The wine market is crowded. New and/or small producers need to be tactical to gain, or maintain, a foothold in the face of strong competition. Wineries pursue many angles: quality, price point, market segment, amusing labels, natural winemaking, organic growing, cultivating influential sommeliers… Recanati Winery in Israel took yet a different approach.

From the outset in 2000, founders Lenny Recanati and Uri Shaked wanted to make high-quality wine which could sell not just in Israel, or to people needing kosher wine, but to wine enthusiasts of all stripes. But achieving that kind of recognition from Israel—not a growing region top of mind to many wine drinkers—with widely produced, international varieties would be more than a challenge.

Recanati Winery pursued that path in the beginning. They worked to find excellent sites in Israel growing the most sought-after varieties and honed their winemaking techniques. But something more was necessary to separate Recanati from the thousands of wineries around the world doing the same thing.

Wine from Heritage Grapes of Israel

In 2007, Recanati Winery found their niche. Alongside famous varietals, they now make wines from varieties native to Israel. They began with Marawi, which has grown in Israel for at least 3,000 years but had not been used in a serious, commercial wine in the modern era. I met with Lenny and winemaker Gil Shatsberg over lunch in San Francisco to learn more, and to taste through a number of the Recanati wines.

Shatsberg joined Recanati Winery in 2006 and has been head winemaker since 2011. He brought extensive experience, having graduated from UC Davis and worked in Napa and Sonoma, including at Trefethen and Jordan. as well as other wineries in Israel. He’d also co-founded Israel’s Amphorae Winery in 2000.

Recanati Winery is based in Israel’s Hefer Valley, in the Upper Galilee. Their location is a high-altitude, coastal zone roughly midway between the cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa. The climate is Mediterranean and somewhat similar to coastal California with warm to hot days and cool evenings. At altitude, winter can bring snow. Recanati Winery also uses fruit from other growing areas. [Israeli law prohibits ownership of agricultural land, so growers hold vineyards with long-term leases that include (expensive) water rights.]

A Sampling of Recanati Winery Current Releases

All Recanati wines are certified Kosher. The prices below are estimates. Recanati is distributed in the United States by Palm Bay International.

2017 Recanati Rosé Galilee, Israel 88 11.5% 750ml $15

This rosé is a blend of 80% Barbara direct-press juice and 20% saignée of Merlot, yielding a juicy, medium-bodied wine with deep coral color and a very fine texture. Aromas and flavor include tart raspberry, strawberry and mineral.

2016 Recanati Marawi Reserve, Judea Hills, Israel 89 12.5% 750ml $40

This wine is 100% Marawi from 30-year old, dry-farmed vines at 2,600 in Palesine’s Judea Hills. The vines are pergola-trained, protecting the grapes from direct sunlight.

Marawi is a white, vitis vinifera grape, also known as Hamdani. There’s evidence Marawi wines were made in Biblical times. When the Ottoman Empire ultimately took hold, making and drinking wine was generally disallowed. The vines survived though, their fruit being used as table grapes. These ancient vineyards are held by a handful of Palestinian faming families, from whom Recanati buys the fruit.

The wine is light lemon in color with subtle aromas of chalk and lemon. The gently mouthwatering palate has medium-plus body with flavors of salty mineral, lemon pith and lees. As with many, Mediterranean coastal whites, it will match well with risotto or fresh seafood.

2016 Recanati Special Reserve White Upper Galilee, Israel 90+ 12.5% 750ml $40

This relaxed and satisfying blend of 60% Roussanne and 40% Marsanne, aged eight months sur lie in French oak barrels. It features stone fruit, honeyed almond, lemon and white flowers. It’s full-bodied and juicy with very fine texture and a lengthy finish.

2016 Recanati Bittuni 89 Judean Hills – Bethlehem, Israel 12.0% 750ml $40

Another rare, vitis vinifera variety with thousands of years’ history in the region, Bittuni was nearly extinct until recently. Growers are now propagating it with cuttings from the few vines which had remained. The vines are grown without irrigation in a pergola fashion, known locally as Hebron Overhead Arbor.

Bittuni is quite tannic by nature. Recanati used 20% whole cluster fruit and a very short fermentation to minimize extraction. It aged six months in one-year old Burgundy barrels. It’s deep ruby-purple in the glass with aromas of blackberry, blueberry, dark red cherry, smoke and earthy spice. The palate is medium-bodied with moderate, very fine tannins, and a savory bent which echoes the nose and emphasizes earthy, dark mineral. It reminds me of a savory German or Austrian Pinot Noir and, perhaps surprisingly, paired well with Brie cheese.

2014 Recanati Reserve Petite Sirah Jezeel Valley, Upper Galilee, Israel 91 13.5% 750ml $25

The climate of Israel strikes me as a good fit for Petite Sirah. This 100% varietal certainly supports that notion. It’s opaque purple in the glass and with classic Petite Sirah aromas of blackberry, dark mineral, dry brush and five-spice. The savory palate has medium-plus body with plenty of fine, somewhat firm tannins. There’s good concentration to the earthy spice and blackberry jam flavors, accented subtly by wood.

2016 Recanati Reserve Marselan Upper Galilee, Israel 89 14.5% 750ml $50

Marselan isn’t a common grape, but it’s not another Israeli heritage variety. It is a cross of Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache Noir, created by a French researcher in 1961. The name comes from a small town in Languedoc. Marselan didn’t have the yields it’s creator hoped for, so it was shelved. However, now that wines made from low-yielding vines are finding a place in the market and there’s a thirst for the unusual, plantings are on the rise in a several countries.

The Recanati Reserve Marselan has dark purple color with aromas and flavors of dark fruit, mint, wood and spice. Body is medium-plus with copious tannins that are fine-grained, chalky and firm. When I tasted this wine, the aromas and flavors were somewhat muted. I suspect decanting or bottle age will result in a more outgoing personality.

2014 Recanati Reserve Wild Carignan Judea Hills, Israel 89 13.3% 750ml $40

Dark purple with reserved dark berry aromas. There’s greater intensity on the savory-leaning palate with flavors of purple berries and plum, dry herb, and spice. Body is medium-plus with plenty of fine-grained tannins. Made entirely from dry-farmed Carignan and without any semi-carbonic maceration. 

2014 Recanati Special Reserve Red Judean Hills, Israel 92 14.0% 750ml $45

The Recanait Special Reserve is an eight-barrel lot made in the best years by blending several varieties in varying amounts to achieve a house style. This vintage includes Cabernet Sauvignon (30%), Syrah (30%), Petite Sirah (17%), Carginan (13%) and Marselan (10%). It aged 20+ months in new, French oak barrels.

Opaque purple in the glass with aromas and flavors of black fruit, oak and dark mineral. It’s full-bodied with loads of fine-grained and chalky tannins, nearly balance by acidity. Engaging now, but built for aging. Best 2020-2030.

Copyright Fred Swan 2018. Photos courtesy of Recanati Winery. All rights reserved.

SaveSave

SaveSave