberg.

I recently had the opportunity to sample a few of Teperberg’s latest offerings.

Teperberg, Merlot, Reserve, 2007: dark and concentrated in colour, aged for 18 months in oak barrels, the wine is medium, leaning toward full bodied, offering generous succulent aromas and flavours suggesting ripe dark and red berry fruits, plums followed by sweet oak and just a touch of vanilla all leading to a long finish.      

Teperberg, Malbec, Terra, 2008: it’s originally a French grape variety that today is considered by many as the national Argentine grape variety. Teperberg’s Malbec is one of the only varietal wines produced from this grape in Israel, and judging from the 2007 and 2008 releases, the results are quite impressive. Deep ruby toward purple in color, this wine is medium bodied with soft tannins and pleasant acidity, suggesting aromas of various red berries, raspberries, young plums, oak and a hint of chocolate.

Teperberg also offers a good dessert wine with its Silver, Late Harvest White Riesling. Sold at around 40 shekels ($11 US), this is one of the best Israeli dessert wines in its price range. By leaving the grapes to hang from the vines late into the harvest season (hence, the term “late harvest”), certain liquids evaporate, giving the grapes a much higher sugar content and resulting in a sweet and concentrated nectar.

L’chaim!