Based on the fruits’ genes, Salmon-Divol can tell a lot about the wine they produced.
“You want to know what this wine looked like, which wine King David drank, white or red,” she said. “We can see if it’s red or white, strong or weak.”
Drori’s research has shown that native Israeli grapes are different from those grown in Italy and France. He says Israeli grapes are most like those in Greece, likely owing to ancient Mediterranean trade routes.
Drori is vinting his wines purely for research, but hopes Israeli wineries will use the indigenous species — as long as they’re not sacrificing their wines’ taste.
“We want wine that’s good because of its quality and its story,” he said. “Our goal is to interest the vineyards to bring the antique species back.”