Barak Yitzhaki, Author at Israel Wine Tour

Discover the Underground Crusader City of Akko – Acre

Barak Yitzhaki — Sun, 25 Jan 2026 13:35:32 +0000

Akko (Acre) is one of Israel’s most extraordinary UNESCO World Heritage Sites—a city where history is stacked layer upon layer, and where every stone tells a different story. Beneath the vibrant streets of the Old City, lies one of the best-preserved Crusader fortresses ever discovered. Above it once stood a feared prison. And around it all, a living Mediterranean port city continues to thrive.

Few places in Israel illustrate the passage of empires quite like Akko.

A City Built on Top of Itself

At street level, Akko appears unmistakably Ottoman. Its massive walls, bustling markets, and working harbor reflect the fortified port city that famously withstood Napoleon Bonaparte’s siege in 1799, halting his eastward march and changing the course of Middle Eastern history.

But the true wonder of Akko lies beneath—and above.

The Crusader Halls – Akko’s Underground Marvel

The highlight of any visit to Akko is the Underground Crusader City, built in the 12th–13th centuries by the Knights Hospitaller. Hidden for hundreds of years, these monumental halls were only rediscovered and excavated in the modern era.

The visit begins in the Dungeon, where knights who violated the strict rules of the order were imprisoned. From there, visitors walk through:

Crusader-era streets buried beneath later construction
A vast refectory (dining hall) with soaring vaulted ceilings
The impressive Grand Hall, built on a monumental scale that reflects the power and wealth of the Crusader Kingdom

A Fortress of Stone and Silence

Located on the northwestern side of the Old City, the halls form part of the Crusader fortress complex. Built from massive stone blocks with thick pillars and high vaults, the halls remained naturally cool—an architectural response to Akko’s humid coastal climate.

This complex served as the operational heart of the Knights Hospitaller:

A dining hall
Administrative center
Military and hospital compound

Although excavations began during the British Mandate, the Crusader Halls as we experience them today have only been open to the public for about 20 years, making them one of Israel’s most remarkable archaeological revelations.

From Knights to Prisoners: A Stark Historical Irony

One of Akko’s most powerful historical twists is that directly above the Crusader halls stood an Ottoman prison, later used by the British.

In the 1870s, this prison held Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of the Baháʼí Faith, who was exiled and imprisoned here by the Ottoman authorities. From this place of confinement emerged teachings that would spread worldwide, making Akko a sacred destination for Baháʼís today.

Decades later, during the British Mandate period, the same prison held Ze’ev Jabotinsky, the Zionist leader, intellectual, and founder of Revisionist Zionism.

Few places in the world so vividly demonstrate how a medieval Crusader fortress became an Ottoman prison, then a British jail—each era imprisoning those it feared most.

From Stone Walls to Spices and Sea Air

After resurfacing from the underground halls, our tour continues through Akko’s Ottoman open market, a sensory celebration of spice stalls, bakeries, and some of Israel’s most famous hummus restaurants.

The All-Access Akko Experience

The combined Akko ticket includes entry to the Hammam, An ancient Turkish bathhouse, where a compelling audiovisual presentation tells the story of Ahmad al-Jazzar, Akko’s powerful Ottoman ruler.

We then continue to the historic port area, visiting Khan al-Umdan, the beautifully restored caravanserai overlooking the sea. Nearby stands Akko’s iconic Clock Tower, once a guesthouse and now being converted into a boutique hotel—where history meets renewal.

But wait—Akko also carries a deeply meaningful Jewish story, often overlooked by visitors rushing between Crusader halls and Ottoman markets.

One highlight is the Tunisian Synagogue (Or Torah Synagogue), one of the most visually striking synagogues in Israel. Its interior is covered with over 150 colorful mosaics, each depicting biblical scenes, Jewish holidays, symbols, and verses. The synagogue is a living work of art and a testament to the North African Jewish heritage that became part of Akko’s modern identity.

