City Notes: Raise your glasses at the Galilee Wine Festival

From Rosh Pina's Galilee Wine Festival to Tel Aviv's "Tubi 60 Pop Art Gala," these are the events and places worthy to take note of in the coming weeks.

Get your vino on in the Galilee on May 28-29 (photo credit: ILLUSTRATIVE: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Get your vino on in the Galilee on May 28-29
(photo credit: ILLUSTRATIVE: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
NORTH
The picturesque northern town of Rosh Pina is hosting the seventh annual Galilee Wine Festival on May 28 and 29.
More than 30 wineries from the Galilee and Golan Heights regions are expected to present their products at the event taking place in the town’s Baron Rothschild’s Garden. Festivalgoers can roam the grounds and taste the wines produced by both large and boutique wineries alike.
Food stands run by local eateries will also dot the vicinity. Among the festivities, the band Latin Power featuring singer Italo Gonzalez will provide musical entertainment on the opening night of the festival.
Early sale tickets cost NIS 50; admission at the door is NIS 60. Info: wineland.co.il/index.asp.
CENTER
Get a ‘Foothold’ on art in Tel Aviv, Lod
A unique walking art tour event spanning Tel Aviv and Lod is taking place this weekend for the first time.
The “Foothold” experience, which began Wednesday and will run until tomorrow, presents sound and performance artwork in the form of tours around the two central cities. Tour sites include the Tel Aviv Central Bus Station, the Jaffa Center, the Lod train station, the Lod City Hall and Lod’s haredi neighborhood of Ramat Eshkol. While the two cities both boast mixed Arab and Jewish populations, the event seeks to explore the societal differences between the locales through the lens of art.
The event features tours that correspond with the works of 17 artists, among them Israelis from the Jewish and Arab sectors along with six artists from Spain, Germany, Brazil, Switzerland and Austria.
Based on the B_Tour festival that originated in Berlin in 2003 and expanded to various cities throughout Europe, the Foothold program will also hold panel discussions and special events, along with the exploration of art in the public sphere.
Tours are free and open to the public, but are limited in space and require registration for specific time slots. For more information and registration, visit: b-tour.org/about.html.
Tubi 60 takes on TA art scene
Tubi 60, the Israeli-made citrus liquor that has taken the country’s party scene by storm, has now extended its reach to another domain: art.
Flowing from Tel Aviv’s famous nightlife into the city’s increasingly renowned realm of art, the 4Florentin pop-up gallery yesterday kicked off the “Tubi 60 Pop Art Gala.” The weeklong exhibition features works by more than 25 local artists, including painters, sculptors and graphics and fashion designers.
As with opening festivities, closing events for the alcohol-inspired extravaganza vow to wow with an open bar stocked with the spirit produced in the Haifa area, a cocktail showcase by leading Tel Aviv mixologists and deep jazz-house music spun by DJ Ben Solomon.
All works displayed in the showcase are for sale with proceeds going to participating artists.
4Florentin pop-up gallery, 5 Maon St., Tel Aviv, Sunday to Wednesday 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday noon to 10 p.m. Closing events take place Thursday, May 25, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
SOUTH
Beat the heat at Eilat’s 6th art biennial
The contemporary works of about 100 artists are due to be displayed in Eilat’s sixth Art Biennial on May 30 and 31, coinciding with Shavuot.
The southern Red Sea resort town’s Eilat Iri (My City Eilat) Museum and the municipal Eilat Art Gallery are set to house the creative works of the dozens of painters, potters, street artists, sculptors and photographers. Musical performances and wine tasting will supplement the festive event.
The event serves as a meeting point for artists from the country’s southern regions – Eilat and the Arava Desert – with those from the rest of the country.
Opening the biennial is the exhibition entitled “Female Portraits” by Eilat-based artist Roni Bonim and Shirley Siegal of Lapid, near Modi’in. The unveiling of the showcase will launch the biennial events and run until June 15 at the Eilat Art Gallery.
The biennial events are free and open to the public.
Russian MP drowns in Dead Sea
Russian lawmaker Vasily Tarasyuk died while vacationing in Israel after a rare drowning incident at the Dead Sea early this month, Russian media revealed last week.
The millionaire member of the Russian parliament was pulled from the waters at the lowest point on Earth by lifeguards last Saturday, but was pronounced dead after failed resuscitation attempts by paramedics.
Russian news agency Interfax reported that Tarasyuk, 68, had been visiting the Holy Land during a scheduled hiatus of the Duma.
Tarasyuk had served as a member of the far-right Liberal Democratic Party of Russia and as deputy chairman of the State Duma’s Committee on Natural Resources and Utilization. Russia repatriated his body to Moscow.