Cabernet and Shiraz Reserve
Alex Haruni
March 01 2012
When Dalton first began making the reserve series the philosophy was very simple. Strive for excellence. Take the very best wines from each vintage, put them in the very best barrels, for as much time as it takes. There were no commercial concerns and no time restraints. Fifteen years later our philosophy remains unchanged and our experiences in the vineyards and the cellar teach us how to push forward to new levels of excellence.

Alex HaruniWelcome to the Dalton Website
June 20 2010
Welcome to the Dalton website. Over the past few years the Internet has developed from a one-way informative tool to more of a communal and collaborative tool and I wanted to build a site that incorporated the old and the new.

Alex HaruniGold Medal for our Reserve Shiraz
April 12 2012
Gold Medal for our Reserve Shiraz	I had a funny conversation with my CEO the other day, he called to tell me that people were calling him to congratulate us on the gold medal we had just won, and did I know anything about it.

Alex HaruniPassover wine - Pesach 5772 (2012)
April 01 2012
So it’s that time of year again, Passover, one week of non-stop eating and drinking. I always feel that because there are so many strictures about the foods we can eat on Passover, we tend to over do it a little and consume a little more than usual. I always remember, as a kid, my parents buying for the Pessach holidays way more food than we would ever consume in a normal week, I think it was the same for most of my friends. The holiday that prohibits so many food items slowly transforms in to a holiday where we consume as much of the food that is left for us too eat as possible.

Alex HaruniGet them while they’re hot!
March 26 2012
Get them while they’re hot! The one litre bottles of 2011 Red Canaan are finally on the market. We have priced them at the same price as the 750ml bottles so you get a third free. We only made a very limited run, so enjoy them whilst they last.

Alex HaruniSnow!
March 04 2012
Snow! We have been having a very interesting winter this year, a lot of rain strong winds and even snow over the weekend. Enjoy the photos that Yochai took for us.

Alex HaruniIsrawinexpo 2012
February 23 2012
Israwinexpo 2012 This week sees the Biannual Israeli wines exhibition, Israewinexpo. I am afraid that anyone wanting to get a glimpse of Daltons finest will be disappointed as we won’t be there.

Alex HaruniA Seminal Moment in Dalton’s History
October 25 2011
A Seminal Moment in Dalton’s History Yesterday was a historic day for the winery. For the first time ever we passed the thousand tonne mark. It is a landmark that we have been aspiring to for many years and should make us a million-bottle winery. We still have a few more vineyards to pick and hopefully we will be done by the end of the week.

Alex HaruniViognier, Whole Bunch Pressing
October 12 2011
Viognier, Whole Bunch Pressing We are three quarters of the way through vintage. I have written about vintages in the past haven’t really dwelt on it this year. We are heading for a record vintage and hope to exceed 1000 tonnes for the first time ever.

Alex HaruniHappy New Year to All
September 26 2011
Happy New Year to All We are currently in the middle of a very exciting and challenging harvest. Exciting because the results so far look very good, challenging because this weekend saw torrential rain throughout the country.

Alex HaruniDaniel Rogov R.I.P.
September 07 2011
Daniel Rogov R.I.P. The entire team at Dalton would like to express their sorrow at the passing of Daniel Rogov, wine critic and gentleman.

Alex HaruniJerusalem Wine Fair
August 16 2011
Jerusalem Wine Fair The Jerusalem wine fair began last night (15 August) and runs through till Thursday evening 18 August. It is held in the Sculpture Garden of the Israel Museum from 19.00-23.00. Entrance costs NIS70 and tickets are available at the door.

Alex HaruniKudos to Yossi David.
July 17 2011
Kudos to Yossi David. Who you might ask is Yossi David? Well, Yossi is a wine blogger of which there are many. Nothing too special you may say and you might be right, but Yossi has made an incredible contribution to the Israeli wine industry.

Alex HaruniSo, what’s new?
July 13 2011
So, what’s new? The wine industry is not for the impatient. The lag time between idea and implementation is usually measured in years. So it is particularly frustrating when I walk into wine stores and all they ask me is: ”So, what’s new?”

Alex HaruniTwo new wines for Dalton
February 09 2011
Two new wines for Dalton We are very happy to announce the introduction and release of two new wines into our D series. The wines are a Petite Sirah and the Zinfandel and are both from the 2009 vintage.

Alex HaruniThe Dynamic Duo and the Red Herrings.
February 01 2011
The Dynamic Duo and the Red Herrings. I have just returned from London where, on Tuesday evening, I had the pleasure of presenting our wines the Red Herring Wine Club in London. The club was founded over 40 years ago and is the foremost wine club in London. Most of the members are accountants, solicitors and surveyors who purchase wine for their partnerships and boardrooms. They meet once a month for tutored tastings on wines of the world and this time I was given the opportunity to give a presentation of Dalton wines and introduce our wines and, by default, wines from Israel to a group of enthusiastic wine drinkers who otherwise would never have the opportunity.

Alex HaruniA Quick Update
November 22 2010
A Quick Update We are in the process of preparing a newsletter for our members club so I thought I would take the opportunity to put a brief update on the site.

Alex HaruniA Mediterranean Inspiration
November 05 2010
A Mediterranean Inspiration I’m back in the States this week to participate in another Israel portfolio tasting. Yesterday together with 14 other Israeli wineries we presented our wines to the Who’s Who of the New York wine world, even Marvin Shanken, the owner of the Wine Spectator magazine came to see what was on offer.

Alex HaruniThe end of a difficult harvest
October 21 2010
The end of a difficult harvest Finally, we have picked the last grapes of 2010. Many of the wines have finished fermenting and some are still going through their rites of passage.