Another important stop is the Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (Ramchal) Synagogue, dedicated to one of the most remarkable Jewish thinkers of the 18th century. Luzzatto—philosopher, kabbalist, poet, and author of Mesillat Yesharim—spent most of his life in Italy, but in his final years he was active in Akko, where he taught and wrote until his death.

His presence here reminds us that Akko was not only a city of empires and armies, but also a place of spiritual creativity and Jewish intellectual life.

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Visiting Igudan and Israel’s Water Recycling Facilities

Barak Yitzhaki — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 11:45:27 +0000

Funnel pools. Secondary sludge turns into Methane gas and ultimately into electricity

Visiting Igudan and Israel’s Water Recycling Facilities

When people think of Israel, they often imagine ancient history, vibrant cities, and incredible food — but few realize that this small country is also a global pioneer in water technology.

Nearly 90% of Israelis drink desalinated water every day. On my wine tours, we often visit non-irrigated vineyards and talk about how Israel turned its water scarcity into an innovation story. Guests who were picked up in Tel Aviv that morning are often surprised to learn that the water they brushed their teeth with just a few hours earlier had only recently completed its final desalination stage before flowing from the tap.

Years ago, Israel made the bold and costly decision to invest heavily in seawater desalination. But desalination is only part of the story. When it comes to recycling and reusing wastewater, Israel leads the world — treating and reclaiming more than 85% of its sewage water for agricultural use.

One of the most impressive examples is the Shafdan Wastewater Treatment and Recycling Plant, located just west of Rishon LeZion in central Israel. Serving about 2.5 million people, Shafdan is jointly owned by seven municipalities and also supports nearby towns and industrial zones. Its operation dates back to the late 1960s, and by 1987, Israel had completely stopped discharging untreated sewage into the Mediterranean Sea.

The process at Shafdan is fascinating. While wastewater spends less than 24 hours in the treatment facility, it takes almost a full year for it to complete the cycle — traveling underground to the Negev Desert, where it’s purified further through natural filtration and ultimately used to irrigate farmland and vineyards.

The Shafdan Visitor Center offers guided tours that include an engaging audiovisual presentation about the facility’s technology, environmental challenges, and Israel’s water revolution. The tour concludes with a walk through the actual plant — a rare opportunity to see firsthand how Israel turns wastewater into a national resource.

This visit can easily be included as part of a day tour exploring Israel’s innovation, sustainability, and environmental leadership — or even paired with a visit to nearby wineries that benefit from these groundbreaking water systems.

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Visiting Sderot, Nova Festival and the Gaza Envelope

Barak Yitzhaki — Sun, 14 Jan 2024 07:27:11 +0000

Visiting Sderot, Nova Festival and the Gaza Envelope

As late December approached, we received several requests to bear witness and visit some of the sites that have been affected on October 7th. Multiple Kibbutzim, Sderot, Netivot, Ofakim and a handful of military bases were attacked on the morning of October 7th. The site of the Nova Festival was initially shelled and as people were fleeing from the festival, Hamas militia brutally shot and kidnapped festival particpants . 364 Israelis were killed by Hamas and 40 more were abducted at Nova Festival.

In July 2023 I was guiding a 10 – day Geopolitical tour of Israel for Campus Leaders from Florida. As a part of the curriculum, we visited Sderot for a lookout of the Gaza strip. We also included a visit to the “Caterpillar Playground”. You see, Sderot has been under rocket threat from Hamas since 2001, All you have once an alarm called “red code” is heard, is 12 to 15 seconds to get into a bomb shelter. The city has supplied hundreds of cubicle cement structures that have been painted in colorful drawings. This is also the reasoning behind the unique playground. If kids are playing outside and a siren is heard, this caterpillar saves lives.

