The Wine Bars of Tel Aviv

The first wine bar to open in Israel, five years ago, was Shaul Evron's "Yo'ezer". Evron set a pattern and in the intervening years several others have opened. At all you can sample a variety of wines by the glass or the bottle (all have a policy of selling bottles at a very reasonable markup). It is true that some offer fairly complex dishes to go with the wines you are sipping and others have offerings somewhat more basic, but at any of those that follow you will find a warm and welcoming atmosphere and any are as good to visit with friends or on one's own, there to enter into conversations about wine and life in general with whomever happens to be sharing the bar or your table with you.

Yo'ezer Wine Bar: Rehov Yo'ezer Ish Ha Bira 2 (opposite the Clock Tower, Jaffa. Sun - Wed 13:00 - 01:00. Thurs - Sat open 24 hours.. Tel: 03 6839115.. With thick stone walls, heavy wood tables and a large wall stacked with wine bottles, this is a place full of charm. Best of all, to complement an excellent selection of wines, the food is always excellent. As first courses try the country-style pate, the tartare of salmon served with a soya and wassabi sauce, or the Salade Nicoise which is made with fresh anchovies and tuna fish. As main courses consider the corned beef (the best in the country, whatever stew is being offered on the day of your visit or the leg of lamb. If the chef has prepared the whole truffles wrapped in pastry do not miss trying these! Depending on what foods and wines you order, prices range from moderate - expensive. ****

Il Barbaresco: Rehov Dizengoff 226, Tel Aviv. Open Sun - Thur 18:00 - 01:00, Friday 12:30 - 18:00, Sat 19:00 - 01:00. Tel (03) 5241616. With a devoted crowd of regulars, this intimate place is designed to make people feel at home as they dine and discuss the wines and food they are sampling. Try the penne pasta that is served with spinach, pine nuts, dried tomatoes and olive oil, the coquilles St. Jacques with mango relish, the calamari with ginger and lime and the thinly sliced roast beef. With the seafood dishes try a Chardonnay or Chablis, with the pasta or the meat go on to a Tuscan red, trying), and then close out with a glass of grappa alongside your espresso coffee. Prices are moderate - high.**

Kohelit: Rehov Hillel HaZaken 8 (near the Carmel Market). Daily 21:00 - 02:00 or later and Fri. afternoons. Tel (03) 5106456. So French is this charming place that it seems a near miracle to find it located in Tel Aviv. A place where people come to do serious socializing and wine-sipping, this is a place with a well thought out wine menu that lists more than 150 wines from eight different countries and with between twelve to twenty-five wines that can be ordered by the glass and the rest by the bottle at prices not much higher than in most wine stores. As at most of the best French wine bars, the wine and the ambiance are the featured attractions and the food takes a distinctly second place. Let that discourage no-one however, for the light offerings here are perfect matches to the wines that one is going to sip. On my own last visit, the first of my own choices during a recent visit was of a simple but absolutely delicious puree of eggplant that had been seasoned with sesame and sunflower seeds. The dish was a perfect match to the glass of dry white Alsace Tokay that I ordered. The second dish I sampled was of a mixed cheese and salami platter. With excellent cheeses from several of the country's best boutique dairies, and three different types of salami, each happily taster, spicier and firmer than the next, I was delighted with a glass of deep red Spanish Rioja. Even the espresso coffee, the bread and the Dutch butter served were tempting. As it should be at wine bars, no-one will hassle you here and you will feel just as welcome whether you are a regular or a first-time visitor and whether you order nothing more than a single glass of the least expensive wine or a bottle of the most expensive offering in the house. Prices are Reasonable - Moderate. **

Tsach's Wine Bar 17 King George St, Tel Aviv. Open Mon - Fri 18:00 - 01:00, Fridays from 21:00. Tel: (03) 6202448. There is absolutely nothing fancy or prestigious about Tsach's Wine Bar. In fact, even though the wood floor, tables, bar and even the shelves that display the wines that are on sale are new and spotlessly clean, there is even something slightly run-down about this place. All of which is just fine, for with very few exceptions the best wine bars of Paris and Bordeaux are precisely this way, the very idea being to avoid extravagant décor in order to make way for the simple enjoyment of the wines that one comes to such places to sip. Whatever, the welcome you get on entering is genuinely warm, the choice of wines, either by the bottle or by the glass is broad and the dishes offered, although simple are quite good. Consider a tasting of three, four or five glasses of wine along with dishes such as garlic-rich grilled portobello mushrooms, a whole eggplant that is grilled, split open and spooned over with yoghurt and, if that is not enough, beef carpaccio or hot smoked goose breast. Homey and fun on your own or with friends. Reasonable - moderate. *

Mokambo 18 Bograshov St. Tel Aviv Open Sun - Thurs 18:30 - 24:00 and on Friday from 11:00 - 24:00. Tel: 03)6208213. Precisely why anyone would want to name a wine bar in Tel Aviv "Mokambo" after a small rural area in Zaire eludes me, but once you have seen the single tribal mask hanging on a back wall there is nothing whatever African about this place. In fact, with two of the staff speaking Italian to each other, a wine list that includes well over 125 Italian wines and a menu that lists dishes based primarily on pasta, this is about as far from rural Africa as you can get. From the dark wood bar, bar stools, tables and chairs to the brick wall, darkened glass windows and subdued lighting everything comes together to give this place a warm, attractive and intimate atmosphere. The wine list includes samples of the wines from at least ten different regions within Italy as well as a good selection of Israeli wines. Many of those wines are of very high quality and some are offered at surprisingly reasonable price and, in addition to ordering by the bottle, one can also select from any of the fourteen wines that are served by the glass. The sommelier at the bar is knowledgeable and is delighted to explain to various customers the intricacies of the wines he was offering. The pasta dishes are acceptable but not exciting (I hope for improvement in the future), but the pleasure here lies in coming to sample of the many wines. Don't forget to close our your meal or tasting session with the good tiramisu and espresso that is offered. Despite the failings in the cookery, a place I rather like and recommend. Prices are reasonable - moderate.

© Daniel Rogov