#khoury winery

[eretzyisrael]

by Yisrael Medad

To create the impression that wine was produced in ancient times by a “Palestinian people” who were not Jewish is an act of identity erasure. To retroactively create an Arab people called “Palestinians” long engaged with growing grapes in the hills of Judea and Samaria while excluding the Jews engaging in that very same activity is a crime of identity theft.

Asimov then writes that Khoury “was one of the very few winemakers working in the region before the October 7 attacks,” and informs his readers that “winemaking is not widely practiced today in the West Bank.” There are over two dozen wineries active in Judea and Samaria. Many of them, such as Shiloh Winery, Psagot Winery, and Tura Winery produce wines that have garnered international recognition. Various online sites, like KosherWines.com, list over 50 different wines made from the region’s grapes. Millions of bottles have been produced, with many going for export.

However, as those wineries are owned by Jews, Asimov totally ignores them. Even in passing, they are not even mentioned by the newspaper of record. The reader, drunk on the propaganda, is left with an erroneous and biased impression

Before Israel was established, during the mandate period and even before, if “Palestine wines” were talked about, the reference was to Jewish wines. In 1848, Yitchak Shorr established a winery in Jerusalem, the first one documented in modern times. In 1882, French Baron Edmond de Rothschild assisted in the establishment of the Carmel Winery which still produces wine.

Asimov facilitated the grafting of ancient Jewish winemaking onto a theft by self-declared “Palestinians” of that aspect of Jewish history, falsely claiming indigeneity. Not only do Asimov and his publication peddle false assertions but, given both their statures, who would or could deny their truth? This is deceptive emplotment.

Incidentally, olive trees are an instrument of ethnic erasure, too. In an article on political ecology, “Olive Oil and the Tastes of Palestine,” Omar Qassis acrobatically avoids the Jewish demographic and horticulture character of the Land of Israel. In his very brief mention of the history of olive tree cultivation here, Cassis leaps from the early Bronze Age to the mid-19th-century Ottoman Tanzimat reforms; no Jews.

Numerous mentions of olive oil in the Tanach, oil for anointing kings and priests, and oil for the rekindling of the candelabrum which marks the upcoming Hanukkah holiday are wiped clean.

While Asimov’s uncle’s name [writer Isaac Asimov] is linked to science fiction, Eric has produced unworthy political anti-Zionist propaganda.

[scubapoet]

Napa Parabola - Firestone Walker 11.3% ABV #beer #wine #barrelaged #stout The description reads “... Russian imperial stout matured in French oak wine barrels from one of Napa Valley’s most prestigious cult wineries.” Can you be both prestigious & cult? (at Khoury's Fine Wine and Spirits) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0JydhqHoW-/?igshid=vimad9r6g7he

[nearmiddleeastnewsservice]

(Une sélection des meilleurs vins en Méditerranée de l’Est)

Greece

Agiorgitiko: This grape produces lush, velvety reds with black-cherry flavors.

Agiorgitiko, which is the most widely planted grape in Greece, is most easily comparable to Cabernet Sauvignon, as it has similar dark fruit flavors of prunes and plums, and the same heavy tannins that dry your mouth out and beg for the wine to be drunk alongside meat. It’s also due to this similarity that you can often find the two grapes blended together. It’s a powerful and bold red wine that fans of this style will love, which is what makes it go so well with the heavier meat dishes.

Turkey

Öküzgözü: is a grape variety and a Turkish wine produced from this grape. “It’s called ‘bull’s eye’ because it’s a big, round, dark grape.

The grape is one of the two native grape varieties of Elazığ province, located on the Anatolian plateau at the north of the Taurus Mountains. Öküzgözü makes bright, fruit-driven red wines. These grapes make a full-bodied, intense red wine that marries well with food and can benefit from time spent in cellar.

Lebanon

Ixsir red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon Variety):Plenty of fruit with licquorice on the finish – and yet, it is dry with elegance, enveloped in fine, soft oak, and finishing very long.

