Wines of Biblical Proportions

Long before there were ‘new world’ and ‘old world’ wines, there were ancient wines. Wine from grapes was probably first made in either Georgia or Armenia, in 5,000 BCE. From there, it found its way to Mesopotamia, Babylon, Anatolia, the Phoenicians and of course, across all the lands of the Bible.

It’s hard to ignore the prominence of the drink in the history of the Bible. According to the “Oxford Companion to Wine,” the vine is mentioned more than any other plant – estimated 140 times in the Old Testament alone. When Noah was back on terra firma after the Flood, he immediately planted vineyards and famously ended up getting sloppy amongst the vines. Who can blame him after his heroic ordeal? Much later, Jesus famously turned water into wine to keep a wedding party from running dry (and saving the newlyweds from an epic social faux pas).

The IWFS Capital Branch will be tasting wines made from ancient indigenous grapes from these historic lands – Turkey, Armenia, Georgia, Israel, Lebanon. The wines have been carefully curated from specific regions to pair with the settings of some of the most famous Bible stories and early Christiandom, including Noah, Abraham, David (with Goliath’s brief cameo), and Jesus of Nazareth.

Join us to explore biblical history like never before – by drinking it!

The event will be held at the stunning Kapara restaurant in Soho, with the wines accompanied by a delicious savoury spread.

The event will be led by Tal Sunderland-Cohen, a consultant, lecturer and wine writer. He has written for prominent publications on the subject of Biblical wines, penned a book ‘Wine Trails of Israel’, and is president of a local chapter of food and wine society Chaine De Rotisseurs.

Wines to be served:

2020 Kayra, Buzbağ Rezerv, from Öküzgözü Boğazkere grapes (Anatolia, Turkey)

2021 ArmAs, from Voskehat grape (Aragatsotn, Armenia)

2018 Gvaot Winery, Gofna from Hamdani Jandali grape (Samaria, Israel)

2018 Israel Recanati Winery, from Bittuni grapes (Judean Hills, Israel)

2019 Segal Winery, from Marawi S.V. Kdumim grape (Galilee, Israel)

2021 Chateau Ksara, from Merwah grape (Lebanon)

2019 Vachnadziani Winery, from Qvevri Rkatsiteli grape (Kakheti, Georgia)

2020 Vachnadziani Winery, from Saperavi grapes (Kakheti, Georgia)