Binyamina Reserve Chardonnay Unoaked 2008

After the resounding success of our limited edition Binyamina Reserve Chardonnay Unoaked 2007, we decided to the increase the quantity of this unoaked Reserve Chardonnay for the local market, and are currently releasing the 2008 vintage of this wine.

Much has been written about Chardonnay and, as one of the most popular varieties in Israel, we are exposed to many different wines of this variety. It sometimes seems that it would be hard to stand out among the profusion of Chardonnays weighing down the shelves frequented by wine buffs.

When describing unoaked Chardonnay, and even expounding its greatness, we all expect it to contain the features typical of the variety. But when the barrel is taken out of the equation, we discover a new array of flavors and aromas that may be misleading during a blind tasting. What we are left with is a pleasantly surprising, pleasant and exciting naked Chardonnay.

We invite you to come out of the woods and to recapture Chardonnay’s natural delights.

The wine is marketed under the Binyamina Reserve label in a bottle with a screw-top. We are offering you the best product under the conditions that suit it best.

About the Wine

An Afro-Israeli Wine – Teva Pinotage 2008

Pinotage is the grape variety most associated with South Africa. In fact it is a crossbreed created in 1925 by Professor Abraham Perold from Stellenbosch University. Perold created a hybrid between the noble and but hard-to-grow Pinot Noir and the robust Cinsault, which is easy to cultivate and has a high crop yield. In the Cape of Good Hope the Cinsault is known as Hermitage, hence the portmanteau name given to the new variety: Pinotage.

Although is highly identified with South Africa, Pinotage is now also grown in neighboring Zimbabwe, in New Zealand, in small amounts in California, and in Israel. The grape’s relatively thick skin makes it more resistant to rot caused mainly by the kind of humid climate we are familiar with in Israel.

Binyamina Winery grows its Pinotage grapes in a vineyard planted in 2002 at the foot of the Jerusalem Mountains, at an elevation of about 350 meters above sea level. The grey rendzina soil in this region, which has a high rainwater retention capacity and requires less irrigation, and its exposure to the sun, creates optimal conditions for the cultivation of Pinotage grapes. The winery also has several young vineyards, planted in the summer of 2005, in the region of Moshav Amatzia in the south.

Pinotage wines may be young, light and fruity, full-bodied and rich in flavors and aromas reminiscent of Rhône Valley wines or elegant and restrained with aging capabilities similar to those of the well-known Bordeaux wines.    

With Pinotage wines we can mainly look forward to a rich deep layer of flavors and a unique fruity and invigorating character. Some tasters will identify banana flavors while others will savor the velvety texture of forest berries.

As this variety is relatively new and the palate is not as accustomed to it as it is to more familiar varieties, each bottle of Pinotage wine guarantees an adventurous and bracing experience.

Since Binyamina Winery aspires to be innovative and daring, in recent years we have created several unique wines from a range of less familiar varieties such as Tempranillo, Viognier and others. We are particularly proud of this wine – Pinotage produced under our Teva Label – which is reaping praise for the third consecutive year.