Rimon Winery () is an Israeli
winery
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the cultivation and production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feat ...
specialized in producing
pomegranate
The pomegranate (''Punica granatum'') is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub in the family Lythraceae, subfamily Punica, Punicoideae, that grows between tall. Rich in symbolic and mythological associations in many cultures, it is thought to have o ...
wine, with over a dozen varieties. Rimon is the Hebrew word for pomegranate. Rimon Winery was the first company in the world to make wine from pomegranates.
At
Kosherfest
Kosherfest was an annual, two-day trade fair for the kosher-certified food industry held at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, New Jersey. Established in 1989, it included an exhibition hall, lectures, cooking demonstrations, a culin ...
2007 Rimon Winery won "Best New Wine, Beer or Spirit", upon its expansion into the United States. In 2008 Rimon Winery expanded into the United Kingdom, debuting at the
London International Wine Fair.
History
In 1996, father and son, Gaby and Avi Nachmias, developed a new strain of pomegranates that they claim is "sweeter, deeper in color and richer in vitamins and antioxidants than other varieties."
The Nehemias bottled its first pomegranate wines in 2003, 2,000 bottles of pomegranate dessert wine
They founded Rimon Winery the following year, including a commercial production line. By 2007, they offered dry, port, and dessert wines.
Rimon produces their wine by crushing the fruit, fermenting it in stainless steel, and then aging the wine in French oak barrels.
The Nachmias are third generation farmers at
Kerem Ben Zimra
Kerem Ben Zimra () is a moshav in northern Israel. Near Safed in the Upper Galilee, it falls under the jurisdiction of Merom HaGalil Regional Council. In , it had a population of .
History
The moshav was founded in 1949 by immigrants to Israel f ...
, a
Moshav
A moshav (, plural ', "settlement, village") is a type of Israeli village or town or Jewish settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists between 1904 and 1 ...
in the
Upper Galilee
The Upper Galilee (, ''HaGalil Ha'Elyon''; , ''Al Jaleel Al A'alaa'') is a geographical region located in northern Israel and southern Lebanon. Part of the larger Galilee region, it is characterized by its higher elevations and mountainous terra ...
and there developed their special pomegranate species, which has exceptionally large and very sweet fruits. The high concentration of
sugar
Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose
Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...
in these fruits, similar to the sugar concentration in
grape
A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters.
The cultivation of grapes began approximately 8,0 ...
s, makes this species suitable for wine making.
Rimon Winery was established in 2004 at the
Dalton
Dalton may refer to:
Science
* Dalton (crater), a lunar crater
* Dalton (program), chemistry software
* Dalton (unit) (Da), a.k.a. unified atomic mass unit
* John Dalton, chemist, physicist and meteorologist
* 12292 Dalton, an asteroid
Ent ...
Industrial Park
An industrial park, also known as industrial estate or trading estate, is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more heavyweight version of a business park or office par ...
in the Upper Galilee
and was the first to produce pomegranate wine commercially. The winery distributes its products in Israel, United States, Japan, Canada and China.
In 2012
OK Kosher Certification
OK Kosher Certification is a major kosher certification agency based out of Brooklyn, New York. It is one of the "Big Five," the five largest kosher certifying agencies in the United States. OK also has a large kosher presence in Asia.
Early histo ...
stripped Rimon Winery of their
kosher
(also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, ), from the Ashke ...
certification due to various kashrut issues.
Wine production process
The first stage in the production process of pomegranate wine is the separation of
grain
A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached husk, hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and ...
s from the peel. Then the grains are compressed and the resulting juice is
fermented
Fermentation is a type of anaerobic metabolism which harnesses the redox potential of the reactants to make adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and organic end products. Organic compound, Organic molecules, such as glucose or other sugars, are Catabo ...
between two and four months. Finally, the wine is transferred into
French oak barrels
French may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France
** French people, a nation and ethnic group
** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices
Arts and media
* The French (band), a ...
for further
aging
Ageing (or aging in American English) is the process of becoming Old age, older until death. The term refers mainly to humans, many other animals, and fungi; whereas for example, bacteria, perennial plants and some simple animals are potentiall ...
.
Prizes
In 2007 Rimon port won the bronze medal in the categories best fruit wine and best wine priced at New York's Finger Lakes wine competition in New York. In 2006 Rimon dessert wine won a gold in the category fruit dessert wine Puerto Rico's Curibe Vinos 2006 competition.
See also
*
Israeli cuisine
Israeli cuisine primarily comprises dishes brought from the Jewish diaspora, and has more recently been defined by the development of a notable fusion cuisine characterized by the mixing of Jewish cuisine and Arab cuisine.Gold, Rozann''A Region's ...
References
External links
Rimon Winery website{{Alcoholic drinks
Wineries of Israel
Food and drink companies established in 2004
Israeli companies established in 2004