Cremisan Winery, Baladi

About Cremisan

The Cremisan monastery and winery was founded in 1885 by Fr. Antonio Belloni an Italian Salesian Monk. He opened the wine operation in an attempt to create a revenue source for the monastery’s orphanage.

Cremisan is located on the northern slope of Mount El Ras just outside the city of Bethlehem and only 12k away from Jerusalem. The name Cremisan comes from the Arabic “Kerem Zan” meaning the Vineyard of Zan grapes, an indigenous Palestinian varietal.

Cremisan was the first winery in the region to use indigenous Palestinian grapes, sparking both regional and international interest in Palestinian grapes. Cremisan’s interest in the grapes stemmed from research conducted by now Head Winemaker, Fadi Batarseh. For his university disseration, Fadi studied 64 different grape samples from around Palestine and concluded that Palestine is home to 21 unique genomes. Fadi and the Cremisan team picked the most promising four (Dabouki, Baladi, Hamdani, Jandali) to utlitize commercially.

Description

About the wine

Place: Cremisan Valley, Bethlehem, Palestine (800m)

Grapes: 100% Baladai Aswad (black), an indigenous Palestinian varietal characterized by elliptic black berries

Soil: Limestone

Alcohol: 14% abv

Production: 15,000 bottles (750ml)

Grape Yield: 15hL/Ha

Winemaking: Grapes are handpicked at the beginning of September and de-stemmed into stainless tanks. The grapes are fermented with skins and seeds using selected yeasts. The wine is aged in oak barrels for 14 months before being filtered twice and bottled.

Tasting Notes: Stewed raspberry with plum, cranberry, and hints of forest floor on the nose. Plum, blackberry, stewed strawberry, and red apple skins on the palate. Long, dry finish.

Pairings: Lamb Kofta Kebob

Previous Awards: 2012 vintage was awarded 87 points by Wine Spectator