Daniel Rogov, Israel's most influential wine and food critic, died on Wednesday in Tel Aviv.
He was in his early 70s. The cause of death was lung cancer.
Daniel Rogov’s critiques were broadly considered a seminal force in bringing sophistication to Israeli wine and food.
The New York-born Rogov had written for the newspaper Haaretz since 1984 and, earlier, for The Jerusalem Post. He came to Israel in 1976.
Rogov’s influence was not confined to Israel. His annual Rogov’s Guide to Israeli Wines, also found an audience in America, where Israeli wines, kosher and nonkosher, have been increasingly popular, and in the UK.
The most recent edition, the seventh, was dated 2011. It was accompanied by a smaller volume, Rogov’s Guide to World Kosher Wines.
In late August, when Rogov’s deteriorating health had become generally known, hundreds of members of Israel’s wine and food communities paid tribute to him at a testimonial dinner at a Tel Aviv hotel.
A witty writer and raconteur, Rogov posted his own obituary on his website only hours before his death. He said, ‘This is a difficult letter to write and that because as it posted it will serve to let forum members, guests and friends know that I have died.’
‘Wine and food to me are not simply things that enter our body,’ he wrote. ‘They are a reflection of our anthropology, history, psychology, social needs and, of course, pleasure.’
Image courtesy of www.wines-israel.co.il
Written by Howard G Goldberg in New York
