With over forty wineries in attendance hailing from ten different countries worldwide, Israel kicked off the summer of 2012 by hosting the Red White Nights Wine Festival in Tel Aviv. This four night international event held at the Eretz Israel Museum brought together major wine players, all divided into seven different regional compounds featuring wines from Italy, Spain, Israel, Chile-Argentina, France, New World (USA, South Africa, Australia and New Zeland), and the ‘Sweet Nights’ compound. The multi-sensory festival offered a huge variety of wines, food stands and live performances that was aimed to celebrate and unite the international wine lovers of Tel Aviv.
It was only natural to gravitate to the South American compound, to check out the Argentine and Chilean wine selection. First stop: Catena Zapata of Argentina.
A great way to start the night, Catena Zapata was there with two Alamos Malbecs and from Bodega Esmeralda, a Catena family winery in eastern Mendoza, the Tilia Malbec-Syrah 2011 and Torrontés 2010.
On to some more familiar Argentine and Chilean faces, Trapiche and Santa Carolina.
One of Trapiche’s best selling wines, the Trapiche Varietals line, they served the Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 which was a smooth and savory wine with black currant and herb aromas and an oaky fruity taste. The Trapiche Oak Cask Malbec had striking intense red and violet hues, blackberries and plums in the nose and a velvety smooth texture.
Vino Latino, the “Friendly Wine Outlet,” distributes other South American favorites from wineries like Viña Undurraga in Chile and Casa Bianchi in Argentina.
The Elsa Bianchi Chardonnay 2011 had a bright, crisp honey-lemon flavor, exactly what you’d want to drink on a hot Mediterranean night.
Sticking in the South American compound, Concha y Toro‘s Casillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 was recently named the ‘Finest Value Cabernet on the Planet‘ worldwide among other recognitions.
Despite hanging out for the majority of the night in the familiar South American compound, there were some very interesting Israeli wines quite worthy of checking out. Out of the many wines tasted, Tulip Winery, a rising star in the Israeli wine world, had probably the most unique wine story. A boutique winery, Tulip not only is known for their production of high quality wines, but also for their contributions to the community. The winery is located in a small village called Kfar Tikva, which means “Village of Hope,” and is a community settlement for people with special needs, providing employment so that the members of the community can also develop their skills and realize their potential.
A wonderful event, there seemed to be an overall excitement and enthusiasm in the air both from local up-and-coming wine makers and wineries and from Israeli wine drinkers who sought out to try new wines and learn about wines from across the world.