This (unusual) red blend of Caladoc, Syrah, Tempranillo made with the help of St-Emilion’s Hubert de Boüard (of Ch��teau Angélus) from vines grown at an altitude of 1,000 metres is refined and elegant, a pronounced streak of freshness giving verve and definition to the blackcurrant fruit, while the tannins are polished to a fine sheen. 90/100: The Wine Gang

Egypt

According to the Oxford Companion to Wine, today Egypt produces about half a million gallons of wine a year (about as much as England). This is a remarkable amount of wine, especially considering that 75% of Egypt’s population are (mostly) non-drinking Muslims.

There are only a very few modern Egyptian wines in production. Egypt’s climate is simply too hot and dry to support viticulture on any scale. Although vines are famously fond of dry conditions, they need a certain amount of water for respiration and photosynthesis. Beyond that, water makes up a significant part of the grapes which are, after all, the entire point of viticulture. The famously fertile Nile Delta (one of the world’s largest river deltas) is the only part of Egypt where viticulture is a practical enterprise. The delta is formed as the Nile River fans out before draining into the Mediterranean. It stretches westwards along the coast from Port Said to Alexandria (home of the Muscat of Alexandria grape), and thus benefits from the cooling effects of the nearby sea.

Grand Marquis: This wine needs food like red meats because of its power.

Sometimes sweet or simple red , smooth, easy, middle of the road, clear, vanilla, silky, short finish, well integrated, diluted like a Crystal Light packet, blackberry jam, Egyptian version of table wine, low sugar, low tannins.

Cyprus

Marathevtiko: its grapes can give rich wines with soft tannins and aromas of cherries and black chocolate. With proper care it offers an excellent wine with great body, intense color and a pleasant bouquet. The characteristics of this wine rank it among the most high-quality varieties of our country with prospects of development. Specifically, it is characterized by a scent of freshly cut grass, vanilla,  berries and wood.

Maratheftiko does not have hermaphrodite flowers like many cultivated grape varieties and requires co-planting with other varieties in order to achieve fertilisation and fruit development. This exceptional variety was grown amongst other grape varieties and was used in winemaking only to improve the colour and body of wines made from the local Mavro. Maratheftiko still represents only 3% of cultivated vineyards on the island but has become extremely popular among Cypriot winemakers and wine enthusiasts.

Palestine

Taybeh wine.(source)

Nadim Khoury, a Palestinian who is known for establishing Taybeh Brewery, has also opened a winery in the West Bank Christian majority village of Taybeh. Using 21 indigenous varieties of grapes, the wines produced were quick to gain visitors’ praise.Khoury admits that Israeli restrictions has made it difficult to do business, his shipments for example, including his wine-making equipment, have been delayed because of Israeli checkpoint inspections.The family behind the wine and beer says they are carrying out “peaceful resistance” by investing in their homeland and staying put.A wine festival is now held annually in the town.

Nadim Cabernet Sauvignon is a full-bodied, elegant and complex wine that exhibits flavors of local spices and ripe cherry. Its equilibrated acidity and persistent tannins allow this wine to age effortlessly for years. Nadim Merlot is a well-balanced, medium-bodied and aromatic wine. The nose and palate exhibit intense aromas of fresh herbs combined with hints of cherry and a background of earth. Its maturity and smooth tannins allows for immediate enjoyment of this wine.

  The Taybeh Vinfest, #WestBank – Turning water into wine. https://t.co/bObDzfgjuW #Palestine pic.twitter.com/w7fndRCCqa

— QantaraEN (@QantaraEN) 18 novembre 2016

A selection of the best wines in the Eastern Mediterranean. (Une sélection des meilleurs vins en Méditerranée de l'Est) Greece Agiorgitiko: This grape produces lush, velvety reds with black-cherry flavors.

[johnboothus]

How a West Bank Brewery Is Building Bridges Between Israeli and Palestinian Beer Enthusiasts

The Khoury family is used to breaking barriers. They’re a Christian family in Palestine’s overwhelmingly Muslim West Bank, where alcohol is forbidden according to Islamic law. They’re Palestinian-American, citizens of both countries. And in 1994, husband and wife Nadim and Suheir Khoury moved back to their home village to help build the Palestinian economy by opening a brewery. Taybeh Brewery opened that same year. It was the first microbrewery in Palestine, and today remains one of a small handful in the Middle East.

