The event was organized by colleagues that operate a leading culinary website – Foodis.co.il and marked the birthdays of three leading Israeli wineries: Golan Heights Winery celebrating 30 years, Domaine du Castel celebrating 20 and last but not least, the Tulip Winery, celebrating its 10th birthday
A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to a unique celebration at the Dan Gourmet culinary center in Tel Aviv. The event was organized by colleagues that operate a leading culinary website – Foodis.co.il and marked the birthdays of three leading Israeli wineries: Golan Heights Winery celebrating 30 years, Domaine du Castel celebrating 20 and last but not least, the Tulip Winery, celebrating its 10th birthday. Chefs from various restaurants were invited to prepare dairy dishes incorporating cheeses from Yakob’s Dairy to be paired with the wines. Overall, it was a very enjoyable event. Kudos to the organizers and happy B-Day to the participating wineries!
Golan Heights Winery – over the past 30 years, the Golan Heights Winery has released countless award winning wines; and the winery is often considered as the main catalyst behind the quality revolution and rejuvenation of the Israeli wine industry. Head winemaker Victor Schonfeld and his team manage to produce some of the best wines across all price & style categories. At the event, the winery’s marketing manager Mr. Arnon Harel spoke and thanked the organizers. Harel also humbly reminded everybody that 30 years in the world of wine is still quite young and that the Golan Heights Winery is constantly investing in R&D and new plantings to ensure that the next 30 years are even more successful.
Domaine du Castel - to those of you who aren’t familiar with the name, what started off as a garage winery, is considered by many to be one of the top wineries in Israel. Founded in the early 90’s by Mr. Eli Ben Zaken and situated on the Ramat Raziel Moshav, the name Castel has become synonymous with high quality wines. With production levels at about 100,000 bottles per annum, Castel, under the guidance of owner and winemaker Eli Ben Zaken offers wines produced in three series as well as a rose vino that they began producing s couple of years ago. The winery’s white wine, simply titled “C” is definitely one of my favorite Israeli chardonnays. Castel also produces two red wines: Petit Castel and a sophisticated Bordeaux style blend titled Castel Grand Vin or GV for short.
Tulip Winery - established in 2003 by the Itzhaki family, the Tulip Winery is situated in “Kfar Tikva” (the village of hope) adjacent to Kiryat Tivon. Kfar Tikva is a unique community in which people with disabilities and special needs can develop and realize their potential. The winery has become an integral part of the village and currently employs several members of the community, providing them with an opportunity to take part in the growing Israeli wine industry. This medium size winery currently produces ~160,000 bottles annually which are intended both for export as well as for the local market. Also important to note that in 2010 the Tulip winery received its kashrut certification and most of the wines currently in the market are kosher.
L’Chaim!
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