A Guide to the Best North Israel Winery to Visit.
Northern Israel wineries are divided into three main areas. The Shomron area includes Sharon and up to Haifa. The Galilee spreads from Haifa across to the Sea of Galilee. The third area in northern Israel is the Golan, which includes some of my favorite wineries to visit. This post is the second in a series about the wineries I recommend visiting in 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 tasting price is higher, but it only comprises 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 is available 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 features a spacious dairy restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating, a sourdough bakery, a wine and Valrhona chocolate tasting room. On Fridays, a smoked meat truck is located 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 inside the Zichron restaurant shop.
Galil
- Tulip Winery (Kosher), Kiryat Tivon
Possibly my favorite winery in the country, Tulip produces excellent wine and is located in Kfar Tikva, a community that supports adults with developmental and emotional disabilities. The winery employs members of the Kfar Tikva community, who always give a wonderfully warm welcome whenever I visit. 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 through select international distributors. Tulip organizes a series of significant 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 situated in a large warehouse that houses the wine-making facilities, wine barrels, and a spacious tasting area. There is also a terrace at the back of the winery, offering breathtaking views of the surrounding countryside with the Kinneret in the background. We had a wine tasting that included six tastings. I found the waitress very friendly and knowledgeable, and the Lotem Merlot 2018 was my favorite. A variety of snacks can be ordered to accompany the wine tasting, including eggplant with tomato and labneh, pickled vegetables, and stuffed vine leaves.
- Netofa Winery (Kosher), Mitzpe Netofa
The entrance to this tiny winery is hidden beneath the central synagogue of the town, but once you’re inside, it’s a real hidden gem. The Netofa wine room is beautifully designed, especially for wine tastings, intimate meals, or workshops. The winemaker, Pierre Miodownik, is a font of information. He is French but spent several 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 are,a 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, Dalton Winery features a spacious indoor tasting area, as well as a beautiful outdoor space. Tours of the winery provide an in-depth explanation of 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 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 features a beautifully designed visitor’s center that includes a bar for wine and cheese tastings, as well as a dairy cafe serving Adir Dairy’s goat’s cheese and goat frozen yogurt. Adir produces three series of wines, as well as a Port-style dessert wine. The winery is situated in the same business park as Dalton, Lueria, and Recanati Winery, making it easy to visit all of them simultaneously.
- Jezreel Valley (Kosher) winery is 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.
- 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 enjoyed the burrata salad and the fresh bread and butter that came with it.
- Shamay Winery (Badatz Mahzikey HaDat) is currently located in a small building in Kfar Shamay near Meron. The winery is relocating to the Dalton Business Park and will feature a larger visitors’ center and café.
- 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 situated in the same complex as Kfar Tavor, making it an ideal option for families.
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 Pelter and Matar wines and Pelter Distillery spirits, including arak, gin, brandy, and eau de vie.
You can order a cheese platter for NIS 50. Pelter is located next to the De Karina Chocolate Factory, which is a perfect place for 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. Assaf’s wines include more unusual grape varieties like Pinotage, Pink Zinfandel, and Pinot Gris.
- Golan Heights Winery (Kosher), Katzrin
Unsurprisingly, 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 craft whisky, gin, and arak producer. A winery tour takes an hour and includes an explanation about wine-making and a visit to the barrel room. It ends in the large tasting rooms, where visitors can 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 hope this is not the typical experience, but if you are in the area and want to try some great wine, check your bill carefully!
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Categories: North Israel, Top 10, Wine
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