Palestinian wine

Did You Know?

• Ancient Egypt was supplied with Canaan wine as early as the Early and Late Bronze Ages.
• Egyptians from the 15th century BCE described Canaan wine as 'more abundant than water.'

Roman and Byzantine period

Vines were among the three major crops in Roman and Byzantine Palestine, with numerous ancient winery installations surviving. Production spanned from the fertile northern plains to the arid Negev. Archaeology indicates a substantial increase in production during the early Byzantine period, when most large-scale presses were built. Talmudic rabbis devoted attention to wine production and commerce, instituting many religious laws. Although the Talmud states that "the wine of Tyre was cheaper than Palestinian wine," it does not mention export. However, other Byzantine sources reveal that export did occur. Around the mid-4th century, the writer of Expositio totius mundi et gentium noted that Ashkelon and Gaza exported the best wine to all Syria and Egypt. Transport jars have been found at Mediterranean sites, harbors, and shipwrecks off Cyprus, Greece, and Asia Minor. Palestinian wines reached Spain, Gaul, and the British Isles. In Carthage, Palestinian amphorae accounted for 45% of finds; at 6th-century Argos and Marseille, 20%; and at 7th-century Naples, 16%. The Palestinian Bag Jar likely carried white wine when exported. John the Almsgiver admired the aromatic bouquet of expensive Palestinian wine in Alexandria. Palestinian wine appealed to Christian priests for the Eucharist.

Islamic and Crusader period

In the late 7th century, the Western Church stopped using Palestinian wine, probably due to cost or unavailability after the Arab invasion. During the first Islamic centuries, wine continued to be produced and was consumed by Christians, Jews, and Muslims, who composed wine poems. In later Muslim periods, winemaking diminished as vineyard cultivation was restricted or forbidden by Islamic law. An ancient press vat at Rehovot went out of use in the 8th–9th centuries and became a rubbish pit. When the Crusaders took Palestine in the 12th century, demand from the Latin Church and Frankish city-dwellers made vine-growing lucrative again. The Franks established settlements, and Ramathes continued producing wine until the late 15th century.

Ottoman era and British Mandate

In the 1500s, the Ottoman government banned Muslims from drinking wine but allowed its sale to non-Muslims. Grape farming grew quickly in the mid-1800s, mainly led by Jewish growers. That same year, a Jewish messenger from Palestine took 32 barrels of local wine to Jamaica on a fundraising trip, with the sales helping Jews in the Holy Land. Production at Sarona and Wilhelma continued under the British Mandate, with most exports going to southern Germany.

Modern industry

Nadim Khoury, known for establishing Taybeh Brewery, opened a winery in the Christian-majority village of Taybeh, using 21 indigenous grape varieties. Khoury has noted that Israeli restrictions, including checkpoint inspections, have delayed shipments and equipment, and that shipping to the United States is difficult due to the lack of a free trade agreement. A wine festival is now held annually in Taybeh.