The Famous Wineries of Israel

The descendants of Sir Moses Montefiore established the Kerem Montefiore in Israel and a new winery that perpetuates Sir Moses love of wine and of Jerusalem.
A true mixture of historical roots and rich experience
in the wine industry.

Israeli Wineries

Sir Moses’ vision has without a doubt become a realization as today, a bottle of Israeli wine from the Kerem Montefiore Winery, founded by descendants of the British Montefiore, and, in commemoration of Sir Moses, can be enjoyed in British homes. Two wines from the Kerem Montefiore can be purchased in the Mayfair district of London at Hedonism which is classed as one of the world’s leading wine shops. And Hedonism is not alone as the wines are in top restaurants and hotels in Israel and 70% of the wines are sold abroad.

When the wines were launched in 2013, they relied mainly on the legacy of the philanthropist Montefiore and bottles were stamped with the family crest on a decorated label with the name “Jerusalem”. Although the Montefiore name intertwines with Israel’s history and past, there is a good chance that it will also have a part in the future of Israeli wines.

Sir Montefiore was born in Tuscany, lived in England and visited Israel on several occasions (his last visit was at the age of 91). At the age of 40 he took early retirement and decided to donate his time and energy to Judaism, charity and Israel. Montefiore’s vision was that Jews would work in agriculture, including planting vines and olive trees. Thus the earlier settlers of the late 19th century would be able to earn a de-cent living. There appears to be some credibility in his dream as Montefiore was a wine connoisseur who daily drank a bottle of wine and lived to the age of 101. He believed in his vision some 40 years before the founding of the modern wine industry by the Rothschild family.

The History of Wine in the Holy land

Sir Montefiore purchased land for agricultural use in Jaffa. This has since become known as the Montefiore Quarter of Tel Aviv. In Jerusa-lem he established the ‘Kerem Moshe Montefiore’ (Moses Montefiore’s vineyard), which later became known as ‘Mishkenot Sha’ananim’ and ‘Yemin Moshe’.

A Family history of thirty years in wine production
The continuity of the legacy of Sir Moses Montefiore continued when in 1989, one of his descendants, Adam Montefiore, together with his wife and children immigrated to Israel. Over the years Adam has devoted all his time and energy in the development and promotion of Israeli wine. He has been nicknamed the “Israeli Ambassador of Wine” and the “English voice of Israeli wine.”

Two of his children, David and Rachel Montefiore are founding partners of the new boutique winery which has rapidly become renowned and can be found in the menus of leading restaurants and hotels in Israel and sold in nine countries around the world.

They are the only Montefiore descendants of Sir Moses Montefiore who immigrated to Israel and have contributed to Israeli wine for 25 years. David Montefiore moved to Israel with his parents when he was six years old, served in the army and studied English literature at Tel Aviv University before entering the field of wine. He became a sommelier in some of the leading restaurants in Israel, worked for wineries in Australia and Spain and studied wines at the ‘WSET’ in London. He is currently in charge of wine culture at the Tabor Winery.

Rachel Montefiore was three years old at the time that her family made Aliyah. She served in the army and before she herself became enchanted by the wine industry, studied nutrition and Chinese medicine. Rachel enrolled in a course at the Wine Academy at Ramat Gan College and gained her experience whilst working at a wine shop and as a sommelier at a gourmet restaurant. She also gained experience in the marketing of Israeli wines. Today she is the winery’s marketing manager.

Arnon Geva is the founding partner and CEO. Arnon grew up in the “Yemin Moshe” neighborhood that overlooks the Montefiore Windmill in Jerusalem. Arnon was an initiator and partner of Castel Winery and held senior management positions in both the Carmel and Yatir wineries.

Sam Soroka is the winery’s winemaker and is considered one of the most senior and experienced winemakers in the country. He has been involved in winemaking in Australia, California, Canada, France and Israel. Together with the Montefiore siblings, Arnon Geva promoted the young winery with extraordinary speed, to its renowned position today. Their wines have already won impressive recognition.

Out with the Bombastic
The wines of Kerem Montefiore avoid the full bodied, bombastic style, preferring instead, wines with balance that are elegant, refreshing and blend excellently with food.
The Montefiore Red won a gold medal at the Eshkol Ha’Zahav Competition, and the white wine won a bronze medal in the same competition. The “Wine Enthusiast” gave Syrah a score of 90 points. Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate described the Montefiore Kerem Moshe wine as a graceful and harmonious wine and the white wine as refreshing, balanced and suitable for summer.

Near the windmill at Mishkenot Sha’ananim (not far from the hotel), they are currently working on establishing a wine tasting centre. The first wines come from the 2010 vintage which were produced to commemorate and celebrate the 150th anniversary of the founding of Mishkenot Sha’ananim by Sir Moses Montefiore.

According to Arnon Geva, who serves as CEO, this Israeli winery’s historical roots connect the modern Jerusalem with the ancient. He adds that they produce the wines according to two leading principles; firstly the vineyards must be in close proximity to Jerusalem in order to preserve the legacy of Sir Montefiore, and secondly using a variety of grapes that are especially suited to the Israeli climate and agricultural conditions of the Judean Hills.

The wines produced by Kerem Montefiore are innovative blends like Montefiore White, (made from Colombard, Chardonnay and Semillon grapes) and Montefiore Red (a blend of Malbec, Shiraz and Petite Sirah). There are three reserve, oak aged varietal wines: Montefiore Cabernet Sauvignon, Montefiore Syrah and Montefiore Petite Sirah. Finally Montefiore Kerem Moshe the winery’s flagship wine, is handcrafted and produced in limited quantities from Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Merlot and Malbec grapes. Each variety is fermented separately before blended to make up the wine.

Additionally, and faithful to the teaching of Sir Montefiore in cultivating olives and producing olive oil, “Montefiore Vineyard “ produces extra virgin olive oil from Souri and Nabali olives grown in the ancient olive groves on the way to Jerusalem, where some of the trees are hundreds of years old.

The vision of the winery founders is explained on their website (http://www.montefiorewines.net/). They say that as benefactors of Moses Montefiore, they continue his agricultural vision. They produce wines from premium vineyards on the slopes of the Judean hills, where vines have grown since the biblical period, and by selecting a range of grape varieties which are particularly suitable to the Israeli and Mediterranean climate.
Sir Moses Montefiore would surely open a bottle to celebrate and to show his approval of the new winery…

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