Their Holiday: For months they worked to make us happy at the dinner table • This year some will have to keep bottles in the warehouse • The story of the vineyards and wineries in the shadow of the plague

These lines are written in simple times - never, for the country and for the Israeli wine industry. The Corona epidemic came at a very bad time for the industry (not that another time was better ...). Between 30% and 40% of the annual wine sales are made on the days preceding the Passover holiday, and this year the wineries are forced to absorb a considerable reduction in wine sales. Orders from commercial customers are canceled, and private individuals have no desire nor can you always go out and buy luxury wines.

Anyone who already buys does so via web or telephone sites, and especially for self-consumption. Not that it is bad, but in previous years a bottle of wine was the ultimate gift for the hosts - and this year they drank alone. Will this affect our long-term consumption habits? Drink more or less? Will we abandon the wine shops, for their wide variety and expertise, for online purchase? It's still too early to know. What is certain is that a considerable portion of the wine remains orphaned in the warehouses.

However, we are on Passover eve, and wine is an important commodity, not to mention basic on the holiday table, chains are "blown away" at promotions as well as open and declining wine shops for shoppers - and if that is not enough, many wineries have at this time been marketing their bottles directly to home customers And at special prices, because the Sages already said - "If I don't have me, who I am, or if not now - I am terrified." What is nice is that you will not find any winemaker or winery owner who mourn Mr. Fate - and Mr. Fate. In combative statements, demands for state compensation, but the winemakers, what to do, are naturally optimistic people.

Wine bottles for the holiday // Photos: PR

Many of us, the consumers, have also been hit financially by the closure - vacations, IPSs, layoffs and bad news, and in fact our shopping is focused more on essential products this year, but actually - in relation to the world, we seem to be in the right direction (tofu); Bedding and pots we do not buy anyway, so what is a good bottle of wine that makes happy in the heart compared to a few more shekels in the US?

This year our holiday recommendations focus on two parameters. One - wines that convey the heritage of their winery. After all, on the Seder night, we will all sit down, and this year more than ever, in the nuclear family, and parents will pass on to their children for who knows how much the story of the Exodus but also the story of their lives, the family legacy, from generation to generation. And as the epidemic and quarantine intensified, we decided to add another parameter - wineries that offer direct sales and delivery to the house, thus not only making us happy but also making them happy. Win-Win Classic.

Mount Bracha Winery

"It was precisely in winter that we had a wonderful time in the vineyards," Nir Lavi tells Har Bracha Winery, who is also the winemaker and vineyard owner. "800 ml of sediment, a lot of cold dishes, and now we are in the breakout phase, the pancreas of the new leaves. Throughout this year, there is renewed excitement to see the vines emerging from winter and these leaf buds emerge from the hymns and cover the vineyard in green. We have about 200 acres of vineyards that we planted and cultivated, and there is a lot of work ahead for the summer to be in the summer. From this point of view - all agricultural farms received the approval of a vital plant. The problem is in sales.

In the end, we also have to sell the wine and make a living, but because of the crisis and closure we are now experiencing cancellations for orders that have already been closed and traffic in stores has dropped, so there are no new orders. I had to take the sales staff to the USSR, and if any order came in, it was usually thanks to ads we sent to Wetsap groups. I'm the one who provides it, and all this in tandem with the ongoing work I have in the winery - because the wine doesn't know that there is a corona and it requires its treatment. ".

Our recommendation: Cabernet Sauvignon "Mountain Man" Reserve 2016. Cabernet (15 months per barrel) has a deep dark color, wonderful scents of black forest fruit (blueberries) and chocolate, a rounded body and rich texture balanced with fresh acidity.

Price: NIS 150

Nir Lavi Har Bracha Winery // Photo: Dror Kalish

Vitkin Winery

Vitkin Winery is a family winery, and those who lead it are Assaf Paz, an accomplished veteran winemaker who has worked in the best commercial wineries in Israel. It is precisely at Wakekin that he manages to bring about a personal and unique statement in his work. "In terms of catastrophic sales, 60% of our ongoing sales are to restaurants and everything is stalled, but what to do - we are happy and optimistic people. I try to look ahead - even today we are working on wine production at the peak of power, because who knows what tomorrow will be and expect the best. Now I recognize in many people an increase in daily drinking of wine - people cook at home and have a glass of wine for dinner, you can drink at noon, less travelers so no worries who will be at the helm, and I hope this translates into sales and will continue after the crisis. "

"We also see that the Corona crisis has revived our humanity in Israeli society, people are less cynical, more fragile and looking to help. We, too, as part of our holistic sustainability vision, do not end in the vineyard, ecological and environmental awareness, but first and foremost in people, And so we partnered with the Female Spirit Association to help women suffering from violence gain economic independence. They do holy work there, and we dedicate some of their profits to every bottle sold. It turns out that a lot of customers and organizations that buy from us also connect with that. "

Our Recommendation : Gwerztraminer 2019, Collector's Edition. One white, special and especially springy, "sneaked" here. Dry Gurztraminer? Yes, there is such an animal. The wine is translucent, very floral and aromatic, slightly lemony, in the palate it is somewhat reminiscent of lychee and white peach, with lots of red grapefruit. Accurate, fresh and fresh.

Price: NIS 110, and in honor of the holiday - NIS 89 at the winery

Drimia Winery

Elad Mubshowitz of Drimia winery in Susiya locality also reports significant sales damage, but maintains optimism. "The situation with us is not easy at all. Stores have stopped ordering, exports that we have stuck and are not sold and there are almost no gift boxes for the holiday. The only sales we have now are through our website. However, I can understand the people - we are in a period of general uncertainty and quality wine It's a kind of luxury. I'm convinced that, after leaving this period, we will come back to God with a record of activity and flourishing. "

Our recommendation: Sfar 2017 In recent years, the winery has shown a continuous improvement in the quality of the wines, and this wine, the flagship wine, illustrates the process - it consists of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and another 20% Patty Verdu from Vineyard Mitzpe Yair (near Yatir, rum 884 m). A very deep look, juicy nose of ripe cherries, woody flavors that blend well but do not overshadow the fruitiness, with a complexity that opens over time in a glass, wide and rich and yet very elegant.

