The Adir Winery was founded by the Rosenberg family in 2003 with conjunction of the Ashkanazi family who established a dairy in 1995. In January 2010 they opened a magnificent visitor’s center that is elegant and delightful. When you walk into the visitor’s center you are greeted with a friendly smile and great customer service. At the bar or outside on the patio you will receive a generous tasting of 3 different goat’s cheese and four wines (Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Plato, dessert and Port). You can also enjoy a hearty breakfast for 100 NIS overlooking the Adir vineyards.
The winery is growing every year and as of harvest 2010 they produce 50,000 bottles annually. Adir Winery is located in the Dalton Industrial area near Kerem Ben Zimra on route 886.
This week I enjoyed tasting th Agur Winery Rosa 2009. Many wineries are now releasing roses although it is a very small percentage of production in Israel. This Rosa is made from 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon. It is light and fruity, showing fresh strawberries. Drink with Sushi or Asian food!
In early December I conducted a wine tasting in Beer Sheva. Most of the people that attended were Ben Gurion University Medical students. They enjoyed the tasting so much that they decided to book a wine tour with me to the Jerusalem Hill Wineries on a Friday.
This past Friday, January 21st, I took 17 Medical students (and some wives) to Tzuba Winery and Agur Winery. We explored an ancient wine press, I explained the terrior of the Judean Hills in the Tzuba vineyards and I educated them on the history of wine in Israel. We discussed what makes wine kosher, what types of wine Israel is producing and the trends within the Israeli wine industry.
At Tzuba Winery, Paul, the winemaker, gave us a tasting of their 2009 Chardonnay, 2007 Merlot, 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2006 Metsuda.
We then traveled to Agur Winery and at first Shuki, the winemaker was asleep so we had to wake up him so he could entertain us with his philosophy of life and wine. Everyone enjoyed Shuki and the Agur wines, especially the Kessem Reserve 2008. Enjoy the pictures from Katherine Martinelli. Thank you KM!
Every once and a while I need to visit wineries that I have not visited or have not been to in a while so I can see the changes and improvements in their wine and facility. Today, January 17th I visited 4 wineries in the Shomron region (West Bank).
 Shiloh Winery I started the day at Shiloh Winery with Amichai, the winemaker. Shiloh produces 70,000 bottles a year and exports two thirds. Amichai has 3 series: Maor, Shor and Reserve. Shiloh produces a Chardonnay, oaked for 12 months in French barrels and a Rose, blend of Cabernet Franc and Barbara. Amichai’s majority of wines are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz. Shiloh’s wine is the best value for your money. The 2008 Maor, which is a blend of Cab Sauv, Merlot and Barbara sells for 60 NIS and is a fruity and full body wine that has a balance of oak and berry fruits. I am excited to take people to Shiloh and Amichai explain to them the history of the town of Shiloh from the Bibical times to its importance today.
 Gvaot Winery My second winery visit was Gvaot Winery, which seemed like it was in a shack on a mountain top at first, however, inside and around the area is a beautiful landscape and construction is occurring to make a beautiful center for serious wine visitors. I had a very enjoyable tasting with Shivi where we tasted the Herodian Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, Gofna Chardonnay Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 and from the barrel his Gofna Gewurztraminer Chardonnay 2010. Shivi makes extraordinary wine, only 20,000 bottles annually and exports to the States. An experience at Gvaot is truly unique!
 Tanya Winery Tanya Winery was the third winery I visited in my day and Yoram was a character, although he is on Big Brother, so we know his TV show personality. Yoram’s passion for winemaking and cooking shines through and his creations are delicious. At Tanya Winery anyone can enjoy a full course kosher (dairy or meat) meal that is out of this world with a pairing of Yoram’s wines. Yoram names his wines after his children whom he loves dearly!
 Psagot Winery Yaakov and Naama started making a couple of thousand bottles of wine in their home as a passion, but it soon grew into a 100,000 year production under the title of Psagot Winery. This winery is spectacular and pristine. Many hours of thought and dedication went into creating every detail such as multiple movie choices, a theater, a few private tasting rooms and food options. The wine matches the people and place. The wines are full bodied and interesting. I really enjoyed their Shiraz 2008! Psagot is definitely not to be missed.
Book a tour with My Israel WIne Tours and you can enjoy a Shomron Wine Tour!
 Nancy and her family enjoyed a day trip to 3 Jerusalem wineries with me as their wine expert. We started the day at Agur Winery with Shuki, the winemaker and owner, giving us a philosophy lesson and drinking his delicious blends. We tasted the Blanca 2009, Rose 2009, Kessem 2009 (just bottled) and Kessem Reserve 2008. Shuki was a generous host and gave us a tasting of the 2010 Blanca from the vat so we could taste the difference between a refined wine and a wine in process.
Everyone loved Shuki and thought of him as a breath of fresh air and a unique personality.
