Wine from Galilee aimed at Christian market
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By staff and wire reports
What would Jesus drink?
Pini Haroz, an Israeli-born Georgia-based wine importer, said he thinks the answer is Grapes of Galilee wine, which he is marketing to American Christians.
Haroz said the label — two portraits of Jesus above the slogan, “Grown Beside the Sea of Galilee, Watered by the Jordan River” — should make the merlot, chardonnay or cabernet sauvignon “a nice present for Christmas.”
Ed Stetzer, director of LifeWay Research, an arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, said Christians should be offended: “Jesus chased people out of the temple for selling products in God’s name. He did not put his name on the label to pump up sales.”
Beyond that, by putting Jesus’ image on bottles of wine, “you’re associating Jesus with getting drunk, and people don’t necessarily want to be doing that,” said Mara Einstein, author of “Brands of Faith: Marketing Religion in a Commercial Age.”
On the other hand, Jesus’ first miracle was turning water into wine at a wedding in Cana.
Recognizing the objections some may have, Haroz’s son Adam issued a statement to clarify the reasoning behind The Grapes of Galilee wine.
“During my travels in Israel I experienced a deeper connection and a better understanding of my Jewish heritage,” Adam wrote in a statement sent to the Journal Star. “Most of my friends back home are Christian, so I couldn’t stop thinking that they should be able to feel the same connection since the land is equally holy for them. When traveling through Galilee I thought of the idea for The Grapes of Galilee wine because I wanted to offer something original and inspirational in the spirit of unity for the various religions that originate from this area.
“I know that we are touching on a sensitive subject. We mean no disrespect to any Christian and hope not to offend anyone,” Adam wrote. “In fact, we are trying to do quite the opposite. … We believe that the Christians who do enjoy wine as a gift from God (Ecclesiastes 9:7, Psalm 104:14,15, Deuteronomy 14:26, Amos 9:14, Isaiah 55:1, Song of Solomon 4:10, 1 Timothy 5:23) will appreciate the value in something that they could use as a celebration of their faith.”
At Vino Libro in Atlanta, Stephen Satterfield, the shop’s food and beverage specialist, said connoisseurs didn’t seem to care about the label. Grapes of Galilee, priced at $13.99 a bottle, is a good wine, Satterfield said, and “sales have been completely unrelated to religion — although some people weren’t sure if it was a gimmick.”
Pini Haroz said he was sure he could convert doubters with the quality of a fermented juice from a land where Jesus lived and preached.
“If he ate grapes or made wine,” Haroz said, “it must have been from these vines.”
The company is advertising the wine in the December issue of Catholic Digest and other religious publications.
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