(The Following article is from wines-israel and reprinted with permission).

Mony Winery is a cocktail which beautifully illustrates the variety and complexity of Israeli wine. It is an estate winery situated at a monastery, owned by a Christian Israeli Arab family, producing kosher wines, from monastery owned vineyards, made by a Jewish Canadian winemaker!

The Artul family, from the village of Maghar in the Galilee, leased the vineyards from Dir Rafat Monastery in the 1980′s and opened a winery in 2000, named after Dr.Mony Artul, the deceased son of Shakib Artul. The first vintage was in 2002 and they reverted to producing kosher wines in 2005. The 650 dunams of vineyards in the Sorek Valley, include numerous plots, spread over the hills surrounding the monastery. Apart from its estate wines, Mony also produces a very good quality olive oil.

They have recently taken a big and praiseworthy step by employing an internationally trained winemaker. This is rare for a boutique winery in Israel. The winemaker is Sam Soroka, who is considered one of the best and most experienced winemakers in Israel. He graduated at Adelaide University, worked for Wynns in Coonawarra, South Australia, and for BRL Hardy in Western Australia and in the Languedoc, South of France. In California he worked for Charles Krug and in Canada for the Henry of Pelham Winery in Niagra. In 2003 he came to Israel, joined Carmel Winery, opening their boutique winery at Zichron, and was there for six years. In 2009 he joined Mony.

The Jerusalem Wine Festival gave an oppotunity to taste the 2009 wines, the first wines produced by Sam Soroka. It is a clear there has been a huge leap in quality and this has become a winery to watch. Not only that, but the labels have also been simplified and improved. The leading label is the Reserve wines, and Sunny Hills is the mid range offering value for money. Classic is the name the entry level wines will carry.

The new wines include:

Mony French Colombard 2009

A lemon fresh, zingy wine made from French Colombard. This is one of the only varietals from Colombard on the market and a reminder that it grows well in Israel’s hot climate. This is the perfect apertif wine, representing great value.

Mony Chardonnay Reserve 2009

Initially cold fermented in stainless steel tanks, this wine was then transferred to French oak barrels. This is a refreshing wine, with aromas of peach and melon, and excellent balancing acidity. A modern style Chardonnay, it is not too oaky and a good wine to accompany food.

Mony Syrah 2009

This Syrah has a deep purple color, with a nose of forest fruits and a hint of black pepper. It is full flavored, and ready to drink now.

It is a wine which shows the potential of Mony’s vineyards, under the expertise of a really good winemaker.

Mony Claret 2009

A Bordeaux style blend, made from 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 34% Petit Verdot. This wine is still quite tannic, closed and full bodied. Not ready to drink yet, but it already shows a nose of ripe blackcurrant fruit, cassis with a backdrop of vanilla. Given time and it may be the best Mony wine produced to date and wets the appetite for the Reserve reds to follow. The name ‘Claret’ is the slang used by the British for a red wine produced in Bordeaux.

Mony Muscats 2009

There are two aromatic Muscats, one white and the other red, produced respectively from Muscat of Alexandria and Muscat Hamburg grapes. These are both sweet, fresh, aromatic, but give an impression of being semi sweet because of the acidity. Grapey and refreshing, but they need to be served very cold.

Mony Winery is on the rise. Dir Rifat Monastery is situated off Route 38 near Beit Shemesh, and the Mony Winery may be found in friont of the monastery, after Tzora Kibbutz and Teperberg Winery. Well worth a visit.