In July we also took a tour of Kibbutz K’far Aza with Chen Kotler. Chen was born and raised in in the Kibbutz and she used to take guests on a tour of the kibbutz and tell them about life under the threat of rockets. Chen was on a trip on October 7th and was not in the Kibbutz. She survived.

For the time being Kfar Aza and Be’eri are closed military zones. The residents of these Kibbutzim have not returned and it may take a couple years before kibbutz members will return. We know that houses that are unlivable will be torn down and that the members of Be’eri will not be returning to the same homes they woke up in on October 7th.

What can we see on a visit to this area?

As we drive South from we can see and discuss two large cities. Ashdod and Ashkelon. There are north of 350K residents in the two cities combined and both have strategic facilities such as a major port , an electricity plant supplying power to the Gaza Strip and water de salinization plant providing water to Gaza Envelope and the Gaza strip [the fact that Israeli is supplying both is a topic of heated debates among Israelis]

In Sderot we visit a lookout of the town of Beit Hanoun in the Gaza Strip, the site of the police station which had a significant battle in it for the first 36 hours of the war, claiming the lives of over 20 Sderot police officers and 60 civilians.

Menora made of rockets fired at Sderot previously

As we leave Sderot, we will have the opportunity to see two sites to which cars of the Nova Festival attendees have been toed to . Some cars have been burned down , others have been run over by tanks. One lot has the pickup trucks and motorcycles used by Hamas to execute the attack on October 7th.

Burned cars of Nova Festival attendees

As one drives toward the site of the Nova Festival, You bear witness to the damage some of the Kibbutzim have sustained. Barns that have been hit with a rocket directly can be seen from the road. On the sides of the road one sees traces of fires that began as a result of rocket fire from October 7th.

The site there today is very touching. There are thousands of blooming Anemones this time of year [February – March] , in addition, on Tu Bis’hvat JNF has planted a new forest, steps from the dancing area of the festival , in which a tree has been planted for every victim of the festival. At this point, families have decorated the pillars that initially stood on the dance floor with a single picture of every victim or hostage taken from there. There are hundreds of photos that have been hung, notes to victims written on stone and more. We would explore the site of the festival , talk a bit about some of the first responders and the victims as well.

Entrance to Nova Site

When we leave the Nova site we would continue the drive South and bear witness to the Shelter outside Kibbutz Re’im. We will recount the heroic acts of Anner Shapira on the morning of October 7th saving lives of others and paying with his own.

As we return toward Netivot , we would have an opportunity to stop at “Shuva Brothers” a soldier feeding station that was created the morning of October 7th and is still operational on a volunteer basis. An opportunity to speak to the soldiers and witness the Israeli spirit of volunteering and helping each other out , which has been seen throughout Israeli society since October 7th.

There has been so many heroic stories that took place on October 7th. The story of Shuva Brothers is certainly an inspirational one. The village of Shuva is located just outside Netivot. On October 7th the IDF decided to conduct medical evacuations from the Shuva interchange [basically a safe spot to land helicopters if needed and stabilize critical injuries. The Shuva Brothers initially helped with medical efforts outside thier village. This field infirmary turned into a soldier feeding station where they can take a break, have a meal, get coffee and if they need any supplies, sundries or gear, they can get those completely free of charge. A heart warming effort, feeding thousands of soldiers each day. Shuva Brothers take on 6 -12 volunteers in a day and it is open 24 hours a day for the soldiers. We washed dishes and arranged food for lunch. It was an honor and a pleasure working with Dror!

Dror and his brother from Shuva Achim

We are licensed, insured and armed tour guides [both Alon and I served over 80 days in reserves since October 7th]. Guiding you in the Gaza envelope allows us to stay in the profession we love so much and support our families. Email us for a quote and any information you may need.

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Post October 7th

Barak Yitzhaki — Sun, 31 Dec 2023 10:21:19 +0000

Since October 7th, Alon and I have been called up on reserve duty and we are only now finishing our service. We both wanted to thank you for the heart warming emails and messages you have sent us in the weeks after the October 7th attack on Israel.

