On Monday afternoon I had the pleasure of attending the Sommelier Wine Expo in Tel Aviv at the Nokia Arena. You may recall that I wrote about the lovely wine festival in Be’er Sheva a few months back, but the event in Tel Aviv is the big leagues. Dozens of Israeli wineries were represented, each offering at least three wines each. Thankfully I took extensive notes throughout the night because in the morning I did a tally and in my six hours or so at the expo I tasted over 60 – yes, you read that right, 60 – wines. I admit to suffering from a severe case of palate fatigue by the end of the evening, although my notes tell a surprisingly in-depth story of each wine I sampled. For the five wines I thought stood out from the crowd, check out my article in the Jew and the Carrot. Continue reading “Sommelier Wine Expo 2011”
Tag: Event
Salute Wine Festival
This past Wednesday and Thursday marked the fifth annual Salute Wine Festival in Be’er Sheva. Israel has no shortage of wine festivals and expos, but rarely do we get a taste in the South. With over 300 wineries in the country, Israel’s wine industry is rapidly growing both in size and international prestige and we were fortunate to have somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 wineries from around the country represented. Continue reading “Salute Wine Festival”
A Culinary Tour of Tel Aviv
I may live in Be’er Sheva, but since moving to Israel in September I’ve been a frequent visitor to Tel Aviv. It has quickly become one of my favorite cities in the world – it has the buzz and sophistication of New York, the pace and cafe culture of a European city, and soft white sand beaches on the Mediterranean. What could be bad? Of course one of the places in Tel Aviv I always head to is the Carmel Market, the city’s frenetic shuk filled with tourists and locals, produce and souvenirs. Continue reading “A Culinary Tour of Tel Aviv”
Tasting Notes: A Wine Tour of the Judean Hills
Although Israel isn’t exactly known as a world-renowned wine region (yet), wine has been cultivated in the area since pre-biblical times. And yes, it hasn’t been highly regarded in the past, but that is largely because the export market is very different than the fine boutique wines available here. This is all changing, slowly, and Israeli wine is finally earning some respect. Not that I’m a huge fan, but the famed American wine critic Robert Parker, for example, devoted an unprecedented nine pages in his most recent buyer’s guide (more pages than South Africa and on par with New Zealand) with 12 wines scoring 90 points or higher. Continue reading “Tasting Notes: A Wine Tour of the Judean Hills”
Wining and Dining in Be’er Sheva
This past Wednesday marked not only the first night of Hanukkah, but also the inaugural event of Wine and Dine B7 (B7 stands for Be’er Sheva for the uninitiated out there). Started by Boston transplant and Be’er Sheva resident Amir Katz, Wine and Dine B7 is aimed primarily at the Anglo community in Be’er Sheva. Katz is hoping to draw attention to the culinary treasures that lie in Be’er Sheva (yes, they exist) and bring people together over food and wine. Continue reading “Wining and Dining in Be’er Sheva”