www.tour-yehuda.org.il and prospering enterprise, considered the Flagship Project of the entire region and a source of Israeli international pride. I invite you to experience, taste and feel all that our unique region offers, to meet the inhabitants, to be impressed by historic and archaeological sites, by the scenery and trails, and to visit the wineries, restaurants and attractions. Brief background on the region and the regional council: The Mateh Yehuda Regional Council is the sole council in the Jerusalem district and one of the largest regional councils in Israel. Words of the Head of Council The council encompasses within it 57 settlements Moshavim, Dear friends, Kibbutzim, Communal settlements, Arab settlements, a joint Throughout history, the vineyards and wineries located in Jewish-Arab community, agricultural farms and convents. the area of the Mateh Yehuda Regional Council have been The council area is home to some of Israel’s loveliest parks an inseparable part of the landscape and their memories and forests, through its center runs the highway connecting are engraved in each and every footstep. Nowadays, in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and it serves as the green lung of the cooperation with the region’s winegrowers and winemakers, country’s center. we are proud to renew and develop the local wine producing Most of the council’s jurisdiction is part of the biblical Judean branch, to learn and to emphasize its uniqueness, and to heritage. obtain recognition as Israel’s first official wine region. The council’s emblem exhibits the lion mentioned in Jacob’s The regional wine industry serves as a source of income for blessing: “You are a lion’s cub, Judah; you return from the hundreds of families and scores of agricultural farms, and as prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a a touristic anchor for owners of businesses and attractions. lioness-who dares to rouse him?” (Genesis, Chapter 49, 9). Wine is part of the culture uniting the Regional Council’s The Mateh Yehuda population includes diverse inhabitants 3 settlements and each and every day anew, hundreds of who have arrived from multiple nations and true to this winemakers, growers and farmers all over Mateh Yehuda, date, about 60,000 people reside within its limits. fulfill the “Wine Region” vision, with joy, born of creativity. Tens of wineries throughout Mateh Yehuda have of late יקבי יהודה become a household name in the Israeli wine industry and Yours truly, the vine growing areas within it are among the finest in the Niv Vizel state of Israel. The Mateh Yehuda wine route is a flourishing Head of the Mateh Yehuda Regional Council A story of land and of wine | the Judean Wine Region | quality and excellence acquire recognition A story of land and of wine in the blood of grapes. His eyes will be darker than wine, his When the vine thrives in its growing environment, the soil teeth whiter than milk.. is inviting, the climate proper, the water abundant, the mornings are cool and breezes caressing, then the grapes choose to produce marvelous wine. The vine, more than any Since the mid-19th century, wine-grape cultivation and the other agricultural crop, is deeply related to its native land. commercial production of wine were renewed in the Land The specific location of the vineyard and the conditions of of Israel, after fading out during the Muslim conquest, from its growing environment have a substantial effect on the the seventh century onwards. With the establishment of nature of the grapes and their quality and determine the the state of Israel and particularly during the nineties of the basic qualities of the outcoming wine, its aromas and taste. twentieth century, wine grape plantings were enlarged in For this reason, many quality wines of the world are known Israel as a whole, and specifically so throughout the region and loved not by the names of their grape varieties, the of Judea. winery, or the winemaker, but by the name of the region of The excellent growing conditions of the region have origin of the grapes. turned it into a point of interest and attraction for people who are a part of the wine scene. The number of boutique The Judean Wine Region - from Then until This Day wineries has increased extensively, and their decisive majority is based on self-local cultivation. Additionally, The Judean region has been recognized as a prime location from the onset of the 21st century, vast vineyards have for growing quality grapes from the olden days, and its been planted by major non-local wineries, which have also wines were well known from afar. Countless historical and recognized the potential hidden in the area. The success archeological evidence point to a very rich past of grape and high performance of some of the local wineries has growing, winemaking and trade in the region, as early as placed the Judea region on the world wine map, and