I’ve really been enjoying the Wine Enthusiast lately. They’ve got some of the best coverage from a mainstream wine magazine of Israeli wine representing where the Israeli wine market is today. Particularly, I should add, on their social media channels.

So, I was pleased to see a blog post dispelling the famous kosher wine myth in the post “It’s Israeli Wine … Not Just Kosher“.

But why then, I wonder, when you say the word “Israeli wine” to most people, do they automatically retort, “Oh, Kosher wine? Like Manischewitz?” Why have so many people not explored the wines of the country as a whole, delegating the offerings only to when specific holidays arise where Kosher wine is required? There are not many areas of the industry that define a wine by the technique in which it was made as opposed to the place from which it came.

It’s a tricky segment of the industry that has its pros and cons. On one side, of course Israeli winemakers want to be known as producing world-class wines, not just Kosher wines, that could stand proudly next to some of the most established and sought-after wines. On the other hand, they certainly are not too quick to dismiss or even downplay the fact that their wines are Kosher, as they know they have a dedicated base that constantly relies on their product for religious purposes and would not want to detract from that consumer group. So, the question is how to get the best of both worlds.

“We’re far from defining what Israeli wine is,” notes Shatsberg. “It’s a long process. We’re now defining where we want to go. A major change occurred when the industry stabilized, making good industrial wine without flaws… now we have to make it significant. People are more exposed and demand better; the audience has a major role in creating the way for the industry.”

And indeed, the wines keep getting better and better, and hopefully one day people will understand the true merit of Israeli wine without regard to its religious affiliation.