Marawi (grape)

Marawi, also known as Hamdani, is a white grape variety indigenous to the Southern Levant. Menahem de Lonsano mentioned it as one of the wine varieties available in Jerusalem in the 17th century.^[1]

In the 2010s, researchers at Ariel University undertook field work to locate ancient indigenous grape varieties mentioned in historical sources, including the Marawi grape, which had survived as a table grape.^[2] In 2014, two wineries released wines made from this grape: Recanati winery, which produced an initial batch of around 2,480 bottles presented internationally,^[3] and Cremisan Cellars, located in the Cremisan valley between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, which made wine from Hamdani and Jandali grapes grown in the Hebron and Bethlehem areas.^[1] The effort was noted as among the first commercial releases using grapes believed to have ancient roots in the Levant,^[3] and wine commentators described the project as a significant step in reconnecting contemporary viticulture in the region with its historical past, as indigenous varieties had largely been supplanted by European grapes in previous centuries.^[4]