Binyamina Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

Wine Recommendation of the Week: Binyamina Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

This week on the blog, we’re excited to highlight a lovely choice for your Shabbat or dinner table — the Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from Binyamina Winery. Whether you’re celebrating a special occasion or simply savoring a quiet evening at home, this full-bodied, well-balanced wine is sure to impress.

Brimming with rich notes of blackberry, black currant, and cherry, and complemented by a touch of acidity, this Cabernet offers a delightful complexity. While it’s drinking beautifully now, it’s also a wine that rewards patience, recommended for enjoying between 4 to 8 years from harvest — perfect for opening one bottle today and saving another for a future celebration.

From the Vine to Your Glass

The grapes for this exceptional wine are grown in the mountainous vineyards of Israel’s Upper Galilee and Golan Heights, where basaltic and terra rossa soils over limestone create ideal conditions for viticulture. These soils, combined with warm days, cool nights, and low humidity, allow for slow ripening — resulting in grapes rich in color, flavor, and aroma.

After careful harvesting and fermentation, the wine is aged in oak barrels for 18 months, contributing to its depth and elegance. It’s no surprise that the Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon has been a consistent award-winner across multiple vintages.

A Winery Steeped in History

Binyamina Winery’s story began in 1952, when Joseph Zeltzer, a skilled winemaker from Hungary, established a winery in what was then the heart of Israel’s wine producing area – the Binyamina area.

Interestingly, Zeltzer’s winery was a “start-up” that operated within a former perfume factory. The factory had opened in 1925 but quickly went out of business. Zelter took over the abandoned site and used to make his wine. He named the winery Eliaz, in memory of his son who fell in battle during Israel’s War of Independence.

In its early days, Zeltzer’s winery focused on sweet wines and simple table wines. It operated under the Carmel Co-op — as all wineries were required to do at the time. It wasn’t until Prime Minister David Ben Gurion made the landmark decision to open the market to independent wineries that things changed. Zeltzer was then able to pioneer a new era of winemaking in Israel by becoming the first independent winery to emerge under the new law.

A Legacy of Excellence

Ownership of the winery has changed hands several times over the years — from bankers and realtors to film producers and private investors — however, the commitment to quality and innovation has remained unwavering. The winery was eventually renamed Binyamina, in honor of its founding location.

Today, Binyamina Winery continues to thrive, thanks to significant investment in vineyards, equipment, and talent. Under the leadership of Chief Winemaker Yonathan Schotts, who was educated in Italy and has trained at renowned wineries worldwide, Binyamina sources grapes from Israel’s best growing regions while remaining rooted in its historic hometown.

So, if you’re looking to add something special to your table, Binyamina Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is a bottle well worth discovering — a wine that reflects Israel’s rich winemaking heritage and modern craftsmanship.

Binyamina Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 can be found at most wine shops, including Bottle King, where it is currently on sale.

**Update: Ido Lewinsohn has been replaced as Chief Wine Maker at Barkan by Olivier Frati. Mr. Frati was appointed in 2024, and came from an 18 year career at Teperberg.