In the past weeks, we are seeing a rise in visitors to Israel who are coming to show their support, volunteer and learn about the events of October 7th. We were especially touched by a visit of a Jewish mother and her teenage daughter who have never been to Israel before, but have chosen to come now and volunteer. At their request, we volunteered in the Gaza Envelope, in a refreshment station for soldiers who are fighting in Gaza. On our break, we drove to the site of the Nova Festival where hundreds of Israelis were killed on October 7th.

While we are heartbroken over the war and the casualties, we are proud and encouraged by the spirit of the Israelis who have elevated themselves and are going out of their way to help and contribute to all those who have been affected by the war.

There are dozens of volunteer opportunities in farming, food packing, assisting in soldier refreshment stations and more. Please email us to find out more.

Sincerly Alon and Barak

site of the Nova Festival , where 364 Israelis were killed and 40 others adducted by Hamas

Volunteering at Shuva Achim, soldier refreshment station near Netivot

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2023 Harvest Updates – Judean Hills

Barak Yitzhaki — Sun, 06 Aug 2023 10:48:09 +0000

Harvest is on its way as Israel is experiencing a challenging time . The Judean Hills boutique producers we work with including Zafrirm, Sphera and Agur have been showing both resilience and optimism by doubling down and planting new vineyards and new varieties ahead of Harvest.

Zafririm

Lori and Shaike Lender continue to produce great blends and one of two great Zinfandels [along Seahorse] in the country. The winery has been planting Chenin Blanc and Cab Franc, the latter would come in handy for Lori’s Rose which sells out very early in the season.

In 2022 Lori decided to produce a Wild Syrah [fermented only with its natural Yeast] This has become a great, light Summer red for this winery, For those of us who are patient and or enjoy a complex heavier red The 2017 Patom ,is ready and is absolutely remarkable now.

Sphera

Doron Rav Hon and Sima continue to be one of the top white wine producers in the country. in 2022 the winery grew to 50K production. Doron has started a new Chardonay based sparkling wine, an endeavor that will take roughly 3 years. The winery will harvest a Judean Hills Sauvignon Blanc for the first time this summer. Up until today , all their fruit was coming from the vicinity of the winery in the village of Givat Yeshayahu and the Sauv Blanc was coming from the Upper Galilee. As our friend Shuki Yashuv of Agur winery likes to say “ wine is not high tech. It most certainly is not low tech either, it is slow tech!” Now there all their grapes are local and we are very curious what the 2023 vintage will be like for our friends at Sphera!

Agur

Time flies , it has already been a bit more than 2 years since Elad Katz has joined this winery and brought in Eyal Drory as its head winemaker. In 2022 Agur leaped to 70K bottles a year from roughly twnery thousand. Eyal procured sold whites , a rose that has gained a following and a superb carbonic maceration Kessem which has no less than 5 varieties, one of which is Garnacha Tintorera.

Both Agur and Sphera spent the weeks ahead of harvest planting a Greek variety by the name of Assyrtiko. A veriery that does well in the heat, has a lot of minerality and could do very well in the Judean Hills. We wish everyone a great harvest and a thriving democracy.

Shuki Yashuv left , Elad Katz and Eyal Drory planting

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Northern Israel itinerary of Spring Blossom and Culinary Joy

Barak Yitzhaki — Wed, 12 Apr 2023 20:14:10 +0000

While Israel Wine Tour specializes in custom tailored tours to boutique wineries, on the first two years in which I have been a certified tour guide, I have tried leading as many different types of tours as possible. My heart still beats strongly every opportunity I get to guide in the old city of Jerusalem. Birthright and Geo Political tours have certainly led me to the Capital a couple days each week and for that, I feel fortunate.

We recently received a request for a 3 day tour in Northern Israel over the month of March in which the focal point was to experience spring blossom, great views, and excellent food. This tour was so much fun to plan and lead.

