Celebrate the bounty of wine at Israel Museum
Join a refreshing summer experience in the spectacular garden of the Israel Museum, with the best produce the Israeli boutique wines have to offer.
Guests of the 2023 Wine Festival are welcome to taste a wide selection of fine Israeli wines from the best local wineries, food stalls, and live performances that will take place in the museum garden. At the entrance to the festival, you will receive a personal glass of wine, which you can fill while visiting the wineries' stalls and sampling a variety of white, red, rosé wines, and more.
You can taste as much as you want, as well as attending all the live shows.
In addition, a special store will be placed in the complex during the festival, offering all the wines presented at the festival, for purchasing at special prices.
What's new this year?
The Archaeology Department of the Israel Museum will incorporate for the first time the "Feast" exhibition at the Wine Festival.
After all, 5,000 years ago, wining and dining were social mechanisms and status symbols used to establish the unwavering influence of the king and the ruling aristocracy.
Thousands of years ago, alcohol and especially wine were of significance in life. We all know the phrase from the Book of Esther, Chapter 1, Verse 7:" Wine was served in goblets of gold, each one different from the other, and the royal wine was abundant, in keeping with the king’s liberality."
One of the most prominent exhibits in the 'Feast' exhibition is a pitcher of wine excavated in the Canaanite Palace warehouses in the avocado groves of Kibbutz Kabri. This is one of the jars found in the excavations, presented in the exhibition at the Israel Museum for the first time.
The pitcher dates to the Middle Bronze Age, 18th century BC! According to ancient texts, this is a type of spiced wine used by the great kings of the era who lived on the banks of the Euphrates (today's Syria). In short, this was the beverage of kings.
Another fascinating exhibit is the inscription board, from the beginning of the third millennium B.C., which was specially loaned for an exhibition from the Louvre Museum in Paris. On the panel you can see a description of a scene from a royal banquet in which the servants serve drinks to the nobility who sit on royal chairs, holding cups. Such plaques used to be fixed on the walls of temples both as decoration and dedication to the gods. Officiating was part of the upper classes' function; only they could present themselves in such a way on the walls of the temples near the gods.
Where to Stay in Jerusalem
Looking for accommodation while you're in town for the Wine Festival 2023? Check out our complete listings!
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Restaurants in Jerusalem
Don't go to the festival on an empty stomach! There are plenty of amazing restaurants across Jerusalem, whether you're looking for a quick bite, or something romantic!
