Cremisan Al-Jather Red, Bethlehem 2025 (750 ml)

100% Baladi Aswad
Place Cremisan Valley, Bethlehem, Palestine
Soil Argilus
Viticulture Dryfarmed, guyout trained
Alcohol: 12% abv
Production: 6,600 bottles

Nestled on the terraced hillsides between Bethlehem and Jerusalem, Cremisan Winery was established in 1885 by Italian missionary Father Antonio Belloni to support local orphanages and fund community education, a humanitarian mission that still guides the historic Salesian estate today. At the cellar's helm, visionary head winemaker Fadi Batarseh has profoundly reshaped the region's viticulture by conducting groundbreaking genetic research to identify and rescue ancient, indigenous Palestinian grape varieties. Marking a new chapter in this deep-rooted history, Batarseh introduces the Al-Jather indigenous natural wine series—Cremisan’s very first foray into the natural wine category.

Al-Jather red is produced by both estate grown Baladi Aswad and the same varietal sources from local farmers in the Bethlehem and Hebron regions of Palestine. The grapes are hand-harvested during the coolest hours of the day to protect their delicate varietal aromas and are vinified completely without added sulfites and relying entirely on wild, native yeasts for fermentation. The fruit is fermented on its skins and seeds before aging for 6 months in neutral oak barrels to yield a fresh, fruit-forward profile of berries, plum, baking spices, and vanilla with soft tannins and lively acidity. The wines is racked two to three times a week to keep the lees in suspension, before being chilled to -4°C for 10 days, filtered, and bottled to offer a raw expression of West Bank Baladi Aswad.

Tasting Notes Fresh and fruity with aromas of berries, plum, baking spices and vanilla.

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.

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