Kosher Wineries

Founded in 1983 by four Golan kibbutzim and moshavim, Golan Heights Winery transformed Israeli wine with a pioneering vision: that cool-climate, high-altitude terroir could produce world-class wines. Winemaker Victor Schoenfeld has been crafting Yarden, Gamla, and Hermon labels for over three decades. The winery's 1,100-metre vineyards on the basaltic plateau produce grapes of remarkable intensity and freshness. Today, Golan Heights Winery is Israel's most important fine wine producer and a global ambassador for Israeli wine excellence.

Eli Ben Zaken planted his first Cabernet Sauvignon vines in the Judean Hills in 1988, inspired by his love of Bordeaux during years spent in France. Today, Domaine du Castel is universally recognised as Israel's greatest winery. The Grand Vin has won the country's most prestigious wine competition multiple times and has been compared favourably to classified Bordeaux châteaux by international critics. Production is intentionally tiny — under 60,000 cases — ensuring uncompromising quality from their biologically farmed estate vineyards at 700–800 metres elevation.

Founded in 2000 by the Recanati family, this Galilee-based winery quickly rose to prominence through meticulous vineyard selection and a commitment to international varieties alongside indigenous grapes. Winemaker Ido Lewinsohn studied enology in Dijon and has brought a French sensibility to Israeli viticulture. The winery's flagship Reserve range and single-vineyard wines have established Recanati as a benchmark for quality in northern Israel. Their Mediterranean varieties — Marselan, Carignan, Viognier — have won particular acclaim.

Nestled in the village of Dalton at 900 metres above sea level, Dalton Winery was established in 1995 and has become one of Israel's premier boutique producers. The winery's high-altitude vineyards experience significant diurnal temperature variation — warm days followed by cool nights — which preserves natural acidity and aromatic complexity. The flagship Alma range and Canaan series have garnered international attention. Winemaker Na'ama Ohana, one of Israel's few female head winemakers, brings exceptional precision and innovation.

Yatir Winery occupies one of the most dramatic wine terroirs on earth: the ancient Yatir Forest in Israel's Negev desert, at 900 metres elevation. Founded in 2000 as a joint venture of Carmel Winery and local Negev kibbutzim, Yatir has defied all expectations, producing wines of extraordinary concentration and complexity from the desert frontier. The unique combination of desert sun, dramatic diurnal temperature shifts, and ancient limestone soils gives Yatir wines their unmistakable character. Their flagship Yatir Forest blend is one of Israel's finest and most age-worthy wines.

Margalit is Israel's first and most revered cult winery. Founded by the late Ya'ir Margalit — a chemistry professor who fell in love with Bordeaux — and now run by his son Asaf, the winery produces only a few thousand cases annually. Every wine is a handcrafted statement: no filtration, no fining, wild yeast fermentation, and extended maceration. The Margalit Enigma is arguably Israel's most complex and age-worthy red wine. Waiting lists for allocations span years. This is Israel's Petrus — tiny, brilliant, and almost impossible to find.

The Herzog family's winemaking tradition stretches back six generations to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, where they were the official wine suppliers to the Imperial Court. Today, Herzog Wine Cellars in California is the largest premium kosher winery in North America, producing wines from Alexander Valley, Napa Valley, and the broader California coast. The Special Reserve and Lineage series compete with the finest non-kosher California producers. Under the guidance of winemaker David Herzog and consultant Joe Hurliman, Herzog has become the benchmark for American kosher wine.

Founded by veteran wine writer Jeff Morgan and his partner Leslie Rudd, Covenant was created with a single vision: to make the finest kosher wine in the world, without compromise. Sourcing exclusively from Napa Valley's most prestigious appellations — Rutherford, Oakville, and Stags Leap — Covenant wines compete directly with Napa's $200+ non-kosher icons. The flagship 'Lot' series is an extraordinary Cabernet Sauvignon that ages gracefully for 15+ years. Wine critics have awarded Covenant wines scores that place them among California's elite.

Jean Bousquet came from France's Languedoc in 1997 and purchased land in the high-altitude Gualtallary sub-zone of Tupungato — one of Mendoza's coolest and most exciting terroirs at over 1,200m. The estate is certified organic, making Domaine Bousquet one of the largest organic wine producers in Argentina. Their kosher-certified Premium and Grand Malbec ranges have won international acclaim, offering extraordinary quality at accessible prices. The combination of high altitude, intense Andean sunlight, and organically farmed soils produces Malbecs of exceptional freshness and longevity.

Established in 1998 by brothers Gilad and Golan Flam, sons of Israel's first professional winemaker Israel Flam, this family winery has become one of the Judean Hills' finest producers. Vineyards are located at 600-750m in the Jerusalem mountain belt, producing wines of great elegance and precision. The Reserve range — particularly the Cabernet and Noble — has established Flam as a benchmark for restrained, European-styled Israeli wine. Gilad's approach emphasises freshness and finesse over power, resulting in wines that show extraordinary finesse.

Named after the ancient biblical city where the Ark of the Covenant rested for 369 years, Shiloh Winery has become one of Israel's most dynamic producers. The winery specialises in bold, powerful reds from the rocky limestone soils of the Judean Hills at 800-900 metres. Winemaker Amichai Lourie is known for extended maceration, minimal filtration, and generous use of new oak — producing wines of extraordinary depth and aging potential. The Legend and Single Vineyard series are highly sought after by collectors.