We started off with a drive to Taninim Stream just outside Jisr Az-Zarqa and Caesarea. This national park has beautifully preserved aqueducts that the 10th Legion of the Roman Empire had built in an effort to transport water to Caesarea, the Capital of the Roman Province of Judea. The Israeli park and recreation authority have repurposed flour mills that operated there in Byzantine times. There is a short hike that we were able to take and not only did we see breathtaking flowers, but quite a bit of migratory birds as well. The nearby fish farms of Kibbutz Ma’agan Michael supply some of the food the birds are drawn to.

From Taninim stream, we continued for a coffee overlooking the vineyards of Sadot Estate Winery and from there we kept heading east to Jordan Star National Park.

Jordan Star provided us with an incredible view of the Jordan valley which in March is green and lush as well as beautiful flowers. This park is famous for two major things. One is a sculpture garden with the works of Israeli Sculpture Igal Tumarkin. The other major attraction is Belvoir Castle , Israel’s only complete Crusader Fortress, with a beautiful moat around it and built with Bazalt stones some of which in second and third use back in 1168. This fortress was used by the Hospitaller order and it endured a siege of 18 months by Saladin.

We concluded this day with a five course lunch at Rutenberg, A farm to table, locally grown , ever changing menu spearheaded by a lovely couple, Hila and Izhar Sahar. This is a restaurant not to be missed. An incredible experience.

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Visiting Tzipori National Park

Barak Yitzhaki — Mon, 18 Apr 2022 10:21:29 +0000

Why we love guiding at Zippori Archeological Park

We believe the proper way to start a day in a beautiful archaeological park, is on a full stomach. As we are first and foremost a wine tour company, we chose to start at Sadot Estate Winery for an incredible breakfast with a view of their vineyards. Platters of local cheese, smoked fish, salads from Greek to Burrata, freshly baked breads and the best coffee one can find in the Jezreel Valley, truly set the tone for the great day ahead.

Tzipori is full of contradictions. On one hand, a place where the Jews surrendered to the Roman Empire, and as a result, the city was unharmed during the Great Revolt. On the other hand, Tzipori is where the Mishna, one of the most important and commonly found books in the Jewish cupboard, was signed by Rabbi Yehuda Hanasie in 300 AD.

More contradictions are found in the Acropolis of the city. On one hand, Jewish residences easily identifiable by the dozens of Mikvao’t [Jewish ritual baths] all in close proximity to a Roman Compound, a sizable Roman Theater, and a Roman Villa are all found one next to the other. Jews and Roman soldiers lived side by side here.

After the fall of Jerusalem and Masada by the hands of the Roman Empire, the importance of Tzipori for the Jews grew. It became the center for the Sanhedrin and the abundance of Jews in this city is believed to be the reasons why there were 17 Synagogues found there.

The additional name for Tzipori is the City of the Mosaics, as there are over 40 elaborate and colorful mosaics, the most impressive of which are from early 3rd Century and onto 5th Century Byzantine work.

It is believed that the large abundance of mosaics in the Nile House were for decoration purposes and as a physical portfolio from which out of towners could order custom made mosaics to their city. In the Roman Villa of Tzippori the most impressive mosaic is found in a Triclinium made with over 3 million stones in 23 different natural colors. This is where the Mona Lisa of the Galilee can be found.

After exploring the Crusader era tower and the view from its roof, we continue to explore the audio visual program in the main 5th Century Synagogue with exquisite Zodiac Mosaic. Unique on account of having the sign itself as well as the name for it in Hebrew readable to this very day.

We love finishing our day in the park by visiting the ancient water system. As the city surrendered to the Roman Empire. A system of aqueducts was built in order to supply the city with water. The Romans had built the water system so on one side of it the soil is rather soft chalk where the Nazareth Mountain range is made of harder limestone. The water system has each stone covered according to its ability to retain water. A 6 pier system is walkable and very neat to explore by foot.

