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Sphera
Varietal: Chardonnay
There are few white wine grape varietals as famous or widely appreciated as the Chardonnay, and with good reason. This highly flexible and adaptable grape quickly became a favorite of wineries due to its fairly neutral character. This neutrality allows the wineries to really show off what they are capable of doing, by allowing features of their terroir or aging process to come forward in the bottle. As well as this, most high quality wineries which produce Chardonnay wines take great efforts to induce what is known as malolactic fermentation, which is the conversion of tart malic acids in the grapes to creamy, buttery lactic acids associated with fine Chardonnay. Whilst the popularity of Chardonnay wines has fluctuated quite a considerable amount over the past few decades, it seems the grape varietal allows enough experimentation and versatility for it always to make a successful comeback.
Region: Judean Hills
The ancient hills and mountains of Israel have provided a dramatic backdrop to what would become major parts of modern civilization and culture itself, and as any lover of wine would know, they were also home to many of the world's most ancient vineyards. However, the wine industry of this region was often interrupted due to religious intolerance of alcohol, until the mid 19th century, when a decision was made to relaunch the Israeli wine industry. One of the major regions for Israeli wine from that day forth has been the Judean Hills, an ancient and beautiful set of hills which provide mineral rich soils for imported French varietals to thrive in. Today, the Judean Hills are home to many of the country's finest red and white wines, often made from Bordeaux varietals to exceedingly high levels of quality.
Country: Israel
For thousands of years, Israel has been an important country for wine production, with major wine regions growing thousands of acres of grapevines in the hot Mediterranean climate. The land itself is ideal for wine production, and has a mineral rich limestone based soil which helps ensure the grapes grow to full ripeness. Many of the vineyards of Israel are located at high altitudes, such as the popular and successful vineyards of Golan Heights in the Galil region, where the cooler temperatures and strong breezes create an ideal environment in which the imported French grape varietals can grow. Indeed, French grape varietals make up for the vast majority of grapes grown in Israel, with Cabernet Sauvigon, Merlot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc grapes growing in all five wine regions of the country.