The Wine Conference, Houston’s Wine Event

Richard Shaffer

Imagine sipping a glass of wine from the birthplace of both wine and, in fact, our entire civilization. Israel is no stranger to the grape. References to wine are sprinkled throughout the Bible: the first thing Noah did when the flood abated was to plant a vineyard. Today, Richard Shaffer is taking that ancient tradition and putting a modern spin on it. With Israeli Wine Direct, the company he founded in 2007, the Chicago entrepreneur passionately shares Israeli wine - what he calls “the future of wine history” - all across America. Israeli Wine Direct brings the finest artisan wines from Israel to American wine lovers — who are consistently and pleasantly surprised to discover that the region’s best wines are comparable to Napa’s finest. Even venerable wine critic Robert Parker has taken notice, highly rating some of the wines that IWD imports to the US. “Israeli wines now have a seat at the international wine table,” says Shaffer. “Wine brings people together across cultures and countries. And Israeli wine is an entry for people into what the real Israel is all about.”

IWD imports to America the best wines from five of the leading boutique wineries in Israel — Flam, Pelter, Margalit, Tulip, Tzora, as well as the occasional “truly backyard boutique winery.” Shaffer marvels how such a small nation as Israel contains within it such varied climates and terroir. The Judean Hills were recently called by a leading wine critic on Parker’s team “one of the most underrated wine regions in the world.” The Golan heights are situated on the ashy remains of an ancient volcano, and more than half the country is a desert. You can taste, says Shaffer, the region’s rich and unique history in every bottle. “Take Cabernet, for instance, and plant it in the Judean hills and it tastes different than it would anywhere else in the world. There’s some Mediterranean spice and a sort of sunshine in these wines.”

But what most impressed Shaffer about his travels through Israel was that, while touring these modern vineyards, he’d literally trip over ancient wine presses, carved out of stone outcroppings back in the biblical age. Indeed, Israelis were making wine two to three thousand years before their European counterparts. Of course, the wine of that era bears little resemblance to today’s sophisticated Israeli wines from places like the valley where David conquered Goliath!

Winemaking underwent a renaissance in Israel in the 1980s when modern techniques began being seriously applied. Twenty years ago there were about 20 wineries in all of Israel, says Shaffer. Today there are 200. Israeli Wine Direct has enjoyed an even greater exponential growth: in 2008 Shaffer imported 1000 cases of wine — for 2009 he is on target to double that.  And with the U.S. poised to become the world’s largest wine-consuming market in 2012, there are plenty of Americans eager to imbibe. Shaffer, who can be found online at all hours blogging about his passions, has even teamed up with the Israeli consulate in the U.S. to host parties for visiting dignitaries and sophisticates. “People are naturally curious about Israel,” says Shaffer. Now, thanks to Israeli Wine Direct, they can quench that thirst through wines they will be proud to pour and proud to share.

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