Here’s the 2nd in a series of posts from my pal Esther Cohen, leading Israeli Wine Guide and owner of start-up My Israel Wine Tours.

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It is well known that there is no sense of personal space in Israel because everyone is a part of a bigger family.  What I’ve learned about the Israeli wine industry is that it is a family business, even if some of the biggest wineries are owned by corporations.

We have the Tishbi family, Flam family, Dahan family of Somek Winery, Rosenberg and Ashkanazi family of Adir Winery and many more families that have enhanced the industry in ways beyond measurable.

The Tishbi family, originally Chemilinksy, were settlers from the first Aliyah in 1882, and were directly affected by Edmond Baron De Rothschild himself. The family came from Romania and settled in Shefya (located neat Zichron Yaakov), hence the acronym of their name TISHBI, which stands for “Tishuva Shefya B’Eretz Israel” which was given to them by Chaim Nachmun Bialik in 1925.  In 1984, Jonathan Tishbi, the grandson of the founding settlers, and a farmer for the majority of his life, decided that it was time to breakaway from making his money by selling wine grapes to Carmel Winery, and start his own winery with his family. Jonathan and his wife Nili have 3 children.  Golan, their son, was trained as a winemaker in New Zealand; Oshra, their daughter, created the Oshra Fine Foods using the Tishbi wine infused in jams; and Micha, their son, is a lawyer and handles the business side of the winery.  The spouses also work at the winery.  The Tishbi family is an example of real chaluztnikim who developed the land and enriched Israel through their hard-work and passion.

Somek Winery, owned by Barak Dahan, a fifth generation resident of Zichron Yaakov, earns the majority of his living as a farmer, just like his ancestors who sold their grapes to the Carmel Winery.  Today, Barak sells 90% of his grapes in his 200 dunams to Carmel Winery. The other 10%, the highest-quality grapes, is used for his own production and consumption.  When you visit Barak in his home, you can taste the history, love and dedication in his wines.  He learned from his grandfather who learned from his father. Now Barak is teaching his son, Omri, the art and science of viticulture.

Israel Flam, the former chief winemaker of Carmel Winery for 35 years, now enjoys his days as the co-winemaker with his sons.  Israel was trained in South Africa in the 1960s and his trained in California and France.  Israel is not Orthodox so for 35 years as the chief winemaker, he was not allowed to touch the grapes or wine, unless it was handed to him by an Orthodox employee.  One of the requirements for producing Kosher wine is that from the time the grape touches the hopper, until the wine is bottled, only religious Jewish men are allowed to be part of the process. If the winemaker is not Orthodox then he has to depend on his Orthodox employees to assist him with handling of the wine all throughout the process.

So for 35 years Israel Flam had his hands behind his back as a winemaker, but once his sons grew up they shared his interest in becoming viticulturists. Today, Flam Winery produces 140,000 bottles of wine from the Jerusalem Hills and Upper Galilee vineyards. Their wines are winning International awards and are well-known throughout Israel.

Lastly, the Rosenberg and Ashkanazi family of Kerem Ben Zimra partnered as dairy-farmers and viticulturists to establish the Adir Winery about 10 years ago.   Both families have lived in Kibbutz Kerem Ben Zimrafor over 30 years.  The Kerem Ben Zimra vineyards are known to be some of the best vineyards in Israel because of the terrior.   Today, Adir Winery is a boutique winery producing 10,000 bottles annually and is predicting to produce 30,000 bottles annually in the next couple of years.   Adir Winery’s new Visitor’s Center opened in April 2009 and has two sides, one for its goat’s dairy products and the other for the wine products.

Each winery has an interesting and often magical story behind its establishment.  Although Israel is a relatively new country, the old world traditions are still seen and family bonds are stronger than ever in the wine industry.

Become part of the wine family and sit with the winemakers in their homes by taking a tour with My Israel Wine Tours! www.myisraelwinetours.com

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