✨ The Hidden Light
🌟 Tasting Notes
Color: Straw-colored with a delicate green tint
Aroma: Lychee, rose petals, baking spice, with a hint of honey
Taste: Lychee, peach, pear, honey, and citrus
Body: Medium-bodied
Finish: Clean, fresh, and crisp, with refreshing acidity
🍇 About the Wine
Gewürztraminer is one of those grapes that is hard to mistake once you know it. Its intensely aromatic character often brings to mind lychee, rose petals, tropical fruit, and spice.
Although the grape is closely associated today with Alsace, France, where about a quarter of the world’s Gewürztraminer plantings can be found, its name is connected to Tramin, a town in the Alto Adige region of northern Italy, where the grape is believed to have originated. The name also comes from the German word Gewürz, meaning “spice,” a fitting description of this wonderfully aromatic grape.
Gewürztraminer performs best at higher elevations and in cooler climates. In the United States, it is commonly found in places such as the Finger Lakes of New York, Northern California, and Washington State. In Israel, it is particularly well suited to the cooler, higher elevations of the Golan Heights and Upper Galilee.
Israeli Gewürztraminers typically showcase the grape’s classic aromas and flavors of lychee, grapefruit, tropical fruit, and white peach, balanced by bright, refreshing acidity. They can be made in a range of styles, from dry to semi-dry, off-dry, and sweet.
The Or Haganuz Amuka Gewürztraminer 2025 is made from 100% Gewürztraminer grapes grown in the Mount Meron region of the Upper Galilee. The vineyards sit between approximately 780 and 870 meters above sea level, where the elevation and moderate temperatures create ideal conditions for the grapes.
This wine is crafted in a semi-dry style, offering a touch of sweetness while maintaining refreshing acidity. At 13.9% alcohol, it has a surprisingly balanced combination of fruit, sweetness, and freshness.
🍳 Food Pairing: Gewürztraminer’s combination of aromatic fruit, gentle sweetness, and refreshing acidity makes it a wonderful partner for foods with a little spice. One of my favorite pairings would be Shakshuka, the Mediterranean dish of eggs poached in a warm, spiced tomato and pepper sauce.
And if you love Shakshuka as much as I do, check out Celebrity Chef Jamie Geller’s 16 Ways to Make Shakshuka
🏔️ About the Winery
Or Haganuz Winery was founded in 2005 in the Upper Galilee, in a unique community of approximately 700 people. The village is located not far from Tzfat (Safed), the historic center of Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah, and near the traditional burial place of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, the second-century sage associated with the Zohar.
Both the village and the winery are deeply rooted in the teachings of Rabbi Yehuda Leib HaLevi Ashlag (1885–1954), whose commentary on the Zohar is highly regarded in the world of Kabbalah.
The village itself was established in 1989 by his son-in-law, Rabbi Mordechai Sheinberger, as a religious cooperative built around the principle of “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Community members work for the benefit of the village, and profits are shared among the community.
Even the winery’s name carries a beautiful story.
Or Haganuz means “Hidden Light.” In Kabbalistic tradition, God created a special spiritual light on the very first day of creation. This is not simply the light of the sun, moon, or stars, but a deeper spiritual light—one associated with hope, goodness, and the ability to find joy even in difficult times.
That idea seems particularly meaningful today. The Hidden Light reminds us that even when darkness surrounds us, there is still light to be found.
And perhaps that is one of the reasons I enjoy discovering wines like this. There is always more to a bottle than what is in the glass. 🍷✨
🍷 About the Winemaker
Aharon Ziv, one of the founders of Or Haganuz, serves as the winery’s head winemaker.
His interest in winemaking began at home. As a child, his father maintained a small wine cellar, and when Aharon moved to Or Haganuz, he recreated that tradition in his own home, making small batches of wine primarily for family and friends.
Then a friend gave him a large quantity of surplus grapes and asked him to make wine from them. Until that point, Aharon had only worked with small batches, so the amount of grapes presented quite a challenge. His first attempt wasn’t exactly a success!
But it literally planted the seed for what would become a winemaking career.
The following year, he tried again—and this time the results were much better. The wine was bottled, people tasted it, and the positive feedback encouraged him to continue.
When Or Haganuz Winery officially became part of the community in 2005, Aharon became its winemaker. He later received formal winemaking training with help from Golan Heights Winery, helping turn what began as a family hobby into a professional winemaking career.
✨ Final Sips
I love discovering wines that have a story behind them, and Or Haganuz Amuka Gewürztraminer certainly has one.
It is aromatic, refreshing, slightly sweet, and beautifully balanced—and the story of the community behind the bottle makes it even more special.
Sometimes the best wines aren’t simply about what is in your glass. They’re about the people, the place, and the story behind it. 🍷
📍 Where to Find It
I picked up my bottle at Total Wine, but it is also showing as available at Kosherwine.com.
And don’t forget to use my code IWG5 for a discount!
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