Standing out as a boutique winery in one of Israel’s best wine growing regions is no easy task. Superb boutiques such as Pelter and Assaf have made a name for themselves and are very much a “must visit” stop when taking the trip up from Israel’s center. A new comer has emerged in recent years in the Golan Heights and these guys have a lot to be proud of.
Kibbutz member and Vintner Steve Applebaum with our group
Kibbutz Ortal is a shareholder in the Golan Heights Winery. For quite some time, there have been several aspiring wine makers in this kibbutz, an easy hobby for members of an agricultural community that grows quite a bit of wine grapes.
One of these aspiring wine makers is Ilan Zaafrani, now days head wine maker of Ortal Winery. Ilan studied wine making in Tel Hai and initially was making small batches at home, he fell in love with the craft and has proposed to his Kibbutz that they would invest in small, kibbutz owned boutique which will be completely separate from The Golan Heights Winery ownership.
Starting from the 2013 harvest, the winery will be sourcing grapes that were planted on Tel Shifon by the kibbutz and especially for their own operation. This is a young winery with only 4 harvests under its belt, but the wines that are coming out of this Kibbutz are certainly of high quality.
The winery is producing varietal oaked Viognier, as well as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Classic varieties that perform well in the volcanic soil and cold winters the Golan has. Our personal favorite in the tasting we held was the 2011 Ga’ash which is a blend of the two, aged in oak for 20 months. This is certainly a winery that we are happy to visit on our Golan Heights Wine tours.