While the family is breaking barriers, it’s also building bridges. The brewery is helmed by Nadim and Suheir’s daughter, Madees Khoury, who heads production of 1.8 million bottles of beer annually. And although Israeli-Palestinian talks have fizzled and an independent state does not seem likely, Taybeh sells about half its beer to local restaurants and shops in the West Bank, and another portion in Jerusalem — both Jewish East Jerusalem, and predominantly Arab West Jerusalem. (The rest is exported abroad, mainly to Europe, and some to Japan.)

The brewery may be fulfilling the family dream to help the Palestinian economy, but it’s also helping connect Israeli and Palestinian beer drinkers.

On an afternoon last fall, Madees Khoury stood on a ladder next to a large stainless steel tank. “It’s a golden lager with 5 percent alcohol,” Madees said. “It’s not too malty, not too crispy. It’s a classic. Everyone enjoys a classic.”

That’s easy to say in most beer-producing regions, but in Taybeh’s case, “everyone” certainly isn’t going to come easy.

Courtesy of Taybeh Brewery

“They deserve a lot of credit for being the first to challenge Israel’s industrial beer duopoly and succeeding in carving a niche for themselves,” Doug Greener, writer and editor of Israel Brews and Views, a blog about Israeli craft beer, says. According to Greener, “Taybeh’s Golden, Amber, Dark, and White beers are brewed in the classical European tradition, reflecting the stipulations of the 500-year-old German Beer Purity Law (Reinheitsgebot). All four are good representatives of their style.”

Taybeh is the only all-Christian village in the West Bank, with about 1,500 full-time residents, although more typically visit in the summer. It’s not far from the Palestinian city of Ramallah, and there are several Jewish settlements nearby. Although alcohol is forbidden according to religious law, it is not under civil law — and many Muslims drink even though it is not allowed in Islam.

Nadim, his brother David, and their father started the family business in 1994, when Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat had returned to the West Bank from exile. It was the days of the Oslo Agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, which laid out a roadmap for an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem.

Madees was 9 years old when her family decided to return from the U.S. to start a brewery in this quiet village in the West Bank. Now 34, Mahees is Taybeh’s brewmaster. She is believed to be the only female brewer in the Middle East.

“I basically grew up here in the brewery, and I really love making beer,” she said, sitting outside the brewery and sipping on the Winter Lager, which adds cinnamon and honey to the original golden lager recipe. The hills of the West Bank are green after a winter of heavy rain, and the almond trees are in blossom. The brewery also makes a dark beer, an amber, an IPA, and a non-alcoholic beer — a move to a market of religious Muslims and others abstaining from alcohol.

Courtesy of Taybeh Brewery

Madees went to high school in Ramallah, and then went back to the U.S. for college, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Hellenic College in 2007.

She returned to the West Bank in 2007, at 22, to rejoin her parents and uncle at the family brewery. After returning to the West Bank, she earned a masters in business administration from Bir Zeit University. While studying at Hellenic College she completed an internship at Harpoon Brewery in Boston, and later completed a brewing course in China, which included several (pre-pandemic) visits to Wuhan.

“My family believes that in order to build a state of Palestine and an economy, we have to invest our own money, our own knowledge, and our own experience into the country,” she said. “That’s more sustainable than foreign funds that can be cut off.”

It truly is a family mission: David, Madees’ uncle, served as the mayor of Taybeh from 2008 to 2013.

Also in 2013, the family opened the Taybeh Winery. Canaan Khoury, Nadim and Suehir’s son and Madees’ brother, runs the winery today. Canaan is also a master brewer and distiller, and is currently studying for an MBA at Stanford University. Taybeh Winery produces 35,000 bottles a year, and its bestseller is Beituni, made from a variety of ancient grapes.

Next, Nadim opened The Golden Hotel, an 80-room, LEED-certified hotel near the brewery, in 2016. It was in operation until early 2020, but the coronavirus pandemic caused many cancellations, and the hotel was forced to shut down. “This country does not have any oil or minerals like Saudi Arabia or Jordan,” Nadim said. “We count so much on the tourism sector.”