it is the late Neolithic period. Ancient winepresses and other well known nowadays as a quality wine region, initiating and numerous testimonies of wine production are strewn leading, serving as a showcase for the Israeli wine industry. throughout the region. Echoes of the area as a wine region Recognition of the high quality of the Judean vineyards has from the beginning of time can also be found in the holy 2 returned to consciousness and during the last decades, sources, for example in the book of Genesis – included in local wineries have received an abundance of prizes, medals Jacob’s blessing to his son Judah: Genesis, Chapter 49, יקבי .and praise, by international wine experts and consumers יהודה He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the“ 11-12 choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes The Judean Terroir season possessing temperature ranges that succeed in The most well-known expression of the world of wine is slowing down the ripening process and assist in preserving the French term “terroir”, pointing at the area and growing the acidity in the grapes, a requirement for the production conditions of the grapes and referring to all environmental of quality wine. Low winter temperatures and adequate rain factors which may affect the quality of the grapes from which provide the vineyards with a suitable basis leading up to the the wines are crafted. Terroir may include the vineyard’s growing season. The vines are planted on slopes carrying microclimate, inclusive of day and night temperatures, multiple terraces, built on top of the extensions and ridges. natural precipitation, humidity, winds, altitude; topography In the foothills, the climate is influenced both by the distance - situation of the vineyard relating to the sun, declination, from the sea and the location beneath the mountains. Certification proximity to bodies of water; the ground and soil itself During summer and transition seasons, despite the relative Trade Mark of - composition, drainage; the surrounding flora, etc. To heat, humidity percentages in the foothills are low and the the Yeuda(judea) this should of course be added the method in which the daily temperature fluctuations are relatively high, easing Wineries Club vineyard has been trellised by the grower and the growing the heat load and enabling the grapes much required techniques applied. ventilation, especially due to the cool flows gliding down It is for a good reason that the Judean region is considered from the mountains during mornings, and the afternoon at the forefront in terms of wine grape cultivation. In this breeze coming up through the valleys from the sea. Here, area, there exists an outstanding combination of conditions the vineyards are planted along the river beds, or upon the regarding soil, climate and topography, which together extensions. enable ideal conditions for nurturing. Furthermore, the The multiple soil variations and their quality, alongside the region enjoys a surprising diversity of micro climates, soil complex shape of the surface, enable the growers to pick and stone, which create unique quality habitats, especially adequate plots for vineyards, possessing unique quality upon the mountain ridge and foothills. terroir, and allow the cultivation of diverse high quality red The soil of the mountain ridge (rising to heights of 500 to and white varietals. 1,000 meters above sea level), consists mostly of nautical sediment rocks, mainly Lime, Dolomite and Chalk, covered The Judean Wine Region - essentially with Terra Rossa and Rendzina soil. The foothills Excellence Achieves Recognition (altitudes between 200 to 500 meters) are composed From the latter part of the nineties of the twentieth century, 5 mainly of Lime and Marlstone rocks, with deep valleys, and the Mateh Yehuda Regional Council, overlooking most of a soil cover similar to those of the ridges. the Judean wine growing area, has been in cooperation with The Judean area is characterized by a Mediterranean climate the local wineries in order to promote the regional wine יקבי which is very much suited for growing wine grapes. Upon industry and tourism. Resulting from this cooperation was יהודה the mountain ridge, the distance from the sea, combined born the regional “Yehuda (Judea) Wineries Club” which for with height, topography and wind flow, enable a growing over 20 years maintains a regional wine festival - the first of its kind in Israel. Additionally, a wine route was developed, wine region representing a Certification Trade Mark was meandering through the wineries. The next required step registered in Israel, i.e. the Judea Wineries Club logo, thereby was to strive for official legal recognition of this outstanding proclaiming the wineries as Israeli pioneers. The application wine region, as is customary with quality wine regions for the “Appellation of Origin” has also reached advanced worldwide.