A Guide to the Best North Israel Winery to Visits.
Northern Israel wineries are divided into three main areas. The Shomron area includes the Sharon and up to Haifa. The Galil spreads from Haifa across to the Kinneret. The third area in the north of Israel is the Golan, which includes some of my favorite wineries to visit. This post is the second in a series of posts about which winery I recommend visiting around Israel. The first post was Top 10 Jerusalem Area Winery Visits.
Here are some of my recommendations of wineries to visit in the North of Israel.
Shomron
- Alexander Winery (Badatz), Beit Yizhak (nr Netanya)
This family-run winery has a beautiful visitor’s center, surrounded by vineyards. The wines at Alexander are all of the finest quality and include many award-winning vintages. The price of a tasting is on the higher end, but it only includes high-end wines. We enjoyed a cheese platter with our tasting, which was accompanied by a wine jam made by the owner. The winery serves brunch on Fridays and can be hired for private events.
- Tishbi Winery (Kosher), Binyamina
Probably one of the most popular kosher wineries to visit, Tishbi has a large visitor’s center at the main winery site, on the road from Binyamina to Zichron Yaakov. The winery includes a spacious dairy restaurant, with indoor and outdoor seating, a sourdough bakery, a wine and Valrhona chocolate tasting room, and on Fridays, there is a smoked meat truck at the back of the winery. The winery is only open for breakfast and lunch but there is also a Tishbi restaurant in the Zichron Yaakov town center, which is open all day until 11 pm. Tishbi wine, jams, olive oil, and bread are all on sale in the shop inside the Zichron restaurant.
Galil
- Tulip Winery (Kosher), Kiryat Tivon
Possibly my favorite winery in the country, Tulip not only produces great wine but it is also located in Kfar Tikva, a home for adults with developmental and emotional disabilities. The winery employs members of the Kfar Tikva community who always give a wonderfully warm welcome whenever I have visited. The basic Tulip series is a perfect everyday wine for dinner with friends and the Reserve Series and Espero are great more full-bodied wines. Their premium wine, Black Tulip, is a red blend and is only available at the winery or abroad. Tulip organizes a series of great events for their wine club members and the winery is a beautiful and tranquil place to visit.
- Lotem Winery (Not Kosher), Lotem, Galil.
The organic winery is located in a large warehouse which includes the wine-making facilities, the wine barrels, and the spacious tasting area. There is also a terrace at the back of the winery with breathtaking views of the surrounding countryside, with the Kinneret in the background. A wine tasting costs NIS 50 and includes six tastings. I found the waitress very friendly and knowledgeable and the Lotem Merlot 2018 was my favorite. There are a number of snacks that can be ordered to accompany the wine tasting, such as eggplant with tomato and labneh, pickled vegetables, and stuffed vine leaves.
- Netofa Winery (Kosher), Mitzpe Netofa
The entrance to this tiny winery is hidden underneath the central synagogue of the town, but once you are inside, it is a real hidden gem. The Netofa wine room is beautifully designed especially for wine tastings and intimate meals or workshops. The winemaker, Pierre Miodownik, is a font of information. He is French but spent a number of years in Portugal producing kosher Port. He produces two Port-style dessert wines and it is clear that the winery is his passion. All the grapes are from the area and the winery will deliver cases of wine all over the country.
- Dalton Winery (Kosher), Merom Hagalil
One of the largest wineries in the area, the Dalton Winery has a spacious indoor tasting area, as well as a beautiful outdoor area. Tours of the winery explain the entire wine-making process. Wines range from the popular Kanaan series to the higher-end Single Vineyard wines, with plenty of choices in between.
- Galil Mountain Winery (Kosher), Kibbutz Yiron, Merom Hagalil
Even though I have been on many similar tours at other large wineries, I thoroughly enjoyed our guide’s explanation of the winemaking process and her insights into the art of crafting exceptional wines. If you have already been on many tours, it is still worth going for a wine tasting, the standard tasting of three wines is NIS 30 and the premium tasting is NIS 50 and includes a single vineyard wine (tasting options and booking in English). The stunning setting and views over the surrounding countryside and the Israel-Lebanon border make this a wonderful winery to visit.
