Adam S. Montefiore is a wine trade veteran and winery insider turned wine writer, who has contributed to the advance of Israeli wines for 35 years. He is the wine writer for the Jerusalem Post, partner in the Israel Wine Experience and CEO of Adam Montefiore Wine Consultancy. He was a founder member of the Academy of Wine Service in the UK. He then worked many years for Israeli wineries, established ‘Handcrafted Wines of Israel’ and became arguably the most visual champion of Israeli wine in the wider world. He is author of The Wine Route of Israel, Wines of Israel, Domaine du Castel: The Biography and Golan Heights Winery: Forty Years… He contributes to Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book & Jancis Robinson MW’s The Oxford Companion to Wine. He has been referred to as ‘the English voice of Israeli wines’, is a member of The Circle of Wine Writers and has been presented with the prestigious Terravino Lifetime Achievement Award.
Adam Sebag Montefiore ( אדם ס. מונטיפיורי) was born in Kensington, London. He began his career in the drinks industry & wine trade with Bass Charrington, and became the wine manager of their hotel division. He studied wine at the WSET in London and was a founder & honorary member of The Academy of Wine Service.
In 1989 he made aliyah and devoted himself to Israeli wine. For many years he worked for Golan Heights Winery, the pioneering winery of Israel, and Carmel, the historic winery of Israel. It was a journey that took him from Yarden to Yatir, from the Golan in the north, to the Negev in the south. Early on, he developed a ground breaking ‘wine by the glass’ campaign, improved the way wine lists were compiled, introduced what was then a new concept of professional support for hotels and restaurants, and organized the first ever course for sommeliers.
He initiated and implemented innovative projects such as the Yarden Award for Wine Service, still the major award for wine waiters in Israel, Handcrafted Wines of Israel, the first time wineries worked together to advance Brand Israel, and the Carmel Center for Wine & Culture, a fusion of wine education and wine tourism.
Over the years, he spearheaded the advance of Israeli wines in overseas markets. He has been referred to as “The Ambassador of Israeli Wine”(by Israel Wines), “The English Voice of Israeli Wine” (Jewish Week), “The Robert Mondavi of Israel” (Wine Musings), “the dean of the Israeli wine industry” (Sommelier News), and “Game-Changer of Israeli Wines” (‘Desert & Cities’).
He has lectured about wine at Ben-Gurion University & various colleges and been a wine judge in international competition. At both Golan Heights and Carmel Wineries, he created and curated a wine library.
Adam Montefiore writes about wine in both Israeli and international publications. He is the wine writer for the Jerusalem Post, a member of The Circle of Wine Writers and he is the biographer of both the Golan Heights Winery and Domaine du Castel, arguably Israel’s two most well known wineries.
He has written the following books: The Wine Route of Israel, Wines of Israel, Shvill Ha’Yayin, Domaine du Castel: The Biography (nominee for the Gourmand Awards) and Golan Heights Winery: Forty Years of Quality, Innovation and Authenticity. He contributed to The Book of New Israeli Food and Time and Place, Tzora Vineyards. He has also contributed over decades to: Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book, Jancis Robinson MW’s The Oxford Companion To Wine and The World Atlas of Wine; and also to Wine Grapes, Oz Clarke’s Pocket Wine A-Z, The Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia, Robert Parker’s The Wine Buyer’s Guide and Wine Folly.
He is CEO of Adam Montefiore Wine Consultancy, working with wineries, retailers, hotels & restaurants, and also a partner in the Israel Wine Experience, which educates about Israeli wine. He is a specialist in the wines of Israel, the Levant and the Eastern Mediterranean, and is a pioneer advocate of the Eastern Mediterranean as a quality wine region.
In 2024, he was presented with the distinguished Terravino Lifetime Achievement Award in honor of his contribution to Israeli wine.