We are into our second week of vintage; Naama is busy scurrying around the north of Israel checking that all the vineyards are healthy and that the grapes are ripening nicely. In addition, every morning she makes her morning rounds, visiting and tasting of all the wines we have fermenting, yesterday I joined her.

Well it’s finally here; the 2009 vintage has finally begun. This weeks vintage was Sauvignon Blanc from our Safsufa vineyard at the foothills of Mount Meron. The yields were good and the fruit was excellent. Here is a little photomontage showing the first steps of the journey from grapes to wine.

John was with us again last week, the pre-harvest visit included a tasting of all the wines we currently have in barrels, the formulation of a pre-vintage game plan and a visit to all the new vineyards those recently planted and those about to yield their first fruit.

All the panels have been finally installed and they look very pretty.

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.