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Elyse Glickman’s Top Picks Pioneering boutique producer Margalit is currently seeking U.S. importation. Right: Haim Gan, founder of Grape Man Wine & Spirits Center, offers a definitive assessment of Israel’s wine industry. Galilee Glory and Golan Gold “My dream is that people in and outside Israel will treat Israeli wines as something of depth and sophistication,” asserts Haim Gan, founder of the Grape Man Wine & Spirits Center, a wine business organization in Tel Aviv offering professional training courses, wine tasting sessions, food and beverage correlation courses and other programs. “Although we are a country of seven million, our people come from more than 100 countries,” Gan says. “Our food and wine culture is as influenced by Russian immigrants as it is by Ethiopia. Our revolution is also fueled by a genera- tion of young winemakers who honed their craft in produc- tion centers such as Montpellier, Adelaide and U.C. Davis and then reinterpreted these business practices, technology and techniques once back home.” According to Victor Schoenfeld, the California-born head winemaker at Golan Heights Winery, putting a greater emphasis on Israel’s geographic and geological attributes is, quite literally, a natural way to get people to rethink Israeli wine. “It is difficult to speak of Israel as a single winemak- ing region, just as it is difficult to speak of Italy, Spain, France or any other country,” Schoenfeld notes. “In the Golan Heights, we have a Mediterranean climate. On the coastal plain, it is subtropical. In the south, it is arid. Soils range from one million years old to 270 million years old. Winemakers have to be careful along the entire process, from the planting of the vineyard all the way to the bottling and storage of the final bottles.” For an in-depth version of this story, with extensive tasting notes, visit www.tastingpanelmag.com. Beyond Milk and Honey: The Stats • 20% of wines produced in the Golan region are exported to 25 countries, including United States, Great Britain, France, Japan and Australia. • The majority of Israeli winemaking takes place in the more temperate northern climate: Galilee, Sharon Plain, Samson, Golan Heights and the Judean foothills in the West Bank. • The Golan contains some of the highest-elevated vineyards in Israeli-controlled territory, upwards of 4,000 feet. • Soils in the Golan Heights and parts of the Galilee region are characterized by their layers of basalt deposits created by centuries of volcanic activity. august 201 1 / the tasting panel / 85 Barkan 2007 Superieur Pinotage, Judean Hills ($70) Complex and concentrated nose with jammy tones, black cherries, mulber- ries, cassis, warm sweet spices such as cinnamon, clove and cardamom, together with overtones of black coffee, smoke and dark chocolate. Massive and concentrated, with velvety tannins and a long, delicious and complex finish. ROYAL WINE CORP. Carmel 2007 Shiraz Kayoumi, upper galilee ($50) A 100% Shiraz, from the Kayoumi vineyard in the foothills of Mount Meron, aged in small, French oak barrels for 15 months. The nose is rich and complex, showing aromas of berries, black pepper and roasted coffee beans. Full-bodied with a long finish. ROYAL WINE CORP. galil Mountain Winery 2007 Avivim, galilee ($22) A fresh, fruity summer-per- fect blend (75% Viognier/25% Chardonnay) marked with floral notes as well as peach, green apple, pear and tropical fruit. Its buttery mouth is nice with freshwater fish and baby green salads. YARDEN INC. galil Mountain Winery 2008 Rosé, galilee ($15) Features a floral nose that unfolds into aromas of strawberry, pome- granate and ripe nectarine, rendering it an excellent companion for Middle Eastern food and grilled meats. Sangiovese, Cabernet and Pinot Noir. YARDEN INC. golan Heights 2007 Yarden Cabernet Sauvignon, galilee ($30) Notes of ripe dark red and black fruits, layered with notes of earth, spice, chocolate, pipe tobacco and a hint of fresh herb make this complex red a suitable partner for lamb, short ribs and root vegetables. YARDEN INC. Yatir 2007 Yatir Forest, Judean Hills ($72) A rich, complex blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 36% Petit Verdot with 7% each of Merlot and Malbec is har- vested from vineyards in the Yatir Forest in the Southern Judean Hills at the Northern tip of the Negev desert. ROYAL WINE CORP.