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Visiting Anu – Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv

Barak Yitzhaki — Tue, 08 Jun 2021 06:59:36 +0000

Why in the world is Israel Wine Tour blogging about a new Museum in Tel Aviv? Both Alon and I are licensed tour guides, We lead a variety of tours throughout Israel including geopolitical and culinary tours. Alon even leads Jewish Youth groups to Poland and participates in March of the living. In other words, we have a range of interests and specialties and we always strive to expand our knowledge.

When a state of the art Jewish identity museum is inaugurated, we certainly want to learn about it. Anu is the rebranding of Beit Hatfutsot, a Jewish heritage museum which was first opened in the late 1970’s on the campus of Tel Aviv University. Anu was in planning stages for 10 years and has a budget of 100 Million Dollars.

The museum is divided into 3 floors. The top floor is referred to as a “mosaic” it emphasizes three core values of Pluralism, Positivity and highlighting Success Stories with regards to Jewish culture and identity over the past 120 years. The “mosaic” has no clear route one should take, when one exits the elevator, the first thing you see is life size high definition screens, showing the testimonials of Jewish people from a multitude of backgrounds and geographical origins explaining in short 4 minute videos, what being Jewish means to them.

The different sections of the “mosaic” incorporate interactive experiences as well as memorabilia in an effort to describe Jewish achievements of the last 120 years in the fields of art, literature, music, cinema, dance, cuisine and much more.

An original royal mantle costume that was used in a 1935 production of “King Lear” at the National Jewish Theater of Moscow. Where the Artistic Director, Solomon Mikhoels insisted the play would be performed in Yiddish. Mikhoels was later executed by Stalin. Steps away from the display, an interactive Disk Jockey screen on which one could create an original track that meshes together snippets from famous Jewish musicians such as Bob Dylan, Amy Winehouse and Balkan Beat Box together.

On the same floor, a cube-like exhibit of extraordinary groundbreaking Jewish Women. On one hand telling the stories of the first Jewish Women to graduate high school or be the first in their families who go out and work. On the other hand, the stories of Nobel Prize winners and Supreme Court Justices [the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg donated a Dissent Collar she wore over robe to ANU]

The 2nd floor of the museum is called “The Voyage”. It starts with a 7 minute animated movie that illustrates the geographical movements of the Jewish people since the days of Abraham. Unlike the Mosaic, this floor has a clear path and the display is periodical. Alexandria and Babel are a joint display as they have quite a few elements in common. A different exhibit explores Ashkenaz alongside Spheradi backgrounds.

In the portion of the display which covers Modern History, Jewish text is examined as it portrays
the origin of Jewish thought, belief and art.

An additional exhibit about Humor in Judaism is one that was already on display at Beit Hatfutsot and it was a pleasant surprise. The display is rather wide, covering Yiddish plays, Woody Allen movies, the TV show “South Park” and wax figures of prominent characters from the Israeli TV staple “Eretz Nehederet”. All the video displays are with subtitles and convenient sitting so one could relax and watch for a few minutes.. A mockup of a stand up comedy club in Tel Aviv with Holograms of multiple Comedians including Tom Yaar telling jokes as I was sitting on a bar stool, was the icing on the cake.

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Visiting Lower Galilee Wineries

Barak Yitzhaki — Sun, 18 Apr 2021 18:38:43 +0000

2020 has been everything except ordinary. Alon and I found ourselves
helping wineries with pruning the vineyards in February only to return to those same vineyards come August for harvest. We both enjoy time in the vineyards and were certainly happy to help our friends, but as he and I are tour guides, this is how we make a living. For the time being, our work has been affected.

