“To make this Shabbat a Delight”, consider putting a bottle of the “Estate” Cabernet Sauvignon from Zion Winery, Israel’s oldest existing winery, on your table. This is a young, well balanced wine with soft tannins. On the nose it smells of wild berries and a bit of strawberry; on the palate it tastes of black cherry, plum, and a bit of sweetness on the finish. This is considered a “mid premium” wine, a grade above entry level, offering good quality at good value.
Zion Winery was founded in 1848, by Rabbi Yitzhak Galin in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. Yes, you read that correctly – 100 years before Israel became a state, and 12 years before Theodore Herzel was even born, there was a winery in Jerusalem!!
Rabbi Galin was a religious Jew whose family had immigrated from the Ukraine. He saw the need for wine making in the Holy Land and attempted to start a business. He didn’t have a license to sell wine, but his brother-in-law Baruch Shor did, so their venture began. They purchased grapes from farmers in Hebron, made the wine in Jerusalem, and called the business Shor Family. It wasn’t till mid 1900’s, when the business was split, that the original winery was renamed “Zion Winery”.
In 1982, Zion Winery moved to the outskirts of Jerusalem where they modernized the facilities and began producing dry classic wines. It still remains a family business and is one of the largest in Israel. The winemaker, Zvika Shor, has been making wine at that location for over 40 years. They grow their own grapes in vineyards throughout the country which gives them much flexibility in production.
The word “Zion” comes from the biblical term for the city of Jerusalem. It is mentioned over 150 times in the Old Testament, and at least 7 in the New Testament. “Zionism” refers to a return of Jews throughout the world to their ancestral homeland, the land we know today as “The State of Israel”. The land where grapes have been grown and wine produced since biblical times.
This Shabbat, let’s keep “Jerusalem” in our thoughts and prayers by putting a bottle from the Zion Winery on our tables. I picked up mine at the Total Wines, but the easiest way to get Israel wine is by ordering online through Kosher Wine Warehouse, free Shipping with a purchase of $99. Use the code ISRAELWINEGIRL for 10% off your entire purchase.
Make this Shabbat a Delight, Drink Blue and White
Israel Wine Girl 
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