This week’s featured wine is a white blend from Agur Winery, their BLANC 2022. It is a delicious combination of 60% Sauvignon Blanc with the added varietals of Chenin Blanc, Roussanne, and Viognier. Half of this wine was aged in old oak and the other half in stainless steel; producing a medium bodied wine rich in aromatics, with delicious fruit and minerality. On the nose it has the aroma of peach and melon, and on the palette it combines the taste of fresh summer fruit with a refreshing acidity.
Agur Winery, located in the Judean Hills, was founded in 1999 by Shuki Yashuv, making him one of the pioneers of the region. He believes that for those of us outside of Israel, when partaking in his wine, we should be transported to the area and is known for saying, “When you taste Agur wine, you taste our soil, walk our hills, feel the wind, and experience our culture”. With an introduction like that, who wouldn’t want to experience his wines.
Shuki was a carpenter that had a passion for wine. He began making wine at Moshav Agur on just a single plot with just a few thousand bottles, but because of his talent and efforts to constantly improve, it grew vastly over the years.
Winemaking is a very labor intensive process which includes very long days, physical stamina, and little, if any, downtime. In 2020, Shuki decided to bring in some partners and was lucky enough to find Elad Katz, previous CEO of Domaine du Castel, who in turn brought in Eyal Drory as their winemaking partner. Eyal studied and practiced winemaking in Italy for many years before returning to Israel and making wine for Recanati Winery. These three men; Shuki, Elad, and Eyal, make quite a team, so this is an exciting time for us to be venturing into Agur Wines. They currently produce about 75,000 bottles a year of 6 different types of wine. This is a huge jump from the 12,000 bottles made just a few years ago.
Like the other wineries we’ve featured, this has been a trying year for Agur. Shuki himself fought in the Yom Kippur War, so he understands the hardship of serving in the IDF. Elad, now in his early 40’s, as a reservist in the Nahal Brigade, was called up and served over six weeks in Gaza in Oct/Nov. 2023. When returning to the winery, he said it was difficult to “re-open”, as most people didn’t feel much like drinking. In the months that followed they have tried to be a safe haven for people to escape the chaos and sirens and get a few moments of peace.
This Shabbat, my family will be enjoying the Agur Blanc which I picked up at Princeton Corkscrew. This coming Saturday evening (Dec. 7th), both the winemaker and wine distributor (Ari from Israel Wine Direct),will be sharing Agur wines at Hadassah’s Improv Night, to be held at the Arts Council of Princeton on Witherspoon Street. For questions regarding the event, reach out to advantageh@aol.com. To find Agur wines online, check out https://www.israeliwinedirect.com/
Israel Wine Girl 
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