Optimism, 2024 Style

"An optimist is someone who gets treed by a lion but enjoys the scenery."
Walter Winchell

The Galilee is neither peaceful nor pastoral these days. Vineyard visits often take place amid sirens, interceptions and impacts; sprinting to the nearest terrace wall mid-vineyard walk is not something they teach you in wine school.

Manpower shortages and the periodic closure of agricultural areas due to security force operations make vineyard work difficult, and in some plots call into question whether a harvest will take place at all. On top of that, the threat of fire – a threat that has, to my sorrow, become reality, with several Galilee plots burned to the ground.

At Lahat Winery, the damage so far has been limited. The Roussanne plot in Ein Zeitim was affected after a brush fire – sparked by shrapnel from some object that came down, a missile, a drone, does it really matter – spread as far as the vineyard. At this stage the long-term damage appears to be reversible, but around half a hectare will not yield fruit this year. And after all of that, the working assumption remains optimistic – it has to be, because wine is what we do here, and I am obliged to enjoy the scenery.

Preparations for the 2024 harvest – equipment purchases, ordering barrels and materials, hiring winery staff – are proceeding as normal, with the intention of harvesting every plot, transporting all the grapes to the winery, and fermenting according to the long-term plan. Lahat Winery is awaiting the arrival of a new and impressive reception line, an advanced press and four state-of-the-art fermentation tanks, all part of a path toward significant growth in production volumes and plans for a new winery in the Western Upper Galilee.

One fermentation tank is already packed and ready to ship from Italy. The tank, designed to receive 10 tons of red grapes, is equipped with a built-in pump-over (remontage) system controlled by a panel, peripheral cooling, a level gauge and provisions for advanced sensors to monitor fermentation progress.

From Vineyard to Bottle: White Wines 2023

Somewhere between a wine that is acidic and fresh and one that is full and rich, the challenge is to find a point of equilibrium – a wine that is harmonious, complex, crisp and vibrant, yet still delivers a clear expression of grape variety and terroir.

Finding that point depends greatly on the season, on the weather leading up to harvest, and on the choice of harvest date – but also on winemaking decisions. In the 2023 vintage, both the climatic and the emotional conditions ripened in a way that allowed me to stretch the wine a little further toward the full and generous end of the spectrum, without losing the freshness and harmonic balance I always seek. This vintage also saw the addition of three new vineyard plots and a doubling in the number of Lahat white wine bottles produced.

The Wandering Winemaker

A family canal boat holiday over Passover turned into a whole-family seminar on the wines of southern France and the Rhône Valley. Over two weeks we drifted between vineyards, visited wineries, tasted at visitor centers and above all drank a bottle a day – white, rosé or red, always from the region. It was an immersive experience that reinforced my conviction in the direction and approach that Lahat Winery is pursuing in Israel, which is very much aligned with what is happening in the relevant Mediterranean and southern French wine regions.

Published: July 2024