Sam Bahour, a Palestinian-American business consultant and the chair of the U.S. nonprofit Americans for a Vibrant Palestinian Economy (AVPE), which aims to build bridges between American and Palestinian enterprises, believes Taybeh beer, with Madees at its head, can change how many view Palestinians.

“[Taybeh Brewery] creates a product that breaks down many of the Western stereotypes about Palestine, like having women business leaders and dealing in alcoholic beverages, not to mention bringing a steady flow of tourists to a rural city,” Bahour says.

Bahour also sees Taybeh Brewery’s efforts as a form of peaceful protest: “Taybeh is an example of non-violent resistance to this military occupation that is imposed upon us by force, and shows how Israel refuses to even let an economic project thrive,” he says, adding, “Israel intentionally does not want to allow Palestinians to create a different reality on the ground.”

Nadim says the success of the beer makes all of the effort worth it. “It shows all the good things that we do, that people are very happy and therefore supportive,” he says. “It gives you good, positive feedback. This is how we can build the state of Palestine, by encouraging others to invest like we did.”

Amidst the pandemic, beer sales are in decline, and much of the staff of both the brewery and hotel are on paid leave. Yet the family is confident that the crisis will pass, and that demand for their beer will return. No matter what happens, the brewery holds a place in the family history, as well as the history of their homeland. Nadim says, “The brewery put Taybeh on the map of Palestine.”

The article How a West Bank Brewery Is Building Bridges Between Israeli and Palestinian Beer Enthusiasts appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/taybeh-brewery-west-bank-beer/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/how-a-west-bank-brewery-is-building-bridges-between-israeli-and-palestinian-beer-enthusiasts

[isaiahrippinus]

How a West Bank Brewery Is Building Bridges Between Israeli and Palestinian Beer Enthusiasts

The Khoury family is used to breaking barriers. They’re a Christian family in Palestine’s overwhelmingly Muslim West Bank, where alcohol is forbidden according to Islamic law. They’re Palestinian-American, citizens of both countries. And in 1994, husband and wife Nadim and Suheir Khoury moved back to their home village to help build the Palestinian economy by opening a brewery. Taybeh Brewery opened that same year. It was the first microbrewery in Palestine, and today remains one of a small handful in the Middle East.

While the family is breaking barriers, it’s also building bridges. The brewery is helmed by Nadim and Suheir’s daughter, Madees Khoury, who heads production of 1.8 million bottles of beer annually. And although Israeli-Palestinian talks have fizzled and an independent state does not seem likely, Taybeh sells about half its beer to local restaurants and shops in the West Bank, and another portion in Jerusalem — both Jewish East Jerusalem, and predominantly Arab West Jerusalem. (The rest is exported abroad, mainly to Europe, and some to Japan.)

The brewery may be fulfilling the family dream to help the Palestinian economy, but it’s also helping connect Israeli and Palestinian beer drinkers.

On an afternoon last fall, Madees Khoury stood on a ladder next to a large stainless steel tank. “It’s a golden lager with 5 percent alcohol,” Madees said. “It’s not too malty, not too crispy. It’s a classic. Everyone enjoys a classic.”

That’s easy to say in most beer-producing regions, but in Taybeh’s case, “everyone” certainly isn’t going to come easy.

Courtesy of Taybeh Brewery

“They deserve a lot of credit for being the first to challenge Israel’s industrial beer duopoly and succeeding in carving a niche for themselves,” Doug Greener, writer and editor of Israel Brews and Views, a blog about Israeli craft beer, says. According to Greener, “Taybeh’s Golden, Amber, Dark, and White beers are brewed in the classical European tradition, reflecting the stipulations of the 500-year-old German Beer Purity Law (Reinheitsgebot). All four are good representatives of their style.”

Taybeh is the only all-Christian village in the West Bank, with about 1,500 full-time residents, although more typically visit in the summer. It’s not far from the Palestinian city of Ramallah, and there are several Jewish settlements nearby. Although alcohol is forbidden according to religious law, it is not under civil law — and many Muslims drink even though it is not allowed in Islam.

Nadim, his brother David, and their father started the family business in 1994, when Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat had returned to the West Bank from exile. It was the days of the Oslo Agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, which laid out a roadmap for an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem.

