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Israeli wine

Part of the archeological site of the Avdat National Park seen through an ancient variety of grape vine, Negev Highlands, southern Israel. (Courtesy, Lior Schweimer, Israel Nature and Parks Authority)
August 4, 2026, 6:51 am
Long-lost Byzantine-era vines are again cultivated on ancient Negev terraces
Discovery of 7th-century grape seeds at Avdat National Park in southern Israel inspires Nature and Parks Authority archaeologist to recreate wine valued across the ancient empire
By Sue Surkes
David Pinto of Pinto Winery, on May 24, 2026 (Jessica Steinberg/Times of Israel)
June 20, 2026, 8:24 pm
Celebrating new appellation, Negev winemakers uncork plans to take their bottles global
Showing that perseverance and grit pay off, desert wineries Yatir, Pinto and Carmey Avdat cheer international designation as they look to extend footprint
By Jessica Steinberg
Attendees at the Sommelier Eshkol Hazahav wine award ceremony in Tel Aviv's Heichal Hatarbut on May 26, 2026 (David Silverman)
May 28, 2026, 2:28 pm
In Tel Aviv, vintners, growers and enthusiasts celebrate year’s best wines
24th annual Eshkol Hazahav awards spotlight year’s outstanding vintages, alongside words of wisdom from culinary leaders Assaf Granit, Hedai Offaim, David Kichka and others
By Jessica Steinberg
The vineyards of the Ramat Negev Winery are part of the new Negev wine appellation, as of April 2026.(Nira Tzadok)
May 13, 2026, 4:18 pm
Negev desert wins recognition as unique international wine region
The region, stretching from Kiryat Gat to Eilat and home to some 60 winemakers, receives a terroir appellation after showing that the wines have their own identifiable profile
By Jessica Steinberg
Illustrative: A rabbi leads a blessing with wine in hand and tallit draped over his shoulders (Courtesy / Moti Dolgin via JTA)
March 27, 2026, 4:14 pm
As Americans drink much less wine, kosher demand stays strong
A built-in ritual market and evolving consumer base are helping kosher libation outperform the industry, even as fewer secular Jews go the traditional route
By Asaf Elia-Shalev
Sommelier Avi Bar Am, whose recent February 2026 Best Value event has broadened the approach to affordable Israeli wines (David Silverman)
March 18, 2026, 6:34 pm
Just in time for war, sommelier ranks list of affordable Israeli wines
The Best Value blind taste test guides Israelis to local vintages at bargain prices
By Jessica Steinberg
Dr. Amir Golani, an archaeologist at the Israel Antiquities Authority. (Yakov Shmidov/Israel Antiquities Authority)
November 6, 2025, 1:53 am
5,000-year-old grape press, oldest proof of wine production in Israel, found near Megiddo
Archaeologists also uncover 3,300-year-old Canaanite artifacts, including a ram-shaped vessel, that may have been used for the cultic practices encountered by the early Israelites
By Rossella Tercatin
Winemaker Asaf Gilai with his Cabernet grapes in Moshav Nir David in June 2025. (Jessica Steinberg/Times of Israel)
August 15, 2025, 9:17 am
Desert flavors are revived after Oct. 7 at a southern Israel winery, brewery and kitchen
The devastating Hamas attack changed the region, but the local culinary scene is adapting and persevering amid the uncertainty and ongoing conflict
By Jessica Steinberg
Four members of the Pauker family in the the Kibbutz Nir Oz vineyards, planted by Gideon Pauker before he was murdered by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023 (Credit Naama Kaspi)
July 2, 2025, 2:04 pm
To life: Grandson revives wines of vintner killed October 7 in Kibbutz Nir Oz
Pauker Winery becomes a commercial enterprise in the name of murdered kibbutznik Gideon Pauker, carried on by his family and winemaking friends
By Jessica Steinberg
Israeli vintners from the Negev visiting the Spanish wine region of Riviera del Duero in March 2025 with the Merage Foundation, as part of efforts to further establish a Negev wine appellation. (Courtesy Negev Wine Club)
March 25, 2025, 11:31 am
Negev vintners visit Spanish wineries to talk grapes and tourism
Trip sponsored by Merage Foundation as part of effort to establish region as agritourism hub
By Jessica Steinberg
Eyal Drory (left), Shuki Yashuv and Elad Katz, co-owners of Agur Winery, hosting wine tastings in June 2024. (Courtesy)
June 13, 2024, 4:32 pm
Bottled up by war, Judean hills vintners open anew to let visitors ‘breathe a little’
Wineries from the Matte Yehuda region offer a month of tastings and tours with notes of melancholy and grief for those affected by the fighting and hostage crisis
By Jessica Steinberg
Composite image showing Segev Schwartz, left, and Eitan Neeman, right, both soldiers who were killed on or around October 7, next to their respective memorial wines. (courtesy)
May 13, 2024, 8:00 am
Local wine firms market libations honoring Israel’s fallen, but some hit sour notes
Projects that allow bereaved families to craft a drinkable memorial are proliferating in the wake of October 7, as some accuse them of profiteering from national pain
By Gavriel Fiske
Illustrative photo of grapes ready for harvest in the Golan. (Michael Giladi/Flash90)
April 22, 2024, 10:11 am
Two thousand years ago, wine was likely as complex and flavorful as today
Roman wines ‘may even have rivaled the fine wines of today,’ archaeologist says; Israeli wine expert opines that Jewish wine during the Roman period was likely ‘very great’
By Gavriel Fiske
Meital Leffler, (left) is one of a crew of four volunteers who make wine and beer at Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha, who were all evacuated to Eilat after the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023 (Courtesy)
November 10, 2023, 1:06 am
Negev vintners grapple with winemaking challenges in shadow of war zone
The small wineries and vineyards of the Gaza border communities and Negev always persevered with their boutique operations; now they’re struggling to get help and sell wine
By Jessica Steinberg
Dr. Elyashiv Drori harvests grapes at a research vineyard near Ariel University in 2020. (courtesy Ariel University)
March 25, 2023, 2:09 pm
It’s in the DNA: Israeli grapes are the mother of all European wines
Massive DNA study of over 3,500 wild and domesticated grapevines overturns what historians thought they knew about the first cultivation of grapes and wine
By Melanie Lidman
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