One of the most "fun" annual wine festivals and an excellent opportunity to taste wines, tour wineries and talk with winemakers has traditionally been the festival of the Judean Hills. This year, the 12th in a successful series will start on 1 October and will consist of several major parts.

1. From 1 October and running through the end of the month, 25 wineries in the region, each with its own schedule will be opening its doors to visitors for meetings with winemakers, tours of the vineyards and tastings of their wines. Visits to the wineries will be free. To obtain a full schedule of which wineries will be open on which days telephone *8108.

2. Every Friday those who want to tour three wineries can take the train to Beit Shemesh or park in the parking lot of the railroad station and be taken on a bus tour, along with a professional guide, again to visit, talk and taste. The cost of the day will be a nominal NIS 50 per person. Reservations can be made by telephoning *8108.

3. The main event, at which each of the wineries involved will open and pour their wines will take place at the Leilot Canaan center at Kibbutz Tzora. That event will take place on Thursday, 28 October from 19:00 and on Friday 29 October from 10:00. I do not yet have information as to the cost of this event but am quite certain that it will be little more than symbolic. This is the first time the event has been held on the kibbutz, previously held in a lovely forest. I would guess that the reason for the change is related to the unseasonably heavy rain that fell last year.

Following is a list of the wineries participating and with their names, the number of stars those wineries were awarded in my 2010 Guide to Israeli Wines. Wineries that are kosher are noted with the letter "K". Note that several of the wineries that are now producing kosher wines have only recently made the switchover and may as well be serving their earlier non-kosher releases.

Agur K ***
Anatot **
Ben Hannah ***
Castel K *****
Ella Valley Vineyards ****
Flam *****
Hans Sternbach **
Katlav K ***
Katz *
Karmei Yosef (Bravdo) K ****
Kella David *
La Terra Promessa ***
Latroun *
Mony K ***
Nevo *
Nachshon **
Sea Horse ****
Soreq ***
Srigim **
Teperberg K ***
Tsfririm Not yet tasted
Tzora K ****
Tzuba K ****
Yehuda *


One special note: Even though enthusiasm is hard to come by for the wines of Latroun, I most heartily recommend visiting here as this monastery is one of the most physically charming and peaceful sites in all of the Middle-East, even the somewhat antiquated cellars offering enormous charm. Be aware that women are not allowed in parts of the monastery so be sure to check in at the visitor's center where wines can be tasted and tours arranged.

Those considering spending a night in the region – certainly one of the most physically lovely in the entire country will find more information about hotels, bed-and-breakfasts and restaurants both in Hebrew and English at

http://www.touryoav.org.il/

. As often I have done, if one wants to make a day trip by car to visit, a good bet will be to pack a fine picnic, to pick up wine at the wineries you visit, to find a restful place in the forests or vineyards.

Best
Rogov