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Before I get to today's topic, permit me to stress what this column is not going to be about: kosher wine. I will not, in other words, be able to guarantee that only Sabbath-observant Jews crushed and fermented the tasty products mentioned below.

I am pretty sure the yeasts, tanks and barrels were not meticulously examined by a rabbi to conform with the kashrut dietary laws. Nor, I am quite certain, was a portion of each of the following wines poured away from the vats as a symbol of the tithe once paid to the Temple in Jerusalem.

Not kosher, okay?

What this column is about, as you may have cleverly surmised from the headline and my preamble, is Israeli wine. Good Israeli wine too.

Twenty five years ago, "Israel" and "kosher" were pretty much synonymous when it came to wine. Back then, the industry was mainly niche-driven, working to supply the critical religious market, both domestically and abroad, with sweet sacramental wines and dry table wines suitable for kashrut-observing Jews.

Many of those wines were not only kosher, but also pasteurized (or mevushal) - heated to 80 to 90 C in a symbolic act of defence against paganism, so they could be opened and served at catered religious events by non-Jews. But enough about the past.

Today, a new generation of winemakers, many of them oenology graduates from the famous University of California at Davis, have been applying new technologies, sourcing quality vine stocks from California and setting up boutique operations with a singular focus: great wine.

Israel's modern industry can be traced back to the mid-19th century and the rise of Jewish resettlement. That's when Baron Edmond de Rothschild of Château Lafite, one of Bordeaux's greatest wines, helped to set up the growers co-operative that became the popular sacramental brand Carmel.

But the current quality boom emerged only in the early 1980s. That's when the Golan Heights Winery - Israel's analog to California's pioneering Robert Mondavi Winery - produced its first vintage. Eschewing cheap, Manischewitz-style Concord grapes and unpopular French varieties like petite sirah, Golan Heights sourced quality cuttings of mainstream global varieties such as cabernet sauvignon, merlot and chardonnay.

Now one of the country's biggest wineries, with labels including Yarden, Katzrin and Gamla, Golan Heights has been the inspiration for dozens of smaller entrants targeting mainly the non-kosher market. A few have also begun experimenting with pinot noir, zinfandel and even noble Italian varieties such as nebbiolo and sangiovese.

There are now more than 150 wineries in Israel (versus about nine times that, or 1,350, in California) producing more than 36 million bottles of non-sacramental wine annually. Not bad for a tiny country of 8,000 square miles that could fit inside California 20 times. A combination of hot, dry days and cool nights, particularly in the regions north of Jerusalem, give the country superb growing conditions for wine grapes.

Although, per capita Israeli consumption has doubled from about four litres a decade ago to about eight litres today, the domestic market has already become saturated. Which, to be perfectly selfish, is good news for those of us in the export markets.

The quality players in particular have recently begun to court discriminating foreign consumers by staging trade fairs and signing on foreign importers.

Today, the LCBO in Ontario is releasing six Israeli wines as part of its twice-monthly Vintages fine-wine release, all from smaller producers and just one certified as kosher (that would be Yatir Forest 2003, by the way, $49.95, product 035055).

My unequivocal favourite is Margalit Cabernet Franc 2004 ($39.95, No. 035030). It's a gem from one of Israel's most highly regarded small producers. A blend of 88 per cent cabernet franc with 12 per cent cabernet sauvignon, it tastes like a cross between an earthy Bordeaux and a fruit-forward California cabernet, with none of the stemminess sometimes associated with the cabernet franc grape. Full-bodied, velvety and impressively complex, it leads off with ripe plum and chocolate, underpinned by nuances of tobacco, smoke, spice and the slightest hint of green pepper.

My second-favourite is Flam Classico Red 2005 ($27.95, No. 035105), a blend of cabernet sauvignon and merlot. The nose starts off a bit funky, to be candid, with a sort of barnyard-and-sweat nuance to it. But on the palate it's fresh and fruity, full-bodied with notes of ripe cherry, earth and chewy tannins. Decant if possible.

Arguably the most modern-styled of the bunch is Vitkin Carignan 2005 ($19.95, No. 035071), an inky purple-red with the vanilla smoothness you might expect from 14 months in new French oak barrels. There's a hint of fresh herbs here peeking through ample fruit core suggesting blackberry, cherry and plum. Not hugely complex, but nicely made.

I might have neglected to mention the next wine purely on the basis of its price-to-quality ratio (which is a tad high), but I admire spirit behind Tulip Just Cabernet 2005 ($19.95, No. 035097). The family-owned Tulip winery near Nazareth employs people with developmental disabilities (hence its motto: "Wine that loves people"), and the crew has done a fine job with this cuvee. Medium full-bodied and arguably more herbal than fruit-driven, it sports fine, astringent tannins and good balance.

You can get more information about the above wines from Paul Lokash of Vintage Wines, an Ontario agent specializing in the new boutique wineries of the Holy Land: 416-922-3950. Mr. Lokash and representatives from another agency, B&W Wines, will help host several Israeli winemakers today (from 1 to 5 p.m.) and tomorrow (from noon to 4 p.m.) at the big Summerhill liquor store at 10 Scrivener Sq. in Toronto (e-mail plokash@on.aibn.com).

You can also learn more about Israel's wine industry from a new and crisply written annual pocket guide by Daniel Rogov called Rogov's Guide to Israeli Wines ($26.95, http://www.tobypress.com).

Turning to the other wines in today's LCBO Vintages release, I was impressed with the quality and classic character of Stonier Pinot Noir 2004 ($25.95, No. 025338). Australia disappoints more often than succeeds with fickle pinot noir, a thin-skinned grape that tends to choke and shrivel in the blistering heat of the country's predominantly sunny, southern wine-growing regions. This one, from the relatively cool Mornington Peninsula in Victoria province, is seductively fresh, with crisp acidity complementing the ripe berry flavours and silky texture. Oak adds just the right amount of heft. Excellent length too.

Speaking of pinot noir, it's not often one finds a mature red Burgundy on the shelves. Normally, you'd have to do the maturing yourself or take your chances on a questionably cellared, and almost certainly overpriced, bottle at auction. Remoissenet Pere & Fils Givry 1999 ($31.95, No. 036053) is showing its age in the form of prune-like, dried fruit character, but there's still lots of fresh berry-like character here, particularly on the nose, in this well-made pinot noir from a good producer in a great vintage.

Even better is a slightly older white from the same producer, Remoissenet Pere & Fils Meursault 1998 ($39.95, No. 036079). Once again, you can taste the maturity, with it's sherry-like, tangy oxidative character, but it's all good. Full-bodied and buttery, the wine shows nuances of red apple and honey, with well-balanced acidity on the crisp, long finish. Not to all tastes, but if you like white Burgundy with some hair on it, you should find this a fetching buy.

bcrosariol@globeandmail.com