Stunning views by Flickr user hoyasmeg

Towering over 15 miles of Israel’s Mediterranean Coastline between Hadera and Haifa, the Carmel range has always been a symbol of beauty. It might not be especially high, with a peak of just 550m above sea level, but you wouldnt know it from the change in scenery from atop this range. Ranging views across the flat coastal plain and onto the Mediterranean to the West, and the Alona and later Jezreel Valleys in the Galilee to the East are breathtaking.

Its higher altitude makes it receive greater levels of rainfall, giving birth to abundant pine forests, including the Carmel National Park. In Spring, over 650 species of plant blossom. And perhaps this water, combined with its strategic location, can explain the settlement which has taken place here for millenia. Today, a few pretty towns and villages adjourn the slopes of the Carmel, whilst the slopes of the far north are home to the city of Haifa.

View across Haifa from Mount Carmel by Flickr user exothermic

Haifa

Israel’s third city sits on the northern slopes of Mount Carmel, giving breathtaking views out across the Bay of Haifa. On the lower slopes in the city are the Bahai Gardens, which open up into the city’s recently restored German Colony… Read on about Haifa

Zichron Yaakov

View from Zichron Ya'akov across the Coastal Plain

One of the first modern settlements established in the Land of Israel, Zichron Yaakov developed as a result of wine, with the rich fertile soils of the Carmel making it a feasible place to grow vines. Today, the town has a pretty center through which you can walk, as well as wineries to visit, in Zichron itself, and neighboring Binyamina… Read on about Zichron Yaakov

Carmel Mountain Nature Reserve

Over 80 dunams of the Carmel Mountain are a nature reserve with paths and trails offering scenic routes for hiking and biking as well as breathtaking lookouts with views spreading as far as the Upper Galilee. Elsewhere in the reserve is “Hai-Bar” – a wildlife reserve where animals and birds which have previously become extinct from the area have been reintroduced into the area.

The Carmel by flickr user vad_levin

Bat Shlomo

About 10 minutes drive inland from Zichron Yaakov is the little settlement of Bat Shlomo. A traditional agricultural settlement which hasnt developed or commercialised, the village has some small art galleries, and old synagogue, and a great farm where they make cheese and have a small cafe.

Ein Hod

A famous artists colony on the slopes of the Carmel overlooking the Mediterranean. Ein Hod’s little streets are home to a large number of artists, many of whom open their homes to the public.

Druze Hospitality in Isfiya and Daliyat el Karmel

The Druze are a minority group who live peacefully in Israel and are renowned for their hospitality. Their villages in the Carmel and Golan regions, offer not only an insight into their interesting religion, but great food as well! Click here to read more about Druze Hospitality

Vineyards in the Golan Heights by Flickr user Eagle XDV

Israel has recently become a major center on the world wine-making map. The country has more than 200 wineries scattered across the country, from the Tuscan-esque Galilee to the more barren Negev. Many of these wineries are very historic playing an important part in the formation of the State, whilst others are newer. AND…Most are open to visitors in one way or another, whether it be a visitors center in the larger wineries, or a visit to the makers home in a boutique winery!

The Golan Heights Winery by Flickr user KRS Juan

If you wish to include a visit to a winery into your visit, check ahead, and you’ll be sure to pass one (or more) on your journey around this super-cool country. A map of the Wine Route marking the wineries is produced by the Tourism Ministry. If you wish to make a day (or more) of it, we say you should aim to visit about four in a day, and no more than five. And remember, not to drink and drive, perhaps appoint a tour guide, or make sure someone doesn’t drink, no matter how tempting it might be!

Visiting Wineries in Israel

Golan Heights Winery Visitors Center

A high alititude, cold winters, lots of sun, and rich soil make the Golan Heights a perfect wine-making region. The Golan Heights Winery is one of Israel’s largest and most well-respected wineries producing under the Golan, Yarden, and Gamla labels. With a large visitors center, this is one of a few wineries really geared up to wine-lovers. Visits include a tour of the winery, as well as a movie, and wine tasting.

Visits should be booked: 04-6968435. Katzrin Industrial Estate, Katzrin (Map)

Binyamina Winery Visitors Center (Coastal Plain nr Zichron Yaakov)

In the town of Binyamina, on the coastal plain close to Caesarea and Zichron Yaakov, the Binyamina Winery visitor center is in an old perfume factory established by the Baron Rothschild early on in the establishment of Israel. The visitor center is fairly  new, and visits include a tour, film explanation, and of course, wine tasting.

04-6388643, binyaminawines.com. Hanasi St, Binyamina (Map)

Tishbi Winery Visitors Center (Coastal Plain nr Zichron Yaakov)

Located near Zichron Yaakov on the coastal plain, the Tishbi Winery was first established by the Baron Edmund de Rothschild over 100 years ago who commissioned the Tishbi family to grow grapes. The name has now changed, and the winery, tranquilly located at the base of Mount Carmel has one other unique feature. That is, visitors can come to the winery, and fill up containers of their own with Tishbi for 19NIS per litre. The center offers guided tours and also has a restaurant.

04-6288195, tishbi.com. Map

Tabor Winery Visitors Center (Lower Galilee)

A small, boutique winery, the Tabor Winery is located in the village of Kfar Tabor in the Lower Galilee with its vineyards growing on the slopes of Mount Tabor. This vineyard is very traditional in its agricultural methods, and only uses local materials including water. Next to the visitors center which offers full tours, is a marzipan museum and restaurant.

