It’s been a hard year to be a winemaker in Israel.
Like everywhere in Israel, the wine industry has been hit hard by October 7 and the ongoing war in Gaza, the North, and the West Bank. While most wineries had completed the harvest by October 7, 2023, the harvest of 2024 was clearly affected by the war.
Many wineries have been struggling to find workers for the harvest and for winemaking. Dozens of wineries in northern Israel near the border with Lebanon have been even more severely affected by the ongoing war, with several large wineries such as Dalton forced to close their visitors’ centers. Wine sales also dropped precipitously in the first few months of the war, as restaurants closed, and nobody felt like drinking wine. Sales have since recovered somewhat, but unlike during corona when people were forced to stay at home and wine consumption increased, this year fewer people are drinking wine at home, and there are fewer celebrations.
At the Psagot Winery in the Binyamin Region, owners Naama and Yaakov Berg felt they needed to do something to respond to the situation. Naama says they forged a connection with residents of Kfar Aza, one of the hardest hit communities on October 7.
“We felt we couldn’t ignore the situation,” Naama told The Jerusalem Report. “So we decided to make a wine to support the otef [the Gaza envelope, referring to the communities near Gaza that Hamas attacked on October 7]. The wine is named 7.10.”
The wine has a beautiful label with the date 7.10 (i.e., October 7) as part of a Magen David. From the Jewish star are rays of light reaching out.
The label has the following written in Hebrew:
“October 7 affected each of us separately, and all of us as a nation. Out of faith that a light can come out of darkness, we at the winery chose to concentrate on light. Wine is a symbol of connection between people and uncovering the hidden. The series of 7.10 is dedicated to us, to the people of Israel, to each of us who is taking part in the battle for fate with hope that we will be strengthened to a place of light and joy, and we will uncover a great light.”
Different labels for different communities impacted on October 7
There are different labels for different communities. The bottle I tasted had the city of Ofakim on its label and some background information, such as that it was founded in the 1950s by Moroccan and Tunisian immigrants and absorbed a group of Vietnamese refugees in the 1970s.
The wine is a very pleasant blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Sirah, and Shiraz. It sells for NIS 70, making it good value for money. Naama says that tens of thousands of bottles have been sold in Israel and the US.
Psagot said that all proceeds from this series contribute to the restoration efforts of the otef Aza communities.
The kashrut certificate for the wine has been approved by the rabbinate of the Binyamin Region. The Bergs founded Psagot in 2003, and it has rapidly grown in the last two decades. About 70 percent of their wines are exported abroad, and the wines have won a plethora of prizes at international competitions. They also have a beautiful visitors’ center where weddings and other events can be held. By the end of 2024, Psagot plans to produce a million bottles of wine.
Le’chaim! ■
This article was originally published at www.jpost.com
