Carmel Winery
| Carmel Winery | |
|---|---|
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| Location | Rishon LeZion, Israel |
| Coordinates | 32°33′49″N 34°57′26″E / 32.5635°N 34.9573°E |
| Wine region | Galilee |
| Founded | 1882 |
| Key people | Edmond James de Rothschild, founder |
| Cases/yr | Over 1 million |
| Other products | grape juice, olive oil |
| Distribution | international |
| Website | www |
Carmel Winery (Hebrew: יקבי כרמל) is a vineyard and winery in Israel. Founded in 1882 by Edmond James de Rothschild, its products are exported to over 40 countries. It is the largest winery in Israel, with a local market share of almost 50%.
Carmel Winery manufactures mainly wine, brandy and grape juice. It is the prime producer of wine in Israel, as it produces nearly half of the Israeli wine market, and one of the largest wine producers in the Eastern Mediterranean. It is the first and oldest exporter of wine, brandy and grape juice in the country, and also the largest producer of kosher wine in the world.
The company is owned by the council of the Vine-growers Union (75%) and the Jewish Agency for Israel (25%). Its parent company is Societe Cooperative Vigneronne des Grandes Caves Richon Le Zion & Zikhron Ya'akov Ltd. (S.C.V.)
The company holds the two largest wineries in Israel (Rishon Le Zion and Zichron Ya'acov), as well as two new boutique wineries - Yatir Winery (50% ownership) and the Kayoumi Winery. In addition, the company owns 1,400 hectares (3,472 acres) of vineyards in Israel.
Carmel's production reaches 15 million bottles per year and its profit from export adds up to US$5 million from 40 countries.
When the settlers of the First Aliyah, Jews who immigrated to Palestine from Eastern Europe in the second half of the 19th century, encountered difficulties in cultivating the land due to their lack of experience and the soil's characteristics, they began to seek support outside of Palestine for establishing vineyards and wineries. Their representatives traveled to France, where they met Baron Edmond de Rothschild, owner of Château Lafite. As a Zionist, Rothschild provided financial and moral assistance to the settlers. His first vineyards were planted near Rishon LeZion, south east of Jaffa. In 1882, French rootstock was imported, and the Baron sent his own wine specialists to advise the pioneers in this enterprise. Construction began on a large wine cellar in Rishon LeZion. Later, a second winery was established in Zikhron Ya'akov, situated on Mount Carmel just south of Haifa.
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