04-6760444, twc.co.il. Signed from entrance of Kfar Tabor (Map)

Vineyards in the Golan Heights by Flickr user Eagle XDV

Israeli wine has long stirred up associations with the syrupy libations of religious rituals, but modern techniques imported from top winemaking nations are now helping it find space on shelves from Paris to New York.

“Today, you’ll find that people are looking for Israeli wines that meet international standards and the good thing is we are actually producing wines like that,” Israeli wine critic Daniel Rogov says in an interview at a busy Tel Aviv wine shop.

“There is no contradiction between wines that are kosher and wines that are excellent.”

Israeli wineries, both industrial-scale and boutique, make over 33 million bottles a year, according to the Israeli Wine Council, but the vast majority of Israeli wine is kosher or made in accordance with Jewish dietary laws.

Whilst the rabbinical seal has long been associated with wines made to appeal to observant Jews rather than connoisseurs, the quality of Israeli wines is improving, helped by government incentives for smaller producers, and some vintages are now garnering international plaudits.

Robert Parker, among the world’s most influential wine critics, has heaped praise and points on some 40 Israeli wines. Fourteen of them won more than 90 out of a maximum 100 points in Parker’s rating system.

Wines from neighbouring Lebanon, which traces its winemaking industry back over 4,000 years, have been winning international awards for decades. Israel enjoys the same Mediterranean climate.

Weighing in with 93 points was the red 2003 Yatir Forest label from a subsidiary of Carmel Winery.

Founded by the Baron Edmond James de Rothschild, an early 20th-century Zionist philanthropist, Carmel is Israel’s largest winery, accounting for 40 percent of the Jewish state’s contemporary wine market.

But along with many of its 200-odd rival Israeli wineries, Carmel has recently been applying methods learned from France, Australia and California, to locally grown grapes.

“Our chief winemaker studied in France, so we’ve learnt from the traditions of France but we also make use of the technologies from places like Australia and California,” Adam Montefiore, marketing director for Carmel Winery, said at a wine festival in Jerusalem this month.

“We feel in the last 10, 15 years, Israeli wines are really making world class wines.”

Montefiore says Carmel produces a range of wines both for those who want to “drink wine without tasting it” and for connoisseurs. Prices range from $10 to $100 (6 pounds to 60 pounds) a bottle. Half of Carmel’s annual production of 15 million bottles is exported to the United States, Europe and Asia.

Israel exports roughly $22 million dollars worth of wine a year, according to the Central Statistics Bureau.

EXPERTS AND EXPORTS

Founded in 2002, the family-owned Pelter winery in the Golan Heights benefits from the cool climate and water-rich soil of the plateau, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 war and annexed in 1981 — a move rejected by the United Nations.

Sam Pelter, whose son Tal founded the winery after extensive wine-making studies in Australia, says he combines Australian techniques and technology with Golan grapes. His wines sell at $18-$50 a bottle and are sold in the United States and Europe.

Some 18-20 percent of Israeli wine comes from the Golan, according to wine critic Rogov, though wines made on disputed land can sometimes invite controversy.

Last December, Syria protested to U.N. leaders that Israel had distributed Golan wine as year-end holiday gifts to U.N. staff. In 2006, Israel complained that Sweden was labelling Golan wines as coming from Israeli-occupied Syrian territory.

Israeli settlers also make wine on occupied Arab land in the West Bank, sometimes drawing boycotts by peace activists.

Political sensitivities have not stopped Pelter’s wines making a splash abroad.

Pelter’s most famous wine is Trio 2007, which took a double gold award at Finger Lakes competition in New York. A blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc grapes aged 14 months in French oak barrels, it has hints of fruit and cocoa.

Chris, an American visitor attending the Jerusalem festival, described Trio 2007 as a “different and surprising” wine.

Other tourists also expressed surprise over the lightness of Carmel’s red wines, and the sweetness of their whites.

“For my taste, (the red wine is) a little on the light side. I’m looking for a red wine that has the kind of body that I would find in, say, a good robust Australian red wine,” said Malcolm Kessin of Atlanta, Georgia.

While Israel’s wine industry is growing, Rogov says vintners have yet to sort out the best of Israel’s 42 grape varietals.

“We have to find out which grapes are most suited to our particular sub-climates, different regions of Israel, et cetera, which is no sin,” said Rogov. “Remember — we’re still young.”

Article: Reuters

Although Zichron Yaakov isn’t strictly on the coastal plain, this town in the Carmel Hills was one of the first to be established by the Baron Rothschild. With wineries, and a restored main street lined with cafes and restaurants, Zichron Ya’akov is a cool place for a walk and meal. At the end of the street, the First Aliya Museum gives a fascinating overview of the pioneers from Europe who established this town over a hundred years ago.

Wineries

Zichron Yaakov is home to the Carmel Winery, one of Israel’s oldest wineries who have a  visitors center.

Also near the town are the famous wineries of Tishbi and Binyamina who also have visitor centers. Click here to find out more about visiting wineries in Israel

Nearby

Mount Carmel is full of  other places to visit including:

• The traditional village of Bat Shlomo
• The artists colony of Ein Hod
• The Carmel Forest Nature Reserve
• The Druze villages of Isfiya and Daliyat el Karmel

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