About Israeli Wine Direct

Israeli Wine Direct brings the finest artisan wines from Israel to American wine lovers.

Founded in 2007 by Chicago entrepreneur Richard Shaffer,  Israeli Wine Direct hand-selects from leading Israeli wine estates such as Clos de Gat, Flam Winery, Margalit and Tzora and sells these wines direct-to-consumer on their online wine store. The company provides a unique platform for high-quality, boutique Israeli wineries to access the U.S. wine market primarily through direct-to-consumer and direct-to-trade channels. Israeli Wine Direct is partnered with leading Napa Valley wine marketing and Internet e-commerce firm Inertia Beverage Group.

Key Facts

• Israel is located in the Eastern Mediterranean where wine culture was born thousands of years ago.

• After centuries of Muslim rule, winemaking was reestablished in what is today Israel by Baron Edmond de Rothschild and Sir Moses Montefiore in the late 19th Century.

• In the past 20 years, more than 100 small, artisan wineries have been established in Israel using modern techniques learned from experience in leading wine regions from around the world.

• A small handful of large commercial Israeli wineries account for 80% of the wine exported to the U.S. and are mostly kosher.

• The remaining 20% are made up of boutique “long tail” producers focused on making world-class wines that are mostly non-kosher.

• Israeli Wine Direct offers the best wines from leading artisan wine estates including Clos de Gat, Flam Winery, Karmei Yosef, La Terra Promessa, Margalit, Meishar Winery, Pelter Winery, Somek Winery, Tzora Vineyards and Yaffo.

• Israeli Wine Direct online wine store - http://www.israeliwinedirect.com

• Israeli Wine Direct blog and podcast - http://israeliwineblog.com

• Download PDF Fact Sheet

Online Resources

• Wikipedia article on Israeli Wine

• “Israel’s Moment In the Sun” by Kim Marcus (Wine Spectator, subscription)

• “Heavenly Wines from the Holy Land” by Robert Parker (BusinessWeek)