When it comes to local industrial wineries, it's not about the flashy labels or the market buzz. Tabor Winery, however, stands out not for its mainstream selections but for its heart and values.
In recent years, Tabor has been producing a variety of wines, easily assembling a collection fit for any boutique winery, covering all price categories. Some of these hidden gems are showcased here in a rather cool review, under the theme "Tabor: Wines You Haven't Met Yet."
In the next tasting, you'll discover that Tabor offers much more than expected, across all price ranges. True to the expectations of an industrial winery, most of their wines provide excellent value for money, alongside plenty of character, quality, and uniqueness. Kudos to Tabor's winemakers, Arie Nesher and Or Nadav, for not only their flagship wines but also for their "Carte Blanche," utilizing commercial success to promote wines they truly believe in. Cheers!
Tabor, Har Lavan 2022
A dry white blend based on Colombard, Sauvignon Blanc, and White Chenin grapes from the vineyards of Galilee and Mizpe Ramon. Cool fermentation in stainless steel tanks. Bright yellow color. Nose of white fruit and citrus. Light body. 11.5% alcohol by volume.
Price: NIS 40.
Best paired with: sandwiches, salads, pizza, picnics.
Reviewer's note: refined and pleasant fruit, good acidity, light crispness. A wine destined for everyday consumption, yet it presents a broad taste spectrum with elegance and style. Exceptional value for money.
Value for money: 5/5 (rare. truly).
Tabor, Special Edition, Mizpe Ramon Vineyard, White Chenin 2022
100% White Chenin from Tabor's vineyards in Mizpe Ramon. Slow fermentation in stainless steel tanks. No malolactic fermentation and no oak. Bright yellow color. Nose of white fruit, citrus, and floral notes. Medium body. 12.2% alcohol by volume.
Price: NIS 59.
Best paired with: sushi, Asian cuisine, fish, seafood, and poultry.
Reviewer's note: Lovely fruit, tropical and citrusy, sharp acidity, pleasantly tangy, impressive minerality, freshness, highly gastronomic. A wine ideal for accompanying Asian dishes and other light meat and fish dishes.
Value for money: 4.5/5 (excellent).
Tabor, Eco, White 2021
Chardonnay, Roussanne, and White Chenin from Tabor's vineyards in the Golan Heights and Mizpe Ramon. Each wine is pressed and fermented separately in wood, stainless steel, and concrete tanks, and then blended and aged for nine months on yeast lees in French oak barrels. Bright yellow color. Aromatic nose with honey notes. Medium to full-bodied. 13% alcohol by volume.
Price: NIS 85.
Best paired with: elaborate fish-based dishes, seafood, and shellfish.
Reviewer's note: Tabor's "Eco" series aims for wine connoisseurs and has been offering very worthy VFM (value for money) options since its launch. The current wine does well to represent this offering with good fruit, restrained oak, sharp and precise acidity, richness, aromatic complexity, minerality, and great complexity. Excellent value for money.
Value for money: 4.5/5 (excellent).
Tabor, Eco, Red 2017
Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc from the Shomron, Syrah from the Golan Heights, and Merlot from the Upper Galilee. Aged for 18 months in French oak barrels. Red fruit and spice aromas. Medium-bodied. 14% alcohol by volume.
Price: NIS 85.
Best paired with: Carpaccio and steak tartare, grilled steaks, stews.
Reviewer's note: A Bordeaux blend with a Mediterranean twist that brings clear Middle Eastern dimensions to the wine. Balanced, spicy, relatively thin, elegant, slightly velvety, and according to the genre's laws, also exceptionally gastronomic. Like its white counterpart, it offers impressive value for 85 NIS.
Value for money: 4.5/5 (excellent).
Tabor, Single Vineyard, Revadim Winery Marcellan 2019
100% Marcellan from the Ravadim Vineyard atop the hills of Judea. Aged for 18 months in French oak barrels. Deep red color. Concentrated red fruit and abundant spice aromas. Full-bodied. 13.5% alcohol by volume.
Price: NIS 99.
Best paired with: Steaks, stews.
Reviewer's note: Very concentrated and focused fruit, pronounced spice notes, sharp and precise acidity, velvety, elegant, with great character. Excellent value for money.
Value for money: 4.5/5 (excellent).
Tabor, Wine Maker's Selection 2017
56% Syrah from the Tel Faras Vineyard in the Golan Heights. 375 Cabernet Sauvignon from Gush Etzion and 13% from Tel Shefon in the Golan Heights. Each wine is fermented and aged separately for 12 months and then the best wines are selected for an additional 12 months of aging as a blend. Deep red color. Aromatic nose with red fruit and spices. Full-bodied. 14% alcohol by volume.
Price: NIS 240.
Best paired with: Aged beef cuts on the bone, stews.
Reviewer's note: muscular body, well-structured, abundant fruit, not overwhelming; balanced acidity. Lots of spices. A complex wine, which needs at least an hour of decanting before drinking. After two hours, it is at its most open. Quality, character, and plenty of elegance. Although aged for a long time, its future is still ahead of it. The aging potential, under proper storage conditions, is at least seven to nine years.
Value for money: 2.5 (realistic. expensive but worthy as a flagship wine).