Madees was 9 years old when her family decided to return from the U.S. to start a brewery in this quiet village in the West Bank. Now 34, Mahees is Taybeh’s brewmaster. She is believed to be the only female brewer in the Middle East.

“I basically grew up here in the brewery, and I really love making beer,” she said, sitting outside the brewery and sipping on the Winter Lager, which adds cinnamon and honey to the original golden lager recipe. The hills of the West Bank are green after a winter of heavy rain, and the almond trees are in blossom. The brewery also makes a dark beer, an amber, an IPA, and a non-alcoholic beer — a move to a market of religious Muslims and others abstaining from alcohol.

Courtesy of Taybeh Brewery

Madees went to high school in Ramallah, and then went back to the U.S. for college, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Hellenic College in 2007.

She returned to the West Bank in 2007, at 22, to rejoin her parents and uncle at the family brewery. After returning to the West Bank, she earned a masters in business administration from Bir Zeit University. While studying at Hellenic College she completed an internship at Harpoon Brewery in Boston, and later completed a brewing course in China, which included several (pre-pandemic) visits to Wuhan.

“My family believes that in order to build a state of Palestine and an economy, we have to invest our own money, our own knowledge, and our own experience into the country,” she said. “That’s more sustainable than foreign funds that can be cut off.”

It truly is a family mission: David, Madees’ uncle, served as the mayor of Taybeh from 2008 to 2013.

Also in 2013, the family opened the Taybeh Winery. Canaan Khoury, Nadim and Suehir’s son and Madees’ brother, runs the winery today. Canaan is also a master brewer and distiller, and is currently studying for an MBA at Stanford University. Taybeh Winery produces 35,000 bottles a year, and its bestseller is Beituni, made from a variety of ancient grapes.

Next, Nadim opened The Golden Hotel, an 80-room, LEED-certified hotel near the brewery, in 2016. It was in operation until early 2020, but the coronavirus pandemic caused many cancellations, and the hotel was forced to shut down. “This country does not have any oil or minerals like Saudi Arabia or Jordan,” Nadim said. “We count so much on the tourism sector.”

Sam Bahour, a Palestinian-American business consultant and the chair of the U.S. nonprofit Americans for a Vibrant Palestinian Economy (AVPE), which aims to build bridges between American and Palestinian enterprises, believes Taybeh beer, with Madees at its head, can change how many view Palestinians.

“[Taybeh Brewery] creates a product that breaks down many of the Western stereotypes about Palestine, like having women business leaders and dealing in alcoholic beverages, not to mention bringing a steady flow of tourists to a rural city,” Bahour says.

Bahour also sees Taybeh Brewery’s efforts as a form of peaceful protest: “Taybeh is an example of non-violent resistance to this military occupation that is imposed upon us by force, and shows how Israel refuses to even let an economic project thrive,” he says, adding, “Israel intentionally does not want to allow Palestinians to create a different reality on the ground.”

Nadim says the success of the beer makes all of the effort worth it. “It shows all the good things that we do, that people are very happy and therefore supportive,” he says. “It gives you good, positive feedback. This is how we can build the state of Palestine, by encouraging others to invest like we did.”

Amidst the pandemic, beer sales are in decline, and much of the staff of both the brewery and hotel are on paid leave. Yet the family is confident that the crisis will pass, and that demand for their beer will return. No matter what happens, the brewery holds a place in the family history, as well as the history of their homeland. Nadim says, “The brewery put Taybeh on the map of Palestine.”

The article How a West Bank Brewery Is Building Bridges Between Israeli and Palestinian Beer Enthusiasts appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/taybeh-brewery-west-bank-beer/ source https://vinology1.tumblr.com/post/624986976733495296

[wineanddinosaur]

How a West Bank Brewery Is Building Bridges Between Israeli and Palestinian Beer Enthusiasts

The Khoury family is used to breaking barriers. They’re a Christian family in Palestine’s overwhelmingly Muslim West Bank, where alcohol is forbidden according to Islamic law. They’re Palestinian-American, citizens of both countries. And in 1994, husband and wife Nadim and Suheir Khoury moved back to their home village to help build the Palestinian economy by opening a brewery. Taybeh Brewery opened that same year. It was the first microbrewery in Palestine, and today remains one of a small handful in the Middle East.

