If you have read any of my past wine columns since October 7, 2023, you know that I am in close touch with many winemakers in Israel and am trying to support them however I can by recommending their wines, which have been made with increasing difficulty over the past year. Over the last 14 difficult months, our team at the Jewish Link Wine Guide has tried to communicate the importance to kosher-keeping Jews who regularly buy wine to prioritize their shopping dollars to wines made in the Eretz Yisrael.

Wines from Dalton, Recanati, Tabernacle and Adir, all located less than 10 kilometers from Israel’s border with Lebanon on the Golan Heights, are wines I strongly recommend across the board. I also recommend wines from Golan Heights Winery/Yarden as they are also excellent wines across all price points and categories.

Don’t forget to support wines from the Lower Galilee region as well, which have seen many rockets and a lot of issues with staff availability; these include Jezreel Valley, Vitkin and Netofa.

Wines from Central Israel, including Drimia, Yatir, Agur and Psagot, are also deeply affected by the war and by much of their staff being called to serve and protect our nation. Many other wineries in Central Israel such as Shiloh, Gvaot, Flam and Tura have also been gravely affected by the downturn in tourism and the scarcity of migrant workers. There are certainly more wineries than I have mentioned which have also been profoundly affected and I am happy to recommend as many as I am able to taste.

These recommended bottles below will make wonderful gifts, with special emphasis on the first three commemorative bottles following the October 7 massacre:

Psagot 7.10 ($39.99), which is a commemorative bottle of red wine with the names of the kibbutzim that lost residents on October 7. The dry red wine, from 2023, is a blend of 40% cabernet, 40% petit verdot and 20% shiraz, which makes it exceedingly similar to Psagot Sinai, which many people know well and enjoy. Psagot has had a difficult year, with CEO Yaakov Berg away for many months serving in Gaza. This is a limited edition bottle that is virtually sold out. Most stores only received three cases.

“Oz” by Drimia ($39.99): This is also a memorial bottle for the 10 fellow soldiers who winemaker Elad Movshovitz lost on October 7. Their names are printed on the bottle. Movshovitz, a warrior in a special unit, has been away from home for much of this past year, and his winery has both been inspired by his service and suffered from his absence. This is a tart red raspberry and berry-forward wine with lovely warm viscosity and some spicy notes. It is made of 100% shiraz. It is a limited bottle which is sure to sell out.

Drimia is located in Susya in the Judean Hills near Hebron, which is why Drimia’s special wine Susya 2023 by Drimia (*on sale at FillerUp Wines for $29.99/regular price $39.99*). The wine is produced with 40% cabernet sauvignon, 33% petit verdot and 27% shiraz. It’s a fruit burst of fresh cherry and dark berry, very aromatic of blossom and grassy earthy notes. It has a nice long finish and is very young; it would be ideal to age this wine for several years.

Recanati Wild Carignan 2021 ($50) is one of the best examples of Israel carignan wines made from one of Israel’s most traditional and interesting grapes. These particular grapes, from the Judean Hills, are grown on dry-farmed vines which are head-trained in the goblet style. It has notes of blackberry and a finishing essence of dark chocolate and spice, which keeps you heading back for more. This wine is minimally filtered and is “rugged, unadorned and deeply rooted in the land of Israel.”

Recanati Syrah 2023 ($19.99) is also one of Israel’s most acclaimed syrah wines for one of the lowest prices. Spicy, warm and delicate all at the same time, this wine has an aroma of fresh raspberry and red plum, smooth tannins and a lengthy finish. It is made from hand-picked grapes and aged for six months in French oak barrels. This wine is special and with its extreme affordability, is sure to sell out.

Dalton Estate Unoaked Chardonnay ($21.99) is a wine I have written about before, but I haven’t tried for several years. After trying it again recently, I found it to be a perfectly balanced, beautifully citrusy white wine that delights with every sip. As with the entire Dalton Estate line, these wines are priced well and punch well above their price point, every time. I also love the Dalton Estate Merlot and I have written about the Dalton Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (mevushal) repeatedly, as it is one of the best available mevushal red wines from Israel.

Adir Kerem ben Zimra Sauvignon Blanc 2023 ($31.99) is fresh and fruity, with aromas of lemon, grapefruit and lime. It’s been one of my favorite wines of this past summer. It’s mevushal so it’s an effortless wine to break out for Chanukah parties. This is sure to delight white wine lovers.

Tabernacle Winery Pa’amon 2020: This an intriguing blend of 70% cabernet sauvignon and 30% malbec, and aged in French oak for 10 months. It’s a high-alcohol wine at 15% alcohol, so decant it in advance of kiddush or pour a little into a glass to coax the best fruit and spice notes out of it. It has notes of blackberry, bramble and blueberry. Available at The Vineyard for $21.99. Tabernacle’s reserve series cabernet sauvignon and syrah are also available at FillerUp for $35.99 and $34.99, respectively.

Tura Ridge 2023 ($22.99) is truly an overall winner for me among all the wines I’ve tasted in 2024. I tasted this blend with Tura’s owner, Vered Ben-Saadon, a couple of weeks ago and was instantly compelled to buy half a dozen bottles to give to friends and colleagues for Thanksgiving. This is a unique blend of estate-grown dolcetto and marselan, which I have never tried in combination before, though I have previously loved every Israeli marselan I’ve tried. Dolcetto is an Italian grape that is lighter and sort of like the grenache or gamay grape, famous for seasonal red wines made in Beaujolais. The result is pure fruit essence of raspberry, blackberry and blossom. This is not a heavy or viscous wine, it’s just light, easy to drink and delightful. It’s perfect as an aperitif before dinner or to pair with light foods.