To make this Shabbat a Delight, consider putting a bottle of Tishbi Winery’s Cabernet Sauvignon on your table. This is a well balanced wine that emits aromas of rich red fruit combined with subtle flavors of vanilla and cocoa from its aging in French and American oak. The wine is smooth and ready to drink, and with a price at about $20.00 it offers good value.
Tishbi is Israel’s 6th largest producer, with its wines being sold in over 25 countries. The roots of the Tishbi Winery date back to 1882 with their connection to the Carmel Winery.
Malka and Michael Chemelitsky were Lithuanian immigrants chosen by Baron Rothchild to come to the Holy Land and work for the Carmel Wine Co-op. Their job was to clear the land for the planting of grapes, which at that time was arduous labor. The soil was rock hard and they had nothing more than shovels and pickaxes. It was from this work that the Carmel Winery would be born.
The Chemelitsky Family changed their name to Tishbi in 1925. Like many immigrants at the time, they wanted their name to reflect “Hebrew”, indicating the new land they came to build. Tishbi is an acronym for Toshav Shefaya B’Eretz-Israel (meaning: resident of Shefaya in the Land of Israel).
Jonathan Tishbi, great grandson to Michael and Malka, worked for Carmel till 1984, when he left to open his own winery. Initially, his winery was called the Baron Wine Cellars, to honor Baron Rothschild, but he later changed to the family name to become Tishbi Winery. Jonathan traveled to Italy to learn the growth and production of traditional varietals, thus stepping away from the sweet wine business popular in Israel at the time. Today the winery continues to be family run, with Jonathan’s son as lead winemaker and the rest of the family taking part in running a company that distributes over 1 million bottles worldwide.
Like the other Israeli Wineries we have been in contact with, Tishbi has been struggling with loss of staff due to those serving, and loss of income within Israel due to the lack of tourism. Tishbi does have a large international presence, and their wines are available at many large retailers in the US and online. This Shabbat, think abut putting their wine on your table.
I picked up two bottles this week. The first, to bring to a friend hosting Shabbat lunch, I got at Total Wines, and the second, I ordered online with Kosher Wine Warehouse, Free Shipping with a purchase of $99. Use the code ISRAELWINEGIRL for 10% off your entire purchase.
Israel Wine Girl 
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