Hizbullah Almost Hurst Wine

Filed in archive Wine Making on September 3, 2006

The Israel
war with Hizbullah was a tragedy, and along with many lives lost, a lot of businesses were negatively affected. This includes a growing wine industry. However, according to this latest report, things are looking up for vineyards and wineries in the area.

Personally, I'm very relieved to hear there is finally some good news over there.

From Israel's wine industry saved by ceasefire:

The end of the war with Hizbullah came just in time to save a fast-growing Israeli industry: wine making. Growers were unable to tend their vineyards during the 34-day conflict as thousands of Hizbullah rockets pelted the Upper Galilee, Israel's best grape-growing region. Luckily, the ceasefire last week came on the first day of the harvest.

Racing to salvage their crop, many growers are confident the season will be a huge success. "Beautiful, beautiful. Everything is perfect," gushed Moshe Haviv, manager of Dalton Winery, before uncorking his newest favorite joke - whether guests would like to sample the "Katyusha special reserve."

Dalton was among the hardest-hit wineries during the conflict - a direct rocket strike set part of the vineyard on fire. Yet Haviv expects his best year ever, with the help of great weather, a 20 percent increase in harvested land and growing international interest in Israeli wine.

Other winemakers are also relieved, though some say it is too early to know the extent of damage to a small but thriving industry that is just starting to make a name for itself abroad. Wine critics say kosher wine has improved greatly since the days when a thick, sweet and cheap vintage used for religious ceremonies was the only option.