While the family is breaking barriers, it’s also building bridges. The brewery is helmed by Nadim and Suheir’s daughter, Madees Khoury, who heads production of 1.8 million bottles of beer annually. And although Israeli-Palestinian talks have fizzled and an independent state does not seem likely, Taybeh sells about half its beer to local restaurants and shops in the West Bank, and another portion in Jerusalem — both Jewish East Jerusalem, and predominantly Arab West Jerusalem. (The rest is exported abroad, mainly to Europe, and some to Japan.)

The brewery may be fulfilling the family dream to help the Palestinian economy, but it’s also helping connect Israeli and Palestinian beer drinkers.

On an afternoon last fall, Madees Khoury stood on a ladder next to a large stainless steel tank. “It’s a golden lager with 5 percent alcohol,” Madees said. “It’s not too malty, not too crispy. It’s a classic. Everyone enjoys a classic.”

That’s easy to say in most beer-producing regions, but in Taybeh’s case, “everyone” certainly isn’t going to come easy.

Courtesy of Taybeh Brewery

“They deserve a lot of credit for being the first to challenge Israel’s industrial beer duopoly and succeeding in carving a niche for themselves,” Doug Greener, writer and editor of Israel Brews and Views, a blog about Israeli craft beer, says. According to Greener, “Taybeh’s Golden, Amber, Dark, and White beers are brewed in the classical European tradition, reflecting the stipulations of the 500-year-old German Beer Purity Law (Reinheitsgebot). All four are good representatives of their style.”

Taybeh is the only all-Christian village in the West Bank, with about 1,500 full-time residents, although more typically visit in the summer. It’s not far from the Palestinian city of Ramallah, and there are several Jewish settlements nearby. Although alcohol is forbidden according to religious law, it is not under civil law — and many Muslims drink even though it is not allowed in Islam.

Nadim, his brother David, and their father started the family business in 1994, when Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat had returned to the West Bank from exile. It was the days of the Oslo Agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, which laid out a roadmap for an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem.

Madees was 9 years old when her family decided to return from the U.S. to start a brewery in this quiet village in the West Bank. Now 34, Mahees is Taybeh’s brewmaster. She is believed to be the only female brewer in the Middle East.

“I basically grew up here in the brewery, and I really love making beer,” she said, sitting outside the brewery and sipping on the Winter Lager, which adds cinnamon and honey to the original golden lager recipe. The hills of the West Bank are green after a winter of heavy rain, and the almond trees are in blossom. The brewery also makes a dark beer, an amber, an IPA, and a non-alcoholic beer — a move to a market of religious Muslims and others abstaining from alcohol.

Courtesy of Taybeh Brewery

Madees went to high school in Ramallah, and then went back to the U.S. for college, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Hellenic College in 2007.

She returned to the West Bank in 2007, at 22, to rejoin her parents and uncle at the family brewery. After returning to the West Bank, she earned a masters in business administration from Bir Zeit University. While studying at Hellenic College she completed an internship at Harpoon Brewery in Boston, and later completed a brewing course in China, which included several (pre-pandemic) visits to Wuhan.

“My family believes that in order to build a state of Palestine and an economy, we have to invest our own money, our own knowledge, and our own experience into the country,” she said. “That’s more sustainable than foreign funds that can be cut off.”

It truly is a family mission: David, Madees’ uncle, served as the mayor of Taybeh from 2008 to 2013.

Also in 2013, the family opened the Taybeh Winery. Canaan Khoury, Nadim and Suehir’s son and Madees’ brother, runs the winery today. Canaan is also a master brewer and distiller, and is currently studying for an MBA at Stanford University. Taybeh Winery produces 35,000 bottles a year, and its bestseller is Beituni, made from a variety of ancient grapes.

Next, Nadim opened The Golden Hotel, an 80-room, LEED-certified hotel near the brewery, in 2016. It was in operation until early 2020, but the coronavirus pandemic caused many cancellations, and the hotel was forced to shut down. “This country does not have any oil or minerals like Saudi Arabia or Jordan,” Nadim said. “We count so much on the tourism sector.”

