Surprised it took me this long...

Here it is! You know you've been waiting for it!

Camisan Winery, Cabernet Sauvignon (2003) Bethlehem, Palestine

I purchased this at the corner store next to where I live. Since then, I've found that most places are carrying the 05 vintage, which explains the slight "turning" sensation. Anyway, here it is, review number 1:

The Cabernet, poured into the closest thing I can find to a wine glass (more like a brandy glass than a wine glass, bulbous and smaller, but will do the trick). A dark-medium dark ruby coloring that would seem pale to those raised on California cabernets; the wine nevertheless bears a nose true to type. More specifically, a slight anise overtone leads to black cherry with an odd blend of tobacco and menthol. When tasted, the wine is apparently already beginning to turn... this is not a wine given to aging, it seems. The tannins are, as expected, smoothed out, but retain a certain gumminess, and the oak only shows its spice on the finish, which still manages to linger on the top of the pallate even while it disappears from the tongue. I cannot describe the taste in the mouth except to say that the wine is past its prime.

Whoops.

I'll try again soon with the 05 vintage, and see if that's a more appropriate launching point into the wines of the Holy Land.

As for now, I've acquired two different kinds of Arak (an anise-based liquor), both brewed locally. I'll have a comparison (I didn't know there could be different Araks.. everything I've had to this point has the same flavor: liquified black licorice) soon.