There is a long history of wine flowing throughout Israel. The story begins with Moses who sent twelve spies across the river to explore the Promised Land. As the story is told, two of the spies returned with a cluster of grapes and those grapes yielded enough wine to last the people for their forty years wandering in the desert.

Israel used to offer only sweet, syrupy wine utilized primarily for ceremonial purposes. The wine culture dramatically changed after the 1970’s when experts discovered that the soil and climate of the newly-captured Golan Heights was ideal for cultivating grapes. Vines were planted, and in 1983 the first wines produced in the Golan Heights were released to the public. Some of the famous wineries that can be found throughout Israel are located in Rishon Lezion, Zichron Ya’acov, Castel and Tzora.

For your next trip to the Holy Land, don’t miss the chance to experience the best wine Israel has to offer, when customizing your next program, ask your ARZA World program specialist about incorporating a private visit to a boutique vineyard in Israel.