If you really want to understand how wine is produced, though, you need to actually go to a winery and check it out firsthand.
By MEITAL SHARABIThe Kishor Winery(photo credit: YAIR UNA)
Last week the Mediterranean International Wine & Spirits Challenge-TerraVino celebrated its 10th anniversary and held its annual Grape Man contest. Contestants submitted hundreds of wines from around the world, and of course from Israel, and a professional wine tasting contest was held. Although the contest was not open to the public, everyone was invited afterwards to meet the people involved in the production of Israeli wines.If you really want to understand how wine is produced, though, you need to actually go to a winery and check it out firsthand. The following is a list of five of the top wineries that participated in the contest.Tura Winery Founded in 2003 by Vered and Erez Ben Sa’adon, Tura Winery is located in the village of Rehalim, a religious community in Samaria. Granted, you normally wouldn’t imagine that you’d find a successful winery located there, but once you visit and see how tranquil it actually is in Samaria, it all seems to make more sense. They produce their wines from grapes they grow locally in private vineyards at an altitude of 850 meters above sea level. The high altitude and the unique location (it’s not far from Nablus) are ideal conditions for growing wine grapes. Tura is a family operation, and is similar to small wineries commonly found in Tuscany.It follows then that the Sa’adon family pay visitors lots of attention when they come to take a tour of their winery, and are happy to answer questions while guests taste their wines in the wine cellar.During the tour, guests will also be invited to taste olive oil.Price: NIS 15 per person. One-hour tours, which include tastings of three different wines and olive oil, cost NIS 25 per person.Location: Rehalim.Hours: Sunday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.Registration required: 052-796-6613.Rota Winery The legend of the Rota Winery is one of the most moving stories I’ve heard in a while. It all began when an artist named Erez Rota Sishoka heard the voice of the desert calling him, and so he decided to build a farm on which he could fulfill his dreams, which included producing wine. He constructed his farm on the ancient spice route, a short distance from Kibbutz Revivim. Rota didn’t choose this location randomly – he built his farm on the ruins of an ancient Byzantine farm. And in an effort to prove that the desert was bountiful so long ago, Rota planted his vines on the terraces that were built 1,400 years ago. The wonderful desert climate is warm and dry during the day and cool at night – ideal conditions for growing grapes.During the hour-long tour of Rota Winery, guests will visit the vineyard, taste the grapes fresh off the vine, and hear about how grapes are grown in the desert.And of course, there is a wine tasting at the end.Price: NIS 350. Another option is a two-hour tour of the statue garden and a discussion about art with artist Erez Rota.This tour includes a wine tasting. Price: NIS 120.Location: Rota Farm, Ramat NegevPre-registration required: 054-496-8703 .Kishor WineryWines seem to taste so much more striking and memorable when you know the interesting story behind them. Kishor is a boutique winery that is connected with Kishorit, a home in the Western Galilee for adults with special needs. The winery has been in operation since 2007, and uses grapes grown on site.The winery is located in the Galilee hills, from which there is an incredible view and the air is crisp and cool.Kishorit residents are actively involved in picking the grapes on a regular basis for the winery.Tours of Kishor Winery begin at Kishorit where participants can take a moment to look out at the gorgeous Galilee below. Next, guests are shown a short film about the village and its wonderful residents, then taste some wine, and hear about the wine production process. When the weather permits, tours include a walk through the vineyards. In addition, guests are welcome to have brunch on location, during which wine, of course, is served.Location: Kishorit, Kibbutz Kishor.Hours: Sunday to Thursday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.Friday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.Pre-registration required: (04) 908-5198 or 052-870-1279.Tishbi Winery With a connection to wine that spans more than 100 years and kinship with Baron Edmond de Rothschild and Haim Nahman Bialik mixed with lots of passion and love, Tishbi Winery recently celebrated 30 years of winemaking. The Tishbi family put down its roots in the area in the 19th century when Michael Tishbi planted the first vineyard for the Baron Rothschild. A hundred years later, his great-grandson Yonatan Tishbi also found himself swept up into the thrill of winemaking and he soon began producing wine himself.Nowadays, his son Golan is continuing on with the family tradition as the winery’s chief vintner. Tishbi’s vineyards are spread all around the country in an effort to achieve optimal growth conditions for each type of grape.Tishbi Winery’s new visitors center and winery are located at the top of the hill, and to reach it you will need to drive up the winding road from Binyamina to Zichron Ya’acov. Guests will be treated to quality valrhona chocolate in addition to tastes of wine, which blend together nicely on your tongue. Guests are also welcome to taste the brandy, which is distilled in copper and brass containers.Price of wine tasting: NIS 15. Price of wine tasting plus chocolate: NIS 40.Location: Tishbi, Road 652, between Zichron Ya’acov and Binyamina.Hours: Sunday to Thursday, 10 a.m., 12 noon and 2 p.m.Pre-registration required: 04-628-8195 .Benhaim Winery The family winery with the most interesting story is the veteran Benhaim Winery. This boutique winery is in the most unusual location – Ramat Hasharon – and it produces 35,000 bottles a year.Due to its urban location, Benhaim uses grapes that were grown in Mount Meron in the Upper Galilee.The chief vintner is Itai Benhaim, the son of founders Eli and Ruth Benhaim. The winery has been in operation since 1997, at which time the founders turned their home-based hobby into a fully fledged business. Ruth grew up in a family that made aliya from Romania, where they used to manufacture wooden barrels, so producing wine came naturally to her. When her family moved to Israel soon after the War of Independence, they opened a similar business in Migdal Ha’emek.If you visit Benhaim Winery on a Friday night you will be in for a special Shabbat treat: in addition to wine and cheese tasting, you will enjoy incredible music.Itai is on site to welcome guests and regale them with interesting anecdotes and facts about wine. Entrance is free. If you're interested in a guided tour in which you’ll learn all about the aging process, barrels and cellars, tanks and how the winery was created, call to make a reservation at: (03) 534-6748.Location: 6 Hasaraf Street, Ramat Hasharon. Hours: Sunday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. until an hour before Shabbat (for regular visits).
Related Tagswinery
if(catID != 151){
var cont = `Take Israel home with the new Jerusalem Post Store