Eastern Mediterranean

Question 1

Which winery was build by Rothschild’s using the cuttings from the Lafite vineyard in Israel?

Answer 1

Carmel - Mount Carmel - 1887.

Question 2

Name the earliest wineries of Israel.

Answer 2

• Carmel - 1887
• Golan Heights Winery - 1983
• Margalit - 1989
• Domaine du Castel - 1990’s

Question 3

What is Kosher Winemaking?

Answer 3

• Once harvested, grapes and wine are only to be handled by Sabbath-observing Jews.
• Wine making procedures cannot occur on the Sabbath.
• All additives, such as fining agents, yeasts, and even cleaning materials, must also be kosher certified.
• Growing other crops between vine rows is forbidden.
• Waiting until the fourth harvest of a new vineyard to make wine.
• Discarding of a percentage of each year’s wine in commemoration of tithing to the temple in Jerusalem.

Question 4

Name a few Kosher wine producers other than from Israel.

Answer 4

• Château Smith Haut Lafitte and Château Valandraud in Bordeaux.
• Château de la Tour in Burgundy.
• González Byass - Tío Pepe - Sherry.

Question 5

Name the red varietals of Israel.

Answer 5

Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Carignan and Argaman.

Question 6

Argaman is a cross between which grapes?

Answer 6

• Carignan X Souzão.

- 1972 by Pinchas Spiegel-Roy in Beit Dagan.

Question 7

Name the white varietals of Israel.

Answer 7

Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Riesling and Gewürztraminer.

Question 8

Emerald Riseling is a cross between which grapes?

Answer 8

Riesling X Muscadelle.

Question 9

Name a few indigenous grape varietals of Israel.

Answer 9

White - Marawi, Dabouki & Jandali

Red - Baladi Asmar, Argaman & Bittuni.

Question 10

Name the major wine producing regions of Israel.

Answer 10

• Galilee
• Golan Heights
• Galilee (upper & Lower)
• Shomron
• Central Mountains
• Judean Hills
• Samson
• Coastal Plain
• Judean Foothills
• Negev

Question 11

Name the sub-regions of Galilee.

Answer 11

• Upper Galilee

- Lower Galilee.

Question 12

What is the soil profile of Galilee?

Answer 12

• Limestone, Volcanic & Terra Rossa.

Question 13

Which mountain is located in lower Galilee?

Answer 13

Mount Tabor.

Question 14

When was Château Ksara established?

Answer 14

• 1857 by Jesuit missionaries.

Question 15

When was Domaine des Tourelles established?

Answer 15

• 1868 by François-Eugène Brun.

Question 16

Name the operational wineries of Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War in 1975.

Answer 16

• Château Ksara
• Château Musar
• Domaine des Tourelles
• Château Nakad

Question 17

Name the sub-regions of Lebanon.

Answer 17

• Bekaa Valley.

- Batroun.

Question 18

Where is Bekaa Valley located?

Answer 18

The Bekaa Valley rests between Mount Lebanon range & Anti-Lebanon Mountains, at roughly 900 to 1,000 meters in elevation.

Question 19

What is the soil profile of Bekaa Valley?

Answer 19

Alluvial.

Question 20

Which river flows through Bekaa Valley?

Answer 20

• River Litani

Question 21

Name the grape varieties of Lebanon.

Answer 21

White - Viognier, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, and Muscat.
Red - Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Carignan and Cinsault.

Question 22

Name a few indigenous varieties of Lebanon.

Answer 22

Obaideh and Merweh, both white, are Lebanon’s most notable indigenous varieties.

Question 23

What is Lebanese Arak?

Answer 23

An unsweetened grape-derived spirit. Arak undergoes multiple distillations (typically two to four), most traditionally in a Moorish copper still, with anise seed added before the final distillation. The spirit is then aged in cloth-covered clay amphorae.

Question 24

How is arak served?

Answer 24

Arak is typically cut with two parts water to one part spirit, which gives it a cloudy appearance, similar to absinthe when diluted.