YATIR Winery

To make this Shabbat a Delight, consider putting a bottle of Yatir Winery’s Darom White on your table. It is made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc grapes grown in the Negev, fermented in stainless steel vats, and aged for 4 months in concrete. This is a lovely wine with a bright golden color and the smell of fresh juicy fruit. 

The Yatir Winery’s grape vines lie within the Yatir Forest. The forest is located just below the Judean Hills on the border of Israel’s Negev desert. Its location was picked by Prime Minister David Ben Gurion who believed Israel’s success as a country would depend on “making the desert bloom”. The first trees were planted by the Jewish National Fund (JNF) in 1964, and today the forest holds over 4 million trees and covers 8,000 acres. 

Both the forest and winery were named for the biblical city of “Yatir”, the area the Jews fled to after the destruction of the 2nd Temple. They made a livelihood growing grapes and olives till the area was taken over by the Ottomans. As part of the “Israel Quality Wine Revolution”, the Yatir Winery was launched in 2000, as a joint venture between local farmers and the Carmel Winery to again make the “desert bloom” with grapes. 

The Darom line of wines showcases the high quality of grapes grown in the desert region. The flower on the label is “Anemone”, which blooms in the Negev during the winter months with a beautiful red blossom. There are 3 wines in the series: Darom Red, Darom Rose, and Darom White. All are meant to offer consumers quality wine at a moderate price. 

The word “DAROM” translates in English to SOUTH. On Oct. 7th, it was the Kibbutzim located in Israel’s South that were victim to the Hamas Terrorist who murdered 1,163 innocent people and took 240 hostages. Those were people who moved to the southern part of The State of Israel, with the goal of “making the desert bloom”.

Our friends at Yatir Winery want us to know they are supporting their community in the South in every way they can. The Carmel Winery distributes thousands of bottles of Shabbat wine to the IDF soldiers and staff who are serving. They also host special events for residents of the South providing reprieve from the situation, especially the children whose need is so great.

This Shabbat, let’s do what we can to push forward the dream of making Israel’s SOUTH, its desert, fertile and “bloom like a rose”. Let’s honor the fallen, and remember those taken from us, by putting a bottle of Yatir’s DAROM, with its beautiful desert flower, on your table. 

“It is in the Negev, that the Creativity and Pioneer Vigor of Israel, shall be tested.”
-David Ben-Gurion 

 I picked up mine through Kosher Wine Warehouse, Free Shipping with a purchase of $99. Use the code ISRAELWINEGIRL for 10% off your entire purchase.