Sam Bahour, a Palestinian-American business consultant and the chair of the U.S. nonprofit Americans for a Vibrant Palestinian Economy (AVPE), which aims to build bridges between American and Palestinian enterprises, believes Taybeh beer, with Madees at its head, can change how many view Palestinians.

“[Taybeh Brewery] creates a product that breaks down many of the Western stereotypes about Palestine, like having women business leaders and dealing in alcoholic beverages, not to mention bringing a steady flow of tourists to a rural city,” Bahour says.

Bahour also sees Taybeh Brewery’s efforts as a form of peaceful protest: “Taybeh is an example of non-violent resistance to this military occupation that is imposed upon us by force, and shows how Israel refuses to even let an economic project thrive,” he says, adding, “Israel intentionally does not want to allow Palestinians to create a different reality on the ground.”

Nadim says the success of the beer makes all of the effort worth it. “It shows all the good things that we do, that people are very happy and therefore supportive,” he says. “It gives you good, positive feedback. This is how we can build the state of Palestine, by encouraging others to invest like we did.”

Amidst the pandemic, beer sales are in decline, and much of the staff of both the brewery and hotel are on paid leave. Yet the family is confident that the crisis will pass, and that demand for their beer will return. No matter what happens, the brewery holds a place in the family history, as well as the history of their homeland. Nadim says, “The brewery put Taybeh on the map of Palestine.”

The article How a West Bank Brewery Is Building Bridges Between Israeli and Palestinian Beer Enthusiasts appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/taybeh-brewery-west-bank-beer/

[nzisraelnews]

Rhythm and vines

United States-based, Israeli designer Dror Benshetrit's sculptural installation Under/standing was recently installed at Brancott Estate Winery in Blenheim. Camille Khouri attended the unveiling and spoke to the designer about his work. The sculptural installation Under/standing looms large and strong ... http://bit.ly/2BFg5nb

[itswinebyme]

Scholium Project Debuts Its Natural ‘Commentary’ Into a Growing Market

(Stacey Khoury-Diaz and Janine Copeland of Dio Wine Bar hosted Abe Schoener of the Scholium Project for a wine tasting and discussion of natural wines.)

It’s a Monday night at one of the city’s newest wine bars and more than 20 locals have gathered around a bar with a renegade California winemaker to discuss spoilage and microbes in natural wines. If you think we’re in Brooklyn or Berkeley or even an international city like Copenhagen, Paris or London, you’d be wrong.

We’re here in Washington, D.C., the city not less than a decade ago where those selling wine were more intent on engaging clients like lobbyists or politicians who would seek out the most expensive Napa Cabernets or Bordeauxs as a means to impress.

But in the past few years, as D.C.’s food and dining scene grew (and as the lobbyists’ rules and bank accounts tightened), it makes sense that more diverse wine options would soon follow. A few key sommeliers started changing up their lists and introducing new regions and orange wine to the mix. Then in the past year, the momentum multiplied. 

So on a Monday night, Dio Wine Bar – which is also D.C.’s only wine bar focused solely on natural wines – became home for Abe Schoener’s D.C. debut. His wines have popped up in the city here and there, and he’s visited D.C. before (he’s a former professor from St. John’s College in Maryland), but this was his first sales trip to actively promote his Scholium Project wines.

Rather than just tasting the three wines he brought, this was a nerdy discussion in the context of eight additional wines. (The line-up included wines by Spain’s Celler Jordi Ilorens,  Beaujolais’ Julian Sunier, Loire’s Clisson from Jérémie Huchet & Jérémie Mourat and Champagne’s Charles DuFour.)

(Eight natural wines from around the world were poured along side three Scholium Project wines.)

This was a smart move. I’ve seen other wineries – like RdV Vineyards in Virginia -- provide tastings against similar wines from other regions. Not only does it give the tasters something to compare, but it’s a good teaching method and lends to a more memorable experience.

Several years ago the only people who may have attended something like this in D.C. were industry. Instead the sold-out event was comprised of enthusiasts, including those just learning about natural wines, and a few super-geeky types, like me.