Come April 2021, we are widening our portfolio and learning about new boutique producers that are outstanding in their craft. Our day started in Kibbutz Hanita at Jullius craft Distillery where Yuval “Joob” Hargil is using local herbs, botanicals and fruit to distill his award winning spirits. Gin made with 12 wild botanicals picked nearby for example. The view from the distillery is intoxicating as is the 90 proof liquid that we were allowed to stick a finger through which proved to be much fruitier than anticipated.

Jullius Distillery

Steps away from Joob’s production is a unique coffee shop called “Tzintzenet” Hebrew for Mason Jar which specializes in preserving olives and assorted fruit. Our first winery for the day was Kishor which we have previously written about. We tasted several reds and Metzudat Tefen 2017 stood out. An excellent wine.

Stern Winery was next on the agenda. The winery has a beautiful tasting room and is now producing Kosher wines as well as a beautiful port style wine. From Stern we continued to Lotem Organic Winery. The view from their tasting porch is breathtaking. Alon and I especially enjoyed tasting the beautifully aromatic Sauv Blanc and a stainless steel only Semillon. Both were superb.

Tasting Porch at Lotem Organic Winery

Across the street from Lotem, is a Goat and Sheep cheese Dairy called Shirat Roim which is an award winning micro dairy. Producing over a dozen different cheeses. The major surprise for the day was the winery we visited last. Sadot Winery is a small Kosher Estate winery, founded only 11 years ago in the Jezreel Valley . The grapes are coming from a vineyard overlooking the winery. We knew the wine was good because we tasted it previously and even offered it on our wine shipments. We had no idea the view from their tasting porch was breathtaking. Winemaker Eyal Drory of Seahorse Winery and the boutique line of Vermouth Vedetta 52 is the winemaker for this winery. Despite of the warm climate for the Sadot vineyards, the wines we tasted were beautifully acidic and Fresh. We loved the TPS blend . Carignan Marselan, and in the whites the White Grenache and Marsanne was beautiful as well. This winery is a hidden jem, not to be missed.

Sadot Vineyard

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2019 Updates: Ramot Naftaly, Vortman and Seahorse Wineries

Barak Yitzhaki — Thu, 12 Dec 2019 18:13:07 +0000

It has been a while since we last updated the blog. In the past year, Alon has been leading winemaker only trips to multiple wine regions in Europe. His groups have been to the Rhone River [the Israeli flag flew over Chapoutier for the visit!] in June Alon and winemakers from the Judean Hills were in Priorat, Spain.

Ramot Naftaly Rose, 2018 Vortman Colombard and 2017 Oz from Seahorse

IWT continues to tour extensively through out Israel. A multi day tour recently brought us to Ramot Naftaly Winery in the Upper Galilee. In recent years Itzhak Cohen the owner and Vintner has been growing Nebbiolo. A limited series of 1500 bottles dry Rose 2018 made of Nebbiolo, Gewurztraminer was released in September, and we found it to be an incredible surprise. Itzhak was kind enough to allow us to try a red version of his Kedesh Valley grown Nebbiolo as well.

In the Carmel the Vortman Winery has changed things around and from the 2018 vintage only doing fermentations with the natural Yeast on the grape. Hai Vortman and his team are growing Organic vineyards in Shfea Valley and the winery has been putting an emphasis on Petite Verdot Malbec and Merlot in recent years. As for white wines, Hai has been releasing wines that are fruity, elegant and low in alcohol in any standard 10 – 11%. Another fantastic surprise

For the Judean Hills we can update the Seahorse winery now employs Eyal Drory as winemaker in addition to Zeev Dunie. Eyal studied in Turin, Piedmont and is a great addition to this very special winery. Seahorse continues to introduce varieties to the Israeli market such as Cinsaut and Counoise mostly as part of blends but as straight varietals as well. In the last tasting at Sea Horse we fell in love with Oz 2017 a blend of Cinsault, Grenache, Cab and Petite Syrah. A wine that had no name and was named after the passing of Amos Oz, a famous Israeli Novelist and writer.

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