Price: NIS 160

Elad Mubshowitz Dreams Winery // Photo: Miriam Tzahi

Hills Winery

"It is true that usually Passover eve is the peak time of sales and now they have greatly reduced, but our luck is that the goods are not spoiled," says Eliav Miller, CEO of Givot Winery, which actually takes the situation in proportion and shows empathy for other casualties, "Our wine Will hold on and may even boast as he waits a bit longer in the warehouse. Libby about the farmers who are stuck with produce that cannot be sold, that it cannot be stored and everything is thrown away. "

Our recommendation: Pinot Noir Gopana 2017. The grapes come unexpectedly from a vineyard in Gush Etzion, and Vine itself has a light burgundy hue, even a sour cherry (Vishnayak), milk chocolate and some "stinky" (in a good section) of mushrooms and skin. The gulp is very pleasant, acidic and elegant, full bodied and good tannins.

Price : NIS 150

Dalton Winery

These changes are not just the boutique wineries. Large and medium-sized wineries also feel the crisis - "Most of our sales are through stores and networks, and those who pre-set and set up a digital sales platform are reaping the rewards today," says Eyal Franco, marketing manager for Dalton Winery, "even if our visitor center is closed and the sale Direct is almost non-existent, I believe that today more than ever, you have to be creative and look for marketing alternatives, through the customer club for example, or through content creation. A lot of content. "

For example, the winery recently had an interactive wine tasting with winemaker Guy Eshel via Facebook Live, and pre-registrants purchased and received home a "tasting kit" that included the tasting wines. "Every crisis has the day after, and so the relationship with the customers must be maintained even in times like this," he concludes.

Our Recommendation : Galilo 2017. A spirit of renewal wraps around Galileo - from a screen that contains 60% Cabernet, 30% Shiraz and another 10% Granash Noir that matured 20 months in a barrel. In blue berries, maple syrup and anise, the mouth is velvety and broad, with good acidity and coffee flavors and cylindrical seasoning. Just hold back and let it breathe for a few hours before sipping.

Price: NIS 265

Covent Winery

Covent Winery is a special winery in the Israeli landscape. This is actually a Californian winery that belongs to Jeff Morgan, former editor of Wine Spectator and Wine Section of The New York Only Times, and a few years ago, with a Zionist awakening and enthusiasm for the quality of the grapes available here, he decided to produce some of the wines in Israel ( Actual winemaker - Ari Earl). About 50% of domestic production is sold in the country, mainly to Anglo-Saxon restaurants and customers, and the second half is for export. "The other day, we received a first order for our wines from an importer in Taiwan," says Zoe Morgan, Jeff's daughter, who immigrated to Israel and runs the operation in Israel. "While we sell to the US, England and even Japan, it was a surprise. It is so encouraging in the Corona days to receive such an invitation, and more from the Far East. My parents are in Berkeley, California, which is a little stressful, especially in light of the fact that my dad doesn't give up and go to the winery every day. "On the other hand, I can't complain, because I, too, who lives in Tel Aviv, went to a winery in the Upper Galilee today."

Speaking of the crisis, Zoe says that "Our sales in Israel are based on restaurants and they have stopped almost entirely, with the exception of online orders from regular private customers that we care about pampering them at special prices and free home delivery. What's always important to us, but even more so in these days of uncertainty, It's to do good and make people happy and we try to do everything to make it happen. "

Our recommendation: Boat 2016. The grapes (including 10% Cabernet Sauvignon) come from the Tel Fares vineyard which in the Golan Heights and fermentation occurred spontaneously, without yeast. Its color is burgundy-black, concentrated nose of black and red cherries, black pepper, vanilla and a touch of licorice. The mouth - concentrated and velvety, and good tannins.

Price: NIS 280

Zoe Morgan Covent Winery // Photo: Shahar Fleischman

Tulip Winery

And there are also those who do business as usual. Almost as usual. Roy Yitzhaki, owner of Tulip Winery operating in Kfar Hatikva, a community community for graduates located near Kiryat Tivon and intended for those with special needs, some of whom are employed in the winery, sounds rather encouraging - "It is true that there is now a decrease in mood and income. No reservations from restaurants and hotels, an area we are quite strong in , And also invoices for merchandise that have already been delivered since early 2020. But on the other hand, we have been receiving a lot of online orders in the past few days, from companies that order gift boxes for employees and colleagues and from private individuals who have heard of the offers we have made. We cut prices, but it pays off for everyone. "

In Yitzhaki's approaching vintage, "I heard about wineries that told their vineyards that they would not harvest grapes this year because they got stuck with goods that were not sold on Passover, but we continue as usual. We have about 380 dunams of vineyards, most of them in the Upper Galilee and a few in the Judean mountains, and we even plan to plant them. A few dozen more acres this year. So it's true that the flow is weak now, but I'm sure we'll all be strengthened by this crisis, and soon. "

Our recommendation: Boat Reserve 2017. Reducing the use of dominant wood and the transition to more solid wines result in the result of black and purple wine whose grapes are grown in a unique vineyard in Kfar Yuval. In dark cherry and raspberry nose, alongside a delicate cigar. In the mouth it is wide, reminiscent of its richness of buttermilk and still retains a wonderful, acidic and refreshing elegance.

Price: NIS 129