My recent poll titled "What Is Your Experience With Israeli Wines?" has now ended. So what were the results? How did their wines fare? I don't think the results were surprising but they were informative.
Based on the responses, a significant number of people still have not tried Israeli wines. About 65% of the respondents have never tried an Israeli wine. Israeli wines need to continue making their presence known to the public, and consumers need to take a chance and try some of the excellent wines coming out of Israel. About 23% of the respondents have only tried a few wines and only 12% have tried a fair share of Israeli wines.
But, of those who have tried Israeli wines, the vast majority have enjoyed them. 72% of the respondents have liked most of the Israeli wines they have tried and 18% have liked some and disliked others. This seems to indicate that many people would enjoy Israeli wines, if they only took a chance and tasted them. If these wines can become more accessible, if they are more prominent in local tastings and wine stores, then they should be appealing to wine lovers.
Curiously enough, only 53% of the respondents wanted to try more wines from this region. Yet 65% of the respondents have never tried these wines. If you have not tried Israeli wines before, why wouldn't you want to at least try them? And with all of those who have enjoyed the Israeli wines they have tasted, you definitely should give them a try.
Please post more detail about your own experiences with Israeli wines in the comments.
Thanks.
Great poll results! There was also an interesting poll result nationally which found that while 4% of those surveyed said they had tasted Israeli wines, more than 20% said they were open to trying them!
ReplyDeleteKudos to you (as always) for encouraging your readers to get off the beaten path and use wine to experience the world more broadly.
Richard
Sorry I missed your poll, obviously I'm a little behind in my reading. Let me say this, I was very impressed with these wines. Each and every one. As we remarked at the tasting, it's really rare to go to a tasting and not have one wine that fails you. People are still laboring under the misconception that Israeli wines are sweet Kosher wines of yore, I'm certain.
ReplyDeleteThese wines had finesse and all exhibited skilled winemakers with classic training. I don't think there was one that disappointed.
Thanks again for inviting me and giving me this rare opportunity to taste my way through a new region. New to me, that is. As Richard pointed out, these are NOT new in any sense.
Thanks Richard. I think the poll results also show you need to get out there more and show off Israeli wines. :)
ReplyDeleteKudos to you Richard as well for bringing to the U.S. excellent wines from boutique Israeli producers. Your efforts will lead to more people embracing Israeli wines. If it were not for you, I may not have been able to taste all of these wines. Keep up the great work!
Jackie:
ReplyDeleteI think everyone who attended the recent Israeli tasting felt much the same way. These were impressive wines, without a bad one in the bunch. And the more such tastings there are, the more people who will realize the quality of Israeli wines.