 We continued the day at Tzora Winery where Shula, the manager of the Visitors Center gave us a generous tasting of olive oil and bread with the Neve Ilan (Chardonnay), Jerusalem Hills 2008, Givat Haluchim (Cabernet Sauvignon) and Shoresh (Cabernet Sauvignon/ Syrah). All the wines of Tzora are named after the vineyard they derived from in the Jerusalem Hill region. Tzora is very proud that their wines taste of the Jerusalem Hill Region.
 The last winery we visited was Tzuba Winery where we went into the vineyards and I explained the foundation of wine and the differences between low yield and high yield and how the kosher process starts in the vineyards. We continued to the ancient wine press where we saw how wine was made 2100 years ago. We ended our tour tasting 4 wines from Tzuba Winery. We tasted their Chardonnay 2009, Merlot 2007, Metsuda 2006 and the late harvest dessert wine.
The day was a blast and everyone learned a lot about wine in general but more specifically, what are the trends with Israeli kosher wine verse non-kosher Israeli wine.
This week I enjoyed tasting the Odem Mountain Volcanic Cabernet Sauvignon 2008...click below to see my review. I also explained about 4 glasses of wine at the Tu Bishvat seder.
Every week I am going to showcase an Israeli wine. There are 300 Israeli wineries that are producing high quality wines from many different regions of Israel.
I look forward to your comments and please taste the wonderful wines from Israel!
This is all I am going to say....
450 Kilometers driven
35 Wines Tasted
6 Hours
5 Wineries
2.5 hours of sleep on the way back to Tel Aviv
Many Many laughs!
Galil Mountain Winery - Viognier 2009, Avivim 2008, Barbara 2008, Yiron 2006
Adir Winery - Cabernet Sauv 2008, Shiraz 2008, Plato 2007, Dessert Wine and Port Style Wine with a tasting of Goat Cheese and goat yogurt.
Dalton Winery - Too many wines to count! Wild Yeast Viognier was a favorite and the Alma.
Rimon Winery - they love Pom!
Naaman Winery - Again, too many to count but Rami, the winemaker and owner, gave a very nice tasting of his Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Deep Purple, Cabernet Sauv, Cabernet Franc and his Cabernet Coilie (YUMMY)!
 Chocolate and Wine tasting room Amy and I go way back from Camp Pembroke. Amy’s husband’s family is enjoying a sabbatical in Israel for the year, so it was a perfect time for Amy and her husband, Michael to come visit Israel during Winter break. Amy and Michael are well traveled and enjoy wine so a day in Zichron Yaakov was a perfect end to their Israel vacation.
I first took them to Tishbi Estate Winery where I gave them a private tasting in the new Wine and Chocolate tasting room (opening Feb), which is also the Brandy Distillery room. We tasted the 2010 Gewurztraminer, 2010 Sauvignon Blanc (4% Viognier), 2007 Shiraz and 2007 Sde Bokar Jonathan Tishbi Special Reserve. The Special Reserve is a strong, bold wine that in 6 to 8 years will peak and keep for 15 years in total. Ann and Avi, who usually do not enjoy Port, or so they thought, loved the Barbara Zinfindel Port-style wine.
 Brokie Girls!  Somek Winery Our second winery visit was Somek Winery, located in the heart of Zichron Yaakov. Somek Winery was founded by Barak Dahan in 2000 with his wife. Barak is 5th generation Israeli and his family has been in Israel since 1882 (the First Aliyah). Barak produces a Chardonnay (oaked for 12 months in French barrels), 100% Merlot, 100% Carignan, and his blend which is Bikat HaNadiv. His blend is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 5% Petit Syrah. Barak still sells his wine grapes to Carmel, and produces his own wine in his backyard, which is quite delicious!
We ended our day with lunch along the Midrachov at the Tishbi Café, which included Amy and Michael’s first Shakshuka and a karaf of Cabernet Peiti-Syrah table wine.
 On December 30th, Wayne, Laura, Henry, Vivian and their teenage girls enjoyed a wine experience with My Israel Wine Tours to three of the Jerusalem Hill Wineries. We started our day at Agur Winery, which was a great way to start with Shuki explaining his delicious wine, eating cheese, and getting educated on the wine making process. The Rose was a big surprise and the Kessem Reserve 2008 was very much enjoyed as well.
 The second winery we visited was Tzora Winery where we enjoyed a tasting of Neve Ilan (Chardonnay), Jerusalem Hills blend 2008, Shoresh 2008, Givat Hachaulkim 2008, and Mistry Hills 2007. It was a quick visit to Tzora since we were a bit behind schedule but everyone enjoyed tasting wine that tasted of the Jerusalem Hills terrior.
 Our last winery was Domaine du Castel where we had a tour with Ruti, the manager of Castel. She showed us their impressive red wine cellar and we had a tasting of their C, Petit Castel and Grand Vin with a pairing of local goat and sheep cheeses. By the end of the day, everyone learned a lot about the modern day Israeli wine industry and we even popped into Tzuba Winery to see the ancient wine press from 2000 years ago.
Both families enjoyed the wine very much, especially the wine from Agur Winery and now Texas has more Israeli wine to enjoy!
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