🍷 A Taste of the Western Galilee
When I discover an Israeli winemaker who is truly passionate about his craft, I want to share his story. This week’s wine comes from one of Israel’s special boutique wineries, Lahat Winery, founded by veteran winemaker and viticulturist Itay Lahat.
Itay has spent much of his career studying the connection between grapes and the land where they are grown. His philosophy is simple: the right grape in the right place creates the best wine.
This week’s Syrah is a wonderful example of that philosophy in action.
🍷 Tasting Notes
Color: Deep garnet
Aroma: Rich blackberry, dark plum, black cherry, black pepper, with subtle notes of vanilla.
Taste: Rich, ripe fruit balanced by medium-to-high acidity.
Body: Medium to full-bodied
Finish: Long and lingering, with a pleasant touch of spice.
This is a Syrah with plenty of character—rich and fruit-forward, but with enough acidity and spice to keep it fresh and inviting.
🍇 A Little About Syrah
Syrah is an Old World grape variety that originated in southeastern France and is closely associated with the Rhône Valley. Today, it is grown throughout the world and can produce wines that range from elegant and earthy to rich, powerful and fruit-driven.
Climate plays an important role.
In cooler regions, such as northern France, Syrah tends to produce wines that are more medium-bodied, earthy and savory, often with peppery characteristics. In warmer regions such as Australia and California, the wines are generally fuller-bodied and richer, with riper, sometimes jammy fruit flavors and higher alcohol levels.
So where does Israel fit in?
Although Israel is often considered a warm-climate wine region, its varied elevations create numerous microclimates. A vineyard’s location can make a tremendous difference in the character of the grapes.
That is especially true in the Western Galilee, where Lahat’s Syrah grapes are grown.
The vineyards sit at elevations of approximately 600–700 meters above sea level. Summer days can be warm, but the evenings are cooled by breezes coming off the Mediterranean. Winters can be surprisingly cold, with frost and even occasional snowfall in the higher elevations.
That combination of warm days and cool nights allows the grapes to ripen fully while retaining the acidity needed to produce a balanced wine.
The result is a 100% Syrah with an alcohol level of 14.5%—rich, expressive, and unmistakably influenced by its Mediterranean terroir.
🌿 About Lahat Winery
Lahat Winery is a boutique winery founded in 2012 by Israeli winemaker and viticulturist Itay Lahat.
The vineyards are located in the foothills east of Mount Meron in the Western Galilee, at 600–700 meters above sea level. At the time Itay established his vineyards, most of Israel’s vineyards were concentrated farther east in the Upper Galilee, making his decision to plant in the Western Galilee somewhat pioneering.
But Itay had a reason.
He believes wine should be a reflection of place, and he saw something special in the Western Galilee. To him, the region shares characteristics with France’s Rhône Valley: proximity to the Mediterranean, warm days, cool evening winds, and the kind of climate that can allow Rhône varieties to thrive.
That philosophy has become a hallmark of Lahat Winery. They are known for producing Rhône varieties as both single-varietal wines and blends.
-‘🍷*.✧ Meet the Winemaker: Itay Lahat
The story of Lahat Winery is really the story of its winemaker.
Born in Israel and educated in both Israel and Australia, Itay Lahat has devoted much of his life to learning, teaching, growing grapes and making wine.
His interest in wine began as a teenager, when he spent his summers working on the bottling line at Carmel Winery alongside his childhood friend Gilad Flam, who would later establish Flam Winery.
After completing his military service, Itay traveled to Burgundy, France. He enjoyed the vineyards and the wine, but he still wasn’t convinced that winemaking was his calling.
That changed when he returned to Israel and enrolled at the Hebrew University’s School of Agriculture. There he connected with some of the country’s most influential figures in the Israeli wine industry, learning from them and developing a true passion for winemaking.
After graduation, Itay joined Barkan Winery, a position that eventually took him to Australia for three years of study and work.
It was in Australia that he learned one of the most important lessons of his career: the importance of matching the grape variety to the place where it is grown.
That lesson stayed with him.
When Itay returned to Israel, he continued working with Barkan before eventually becoming a consultant. He began helping vineyard owners determine which grape varieties were best suited to their land, when to harvest, and how to manage fermentation and blending.
In other words, Itay wasn’t just making wine. He was helping other people figure out how to make the land speak through wine.
After years of helping others, Itay decided in 2012 to create his own label.
And that brings us back to this week’s Syrah.
A wine made from a grape that thrives in the Rhône Valley, grown in the high-elevation vineyards of Israel’s Western Galilee, and crafted according to a winemaker’s belief that the right grape must be matched with the right terroir.
To me, that is what makes this such a perfect Israeli wine. 🇮🇱🍷
🛒 Where Can You Find It?
If you would like to discover Lahat wines for yourself, Blue White Wines, a premier wine club featuring top Israeli wines, will be including Lahat wines in its next shipment.
It’s not too late to sign up!
Check out bluewhitewines.com or reach out to them at support@bluewhitewines.com.
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