Alex HaruniDalton wines now available in Selfridges.
October 10 2010
Dalton wines now available in Selfridges. Thanks to the tireless efforts of our Importer and distributor in the UK I am happy to report that our wines will soon be on the shelves in the wine section at Selfridges, one of London’s premiere department stores. A big thank you to Morris Herzog and his entire team at Kedem Europe.

Alex HaruniTheft of Dalton Wines
September 03 2010
Theft of Dalton Wines Those of you watching the news this evening will have seen that we had another huge theft last night. About seven hundred and fifty thousand shekels worth of wine was stolen. This is our second theft in six years, look if Israel can have two wars in Lebanon then we can have two thefts.

Alex HaruniA Presidential Visit
August 20 2010
A Presidential Visit Yesterday (Wednesday 18 August) the winery was honoured by a visit of Mr Shimon Peres, President of Israel, who came to celebrate his 87th birthday at the winery. The President spent his birthday travelling the Galilee an area of the country close to his heart.

Alex Haruni2010 vintage gets underway
August 06 2010
2010 vintage gets underway I am happy to report that the 2010 Vintage is now under way. We began on Wednesday by harvesting Sauvignon Blanc. Next week will be a busy week as all the Sauvignon Blancs will be ripe and ready for picking and some reds too. Vintage is about a week to 10 days earlier this year, I think due to a couple of factors: the weather has been warmer and we have been thinning fruit quite aggressively in order to improve the quality of the fruit and the lower the yields the quicker they ripen. Meanwhile here are a few photos from our first day.

Alex HaruniNew Look for the Safsufa Range
July 28 2010
New Look for the Safsufa Range Over the next few month we will be unveiling new designs for many of our wines. We have begun with the Safsufa Series, beginning with the 2009 Cabernet and Merlot, the white will change labels with the impending 2010 vintage.

Alex HaruniVineyard Update
July 27 2010
Vineyard Update I paid a quick visit to the vineyards yesterday and things are progressing very well. We have new plantings which we will only see in 2014, new vines coming on line this year and, of course, some of our old favourites. We are anticipating high yields this year so we have had to thin a vast amount of fruit from the vines. Here are some photos from the visit.

Alex HaruniThank you for your patience.
June 29 2010
Thank you for your patience. As export manager of the winery, the past couple of years have been trying times for me. The 2008 vintage was Shmitta in Israel. It was one of our finest vintages but despite that, we were unable to send any of the wines from that vintage to our primary markets abroad.

Alex HaruniBiting the hand that feeds me
June 20 2010
Biting the hand that feeds me I realize that some of the issues brought up in this article are going to be a little contentious and some may even say that they are sour grapes (no pun intended), however, I am writing here from the perspective of a consumer and not as a producer. Living in Tel Aviv we are blessed with some of the finest places in the world for dining out. The restaurants here offer world class dining with exciting tastes and flavours that can rival any top restaurant abroad. I am sure that the Israeli chefs go out of their way to source raw materials from the best suppliers possible and invest much though and effort in building the most perfect menu. If only the same could be said about their wine selections.

Alex HaruniIsraelis Wearing Ties...
May 14 2010
Israelis Wearing Ties... I have just returned from a quick visit to London, luckily avoiding the ash-cloud that is vexing so many travelers lately. The reason for the visit was to participate in a portfolio tasting of Israeli wines for the benefit of the UK press and wine buyers. Basically this is code for “lets get Israeli wines out of the Jewish Ghetto and into the mainstream markets”, this is the ultimate dream of the Israeli wine industry.

Alex HaruniRogov in the House
June 20 2010
Rogov in the House Yesterday we were blessed with our annual visit from Daniel Rogov, noted journalist for Haaretz, and author of several esteemed tomes, notably, Rogov’s Guide to Israeli wines and Rogov’s Guide to Kosher Wines.

Alex HaruniFinally, it
February 01 2010
Finally, it's here… Here are the first pictures of the new Matatia wine in all its glory. The Jewel in the Crown of the Dalton portfolio it is a blend of Cabernet, Merlot and Cab Franc restricted yields in the vineyards, scrupulous selection in the winery and aged for two years in 200% new French oak, we are really proud of this wine.

Alex HaruniSaying hello to an old friend (Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 1999)
November 19 2009
Saying hello to an old friend (Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 1999)	This weekend I decided to rummage in my Dad’s wine fridge to see what was lurking in there and I came across a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 1999 which I decided to open and drink with Friday night dinner. Well the wine is holding up quite well, the nose is still vibrant and the palate smooth and complex. By the way, it goes quite well with roast chicken.

Alex HaruniGoing Green Part 3 the Final Installment
October 01 2009
Going Green Part 3 the Final Installment The solar panels were finally completed and approved at beginning of September, since then we have been generating electricity at the rate of about 600kWh per day and generating about 1000 shekels per day of income.

Alex HaruniFruit Thinning
August 02 2009
Fruit Thinning It is a site that no winery owner wants to see, bunches of fruit lying on the ground. But for a vineyard which is yielding for the first year it is a worthy investment.

Alex HaruniKosher Wine , what’s that all about?
October 20 2009
Kosher Wine , what’s that all about? If you look at the back of any bottle of Dalton wine you will see a cluster of little medallions at the bottom of the label, they are the stamps of the various rabbinical authorities that supervise the Kashrut of our wines. This is a brief article to explain what it is all about.

Alex HaruniA brief history of the Israeli wine industry
October 29 2009
This is an article I wrote a few years ago about the history of Israeli wines and its current state of play. Of course I give Dalton and our wines quite alot of credit.

meet the team
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