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Americans Asked to “Sip for Solidarity” By Buying Israeli Wine
By: Benyamin Davidsons
Israel has some 300 wineries which were negatively impacted by the savage bloody Oct. 7 atrocities by Hamas on Israel. As reported by the NY Post, Americans are being urged to help Israel’s wine industry by buying from the country’s wines. To raise awareness and in support of Israel and Israeli wineries, the Israeli Wine Producers Association (IWPA), a trade organization promoting Israeli wineries, has come up with a slick slogan, “Sip For Solidarity.” The organization also promises that 10% of sales from the US’s main distributor will go towards humanitarian relief efforts in Israel.
The invasion’s timing corresponded with the end of the wine harvest season, so that many of the workers at the wineries had to leave, as they were called up as reservists to assist in defending the country in the Israel Defense Forces, said Joshua Greenstein, vice president of the Israel Wine Producers Association. “Winemaking has its own schedule, unlike other industries where you can pause production or run with limited staff,” Greenstein said. “Grapes grow and ripen when they do; the winemaking process is very hands-on. Without staff, many wineries face an impending crisis.” The massacre immediately halted the picking, sorting and winemaking teams, and the limited sorting, crushing and fermentation that can still be done despite the limited staff remains under the constant threat of bombardment.
Greenstein, born in Albany native and currently living in Westchester County, has been the major distributor of Israeli wine in the United States for the past 15 years. Many of the country’s wineries are situated in Nazareth and Galilee, and more recently in Jerusalem and the Judean Hills. Many of the sites hold historical and religious significance. Israel has been promised in the bible as a “land flowing with milk and honey.” It is also, however, one of the oldest wine regions in the world, though the industry has been kept pretty low key. Greenstein distributors from some 40 wineries in the country– which are Kosher. “Israel has been making wine for 5,000 years. Now they’re getting recognized for their good quality,” Greenstein said. the Carmel vineyard, Israel’s largest wine producer, was founded in the Galilee in 1882 by a Rothschild. The Tulip winery, also in Galilee, is known for giving jobs to people with autism, Down syndrome and other special needs, Greenstein said.
Greenstein told the Post that Americans can help Israel simply by supporting its wine industry. “Buy a bottle of Israeli wine”, he said. “Not only will the purchase help the wineries, but we’re donating 10% of every case shipped from Nov. 1, 2023 to Dec. 31, 2023 to Israeli relief efforts. With the wine-consuming public’s support, these challenges are surmountable, and wineries will still craft wines that accurately and deliciously reflect the character of the vintage and of Israel, just as they always have,” he said.
Israel’s wine industry is ailing. Not only from staff shortages but also because demand has dropped in the country due to the war. “Additionally, wine is usually something enjoyed when you go out to eat or to a party, and people in Israel aren’t feeling particularly celebratory these days. It’s catastrophic not just for this years’ sales but for the vintages harvesting now that won’t be ready for sale for years to come,” Greenstein said. “You’re supporting the economy, the people and the wine makers.”