While it’s certainly a sign of D.C.’s wine transformation, some of the participants noted it’s still difficult to find many of these wines throughout the city. Stacey Khoury-Diaz, Dio’s owner, suggested if consumers start asking for more of these wines, local shops and restaurants will begin to respond.

(Abe Schoener listens to some questions at the start of the chat.)

Capitalizing on the growing geekdom that’s here, this tasting was all about spoilage (and not necessarily in the negative sense of the word). Abe wanted to discuss the natural yeasty microbes which fight each other to eat the sugars and turn grape juice into wine during the fermenting process. He says that when the right microbes win, delicious wine is the result.

So when he was asked several times for his definition of natural wine, the closest he came to answering it was to suggest that the discourse in natural wine should not be focused on the means of production (everything from how to farm the vineyard, to more industrialized ways of winemaking), but rather on the chemistry of winemaking. For example, he’s placed his grapes under high pressure and used electromagnetic forces to create cross-flow filtrations in his winemaking process.

The more common answer from natural winemakers is usually about their yearn to translate the terroir (sense of place) into the bottle, their trials in avoiding filtering wine (not necessarily through scientific methods) and an argument over whether or not to use added sulfur.

But “scholium,” means “commentary,” and that’s what Abe was seeking to do when he first created the Scholium Project in 2006 after learning about winemaking during an internship at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars and later from famed Napa winemaker John Konsgaard.

He says his wines can even been seen as his own commentary on some of the wines he enjoys, such as Cru Beaujolais and Edmond Vatan Sancerre. His wines are not supposed to be what you expect from California, yet they showcase some of the beautiful fruit coming from key vineyards and microclimates.

The three Scholium Project wines we tried included:

(2015 Scholium Project 1MN)

The 1MN Bechtold Ranch, a red wine made from 140-year-old Cinsault vines in Lodi, Calif.  This was a fresh and vibrant wine exhibiting beautiful and tamed fruit. A light-bodied wine  that indeed reminds you of something from Beaujolais.

(2014 Scholium Project La Severita Di Bruto)

And two Sauvignon Blancs – La Severita Di Bruto and the Prince In His Caves – which both come from Farina Vineyards on the east side of the Sonoma Mountain.  The vineyard sees very little sun – only around noon -- so the resulting wines are more in line with what you might expect from cooler climates.

The first had a very distinct smell of rotting produce – much like the spoilage Abe brought us here to discuss, but it eventually blew off and the palate revealed amazing acidity underneath a crisp minerality. If you’ve ever enjoyed a Vatan, you’ll understand and adore this wine.

The second wine, which spent more time on its skins during winemaking was a lusher wine with green vegetal flavors like asparagus and artichokes.

(2016 Scholium Project The Prince In His Caves)

All three maintained significant structure and were well balanced -- values Abe strives for in everything he makes and are not necessarily a hallmark of many natural wines.

While some like to define natural winemaking as a throw-back to past methods, Abe actually sees this kind of winemaking as post-modern and a way of looking to the future. The traditional methods still used sulfur or as industrialization came along, took advantage of what was offered. But today’s natural winemaking, he says, points away from the traditional and away from what’s expected.

It’s those expectations that Abe’s wines have successfully avoided. And that’s what makes his wines absolutely fascinating to taste, and even more enjoyable to drink.

[harvardseas]

West Bank’s first boutique winemaker plants a successful enterprise

Alumnus Canaan Khoury, S.B. ’13 (mechanical engineering), faces unique challenges as general manager and winemaker at the Palestinian West Bank’s first boutique winery, Taybeh Winery. More than 80 percent of the West Bank’s 2 million people practice Islam, which prohibits drinking alcohol, so the local market is limited, he explained. Since nearby Israeli settlements receive priority access to the water supply, the winery only has water once a week. They must pay extra on imports and exports, and shipments of raw materials are often delayed due to security checkpoints, said Khoury. But he and his family have pressed on, working to make the new business a success and an economic engine for this rural region. “Our ultimate dream is to be able to raise a glass of Taybeh wine and say ‘cheers’ for a peaceful time in this area,” he said.

Read more: http://www.seas.harvard.edu/blog/2017/01/alumni-profile-canaan-khoury-sb-13