The Golan Heights Winery has launched a new wine called Yarden 2T (Two T) from the 2008 vintage. The wine is a blend of 50% Touriga Nacional and 50% Tinta Cao, both of which are Portuguese grapes, now being grown on the Golan Heights in the Yonatan vineyard at an elevation of 700 meters. The wine was aged in French oak barrels for 18 months. It is full bodied with aromas of cherries, plums with a slightly flowery backdrop mingling with the vanilla from oak aging. The name is taken from the first letters of the two varieties.

The Golan Heights Winery, ever the pioneer of new grape varieties in Israel, has now introduced these Portuguese varieties to Israel. They first considered these varieties in the late nineties, and finally planted them in the mid 2000's. Gamay Noir, Gewurztraminer, Merlot, Muscat Canelli, Nebbiolo, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, Syrah, Viognier, and White Riesling were other varieties first introduced to Israel by the Golan Heights Winery.

Touriga Nacional is the national variety of Portugal. It used in Ports and also for table wines in the Douro and Dao regions. It is a variety which produces full bodied wines of structure, with strong tannins and aromas of black fruit. Tinta Cao is both lesser known and less fashionable. It is also used in Port blends. Victor Schoenfeld, winemaker of the Golan Heights Winery, refers to it as more like Pinot Noir. It is certainly lighter, fruitier and more aromatic. Together they make an interesting and unique blend.

The Israeli wine revolution has been built on Bordeaux varieties, and in particular Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. In the last ten years, Shiraz has been introduced in a big way. Now there is interest in returning to the existing Mediterranean varieties like old vine Carignan and Petite Sirah and introducing new clones of Grenache and Mourvedre. However it was not laid down that the new varieties suitable for a Mediterranean climate had to come from France! This Portuguese initiative will be of enormous interest to Israeli wine connoisseurs and other wineries will be watching closely.

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