Other Wineries in the Area
- Adir Winery (Kosher) in Merom Hagalil has a beautifully designed visitor’s center that includes a bar for wine and cheese tastings, as well as a dairy cafe serving the Adir Dairy goat’s cheese and goat frozen yogurt (full menu). Adir produces three series of wines, as well as a Port-style dessert wine. The winery is located in the same business park as Dalton, so it is easy to visit both at the same time.
- Jezreel Valley (Kosher) winery is very small and there is not so much to see but the setting is lovely. The wine tasting costs NIS 50 for six wines and a cheese platter. The staff was incredibly helpful and friendly, and very generous with the portions. I would happily visit again.
- Lueria (Kosher) is a very small winery in Moshav Safsufa, close to the Dalton Industrial Park. The tasting room is located in the home of the owner and is only open at certain times. We were fortunate to see some of the actual winemaking process in the small winery. The Lueria Grand Vital and Rosso blends are both rich-bodied premium wines.
- Ramat Naftaly (Kosher) – I visited this winery as I was staying on the Moshav. We were made to feel like they were doing us a favor by serving us but I bought a few bottles of wine and they were delicious!
- Sadot Winery (Kosher) – the winery has a lovely covered terrace for lunch, with a view of the surrounding fields. We tried a few of their wines but didn’t like any of them. We did enjoy the burrata salad and the fresh bread and butter it came with.
- Tavor Winery (Kosher) – the winery focuses on low-cost, young wines which seem to be popular in bars all over the country. The tasting room is nice but there are very few wines worth tasting. The Marzipan Museum of Shaked Tavor is in the same complex in Kfar Tavor so it is a good option if you are with your family.
Golan
- Pelter Winery (Not Supervised) & Matar Winery (Kosher), Ein Zivan
The winery is located in an industrial warehouse and is not remotely fancy, but the staff is very friendly and there is no charge for the wine tasting. The winery serves the Pelter and Matar wines, as well as the Pelter Distillery spirits, which include arak, gin, brandy, and eau de vie.
There is the option to order a cheese platter for NIS 50. Pelter is located next to the De Karina Chocolate Factory, which is a perfect place for a coffee and cake after a wine tasting, or a great place to entertain kids, while the adults taste the wine. The winery is open at the weekend (Friday and Shabbat) and there is often a food truck on-site with more food.
- Assaf Winery (Not Supervised), Kidmat Tzvi
The family-run winery includes a dedicated tasting room, AdiKa cafe, and a boutique B&B with four cabins. The cafe serves a selection of freshly baked bread and pastries, as well as tapas, meat, fish, and local goat cheese. The wines produced at Assaf include some more unusual grape varieties like Pinotage, Pink Zinfandel, and Pinot Gris.
- Golan Heights Winery (Kosher), Katzrin
It is no surprise that one of the most established wineries also has one of the largest visitor centers in Israel. The Golan Heights Winery is located in the Katzrin Industrial Park, where you can also find the Golan Heights Distillery, a producer of craft whisky, gin, and arak. A tour of the winery takes an hour and includes an explanation about wine-making, a visit to the barrel room, and ends in the large tasting rooms, where visitors are able to sample wines from the four series – Golan, Hermon, Gamla, and Yarden. The winery also offers more elaborate tours with the addition of food, a tour of a vineyard, or an agricultural tour.
Other Wineries in the Area
- Odem Mountain Winery (Kosher), Odem – located in the upper Golan, on the way to Har Hermon (Mount Hermon). The setting is beautiful and the visitor’s center is spacious. Although I am a big fan of the wines from Odem Mountain, I was not impressed by the experience I received. Not only was I charged for my wine tasting, even though we went on to buy more than a case of wine, but they also charged me extra for additional tastings that they offered to encourage us to buy more. Furthermore, there was a mistake in the bill which we only noticed when we unpacked the wine at home, and although I called and emailed several times I never received a refund. I included it on this list as I am hoping this is not the typical experience, but if you are in the area and want to try some great wine, make sure you check your bill carefully!
Stay tuned for more posts about wineries around Israel and subscribe to my newsletter to receive updates by email.
Categories: North Israel, Top 10, Wine
5 replies »