2nd Annual Regional Wine Festival This Week in Zichron Ya’acov

The Second Annual Regional Winefest: Wine and Plenty

celebrating the wines of the Greater Zichron Ya’acov & Binyamina 

“Israel’s First Modern Wine Region”

is being held at the majestic

Memorial Gardens of Ramat Hanadiv, Zichron Ya’acov

Israel’s largest private park maintained by the Rothschild family

25-26 March 2015, from 6-11 PM (18-23:00)

2nd Annual Ramat Hanadiv Wine & Plenty Festival in Zichron Ya’acov

Come and rejoice in

Baron Edmond de Rothschild’s Dream Becoming a Reality:

Agriculture, Fine Wines, Sustainability and Regional Prosperity

The second Israeli Wine Fest at Ramat Hanadiv (after all its not annual until you have a second year) is scheduled for the evenings of the 25th and 26th March, 2015. The event will showcase dozens of  local vineyards and wineries, farms and olive plantations from surrounding areas of Israel, including  Mt. Carmel and Hanadiv Valley region, the Jezreel Valley,  and the ‘Baron de Rothschild’s settlements’: Zichron Ya’acov, Binyamina-Givat Ada, Emek Alona and Emek Hefer.

Ruti Ben Israel, sommelier and proprietor of ‘Wine and Plenty’ ( ‘Eretz Kramim v’Ta’amim’), came up with the idea for the first regional WineFest, held last year at Ramat Hanadiv. This year,the  Ramat Hanadiv’s park management team will be active partners and leaders of the festival.

WineFest’s Goals:

• To provide a personal opportunity for visitors and regional winemakers, growers, and farmers to become acquainted in an elegant, relaxed atmosphere.
• To commemorate the Baron de Rothschild and demonstrate how his vision for the area has been realized.
• To promote the region’s branding as a tourism gem, highlighting its locally-produced olive oil and other outstanding culinary products.
• To recreate that ‘good old-fashioned taste’ and foster partnerships that can promote the region’s tourism potential.

Few events are held in the magnificent surroundings of the Memorial Gardens, where the Baron de Rothschild and his wife Adelheid are buried but since local wines and agriculture were causes he embraced , it seemed only fitting for the festival to be an exception to honor his dedication to the region.

As they did last year, visitors to the upcoming WineFest will savour the inimitable ambiance of the Memorial Gardens as well as samples of Israel’s marvelous wines, olive oils, and other locally produced treats. Growers and manufacturers will be on hand to discuss their products, and every guest will receive a wine-tasting goblet with its own carrying case as well as a tourism map of the region.

Visitors will be invited to stroll through the expansive gardens and their various displays, and to view the art exhibit Full-Bodied, curated for the festival by Aya Bernhard. Binymina Wineries, the sponsors of the exhibition, provided the artists with bottles and other materials from the winery for use in their works, created specially for this show.

For those seeking further inspiration, there will be a purpose-built ‘Library’  devoted to books about wine and cuisine; some of their authors will be waiting to sign copies purchased on the spot. And speaking of food, the culinary arena, set up in the Amphitheatre and led by the Ben-Israel family, will feature tempting samples of food and drink from regional kitchens, along with tales of wine and tasting workshops.  The live music of the Lay Z Gordon Starting Five will serve as a backdrop to the entire festival.

The roster of vintners and wineries participating in the Winefest includes both well-known names and newer ones on the scene, among them: Somek; Shfeyah; Carmel; Binyamina; Tishbi; Vitkin; Arens; Asambia Vineyards and Wine; Shirom; Reuven; Alona; Eyal; Argov; Vortman; HaRo’eh; Gazit; Shoshana; Mifzar Atlit; Dadah; Simon, Recanati; Maya, and Sadot; and special guests, the Montefiore Winery.

Other displays will feature a range of companies selling their fine food products, such as Jacobs Dairy (cheeses); Mata’im Restaurant (hors d’oeuvres); Beth-El Food, Ltd.; Baronita Restaurant (take-away portions);  Tishbi Winery’s BBQ Garage (meat specialties); Safra Winery (strawberries and wine at Ruach Shtut’s stand); The Passionfruit Man; Masik magal  olive oil and diverse of Herbs and Spices from  The Roots of Spicy Way(derech-hatavlinim).

There will also be booths showcasing cosmetics made of grapes; vinotherapy from the Yama Wine Spa; and products to complement wine, from Tami Savyon of Yesh Meyein.

To be held about a week before the festival of Passover, the WineFest will be a wonderful opportunity to purchase — at reduced prices, of course — the wines and complementary products on display.

For further information, check the Winefest’s website: http://wine.carmelim.org.il/

Tickets purchased in advance are NIS 80 per person; NIS 150 per couple. For advance sales, go to: https://tixwise.co.il /cramim2015.

It will also be possible to buy tickets that include train transportation to/from Tel Aviv and Haifa.  The price of a single entry ticket, including transportation to/from Arlozorov Train Station, Tel Aviv, is NIS 125. (available only by advance purchase). The price of a single entry, including transport to/from Hof HaCarmel Train Station in Haifa, is NIS 110 (available only by advance purchase).

Tickets purchased at the gates on the day of the festival will cost NIS 90.