(SmartPlanet) Charlie Osborne - To most eyes, Israel's Negev desert is the worst place to choose to plant anything, much less a vineyard. But 20 years ago Israelis chose the arid Negev to foster a fledgling winemaking industry, with more than two dozen wineries now in operation. Pedro Berliner, director of the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, said drought conditions and the use of water with a high concentration of salt and low level of oxygen produce a sweeter wine. "Plants under stress produce more carbohydrates and so more sugar, which changes the taste of the grape."
2013-07-05 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive