I recently wrote an article in the Jerusalem Post and the person editing the article questioned the use of the word ‘garagiste’ saying Americans would not know what it was. In fact, it was at the peak of the influence of American critic, Robert Parker, that the word garagiste first became used. It described the French domestic artisan winery that was small enough to fit in a garage. Some of these produced wines in the Parker style and he fanned the new interest by giving them high ratings. The French term garagiste winery was born.
The term also reached Israel. One of our most notable wineries was an authentic garagiste. Lewinsohn Winery was founded in 2007 in the garage of Amnon Lewinsohn of Hod Hasharon, in the southern Sharon Plain. They made four barrels in that first year. However, they had a successful start, because they had a good winemaker. Amnon’s son was called Ido Lewinsohn. The winery swiftly gained notice in the rarified elite’osphere of top restaurants for its white wine which made the winery’s name. The white was a well-balanced Burgundian style Chardonnay. The label was called Garage de Papa, which already told the story. The next heads up to something special was the pioneering Whole Cluster Red, which was a totally new technique in Israel at the time.
However, Lewinsohn was a winery which was low key and below the radar. The wines were scarce and the Tel Aviv wine intelligentsia may have known about them, but no one else did. There was a big open day once a year when the great and good of Israeli wine would invade the house in Hod Hasharon for an hour or two of schmoozing, but that was it. Even the winemaker was busy elsewhere, in his day job.
Ido Lewinsohn was a winemaker for Recanati Winery. There, he was part of a team, but was very influential. He was extremely creative, managing to effect change and it greatly contributed to turning around the winery’s fortunes. It was he who found a dilapidated old vineyard in the Judean Foothills, where he had the foresight to see a hidden potential. The iconic Recanati Wild Carignan was the result. Then he steered the winery to a more Mediterranean slant, on the premise that Mediterranean varieties were more suitable for the Israeli climate. He made the first wine from Marselan and a flagship white from Roussanne and Marsanne. Carmel and Vitkin were the first wineries to go Mediterranean in the early 2000s. Vitkin was the real ABC icebreaker (Anything But Chardonnay & Cabernet). It was a decade later that Recanati picked up the Mediterranean mantle but they did so with persistence and consistency and introduced the Med message throughout the range. Ido Lewinsohn was also the first to make a wine in modern times from one of the Holy Land’s ancient local, indigenous varieties. The wine was a joint venture between a Palestinian grower and Israeli winemaker. It was called Marawi (in Hebron it is known as Hamdani) and made a noise beyond its quality because of its origin.
Just as Lewinsohn was appointed joint chief winemaker of Recanati Winery, he was head hunted by Barkan Winery, which vies with Carmel for the title of the largest winery in the country. This job was on a scale which entailed abilities of organization, management and logistics as much as winemaking. There he also made changes of innovation and quality, particularly with introducing the Beta label for Barkan and the Segal brand was relaunched. The Beta label has become established, but the Segal wines were less successful sales wise. Lewinsohn also dabbled further in the historic indigenous varieties producing a Marawi, Dabouki, Be’er and Yael and also made an award winning Argaman, the Israeli variety
It was during his time at Barkan that he joined the ‘Parthenon of Wine Gods’ by becoming a Master of Wine. He was Israel’s second MW after Eran Pick MW of Tzora Vineyards. There are only just over 400 MW’s in the whole world, and a mere 100 or so are also winemakers. So it was a very great achievement and an honor both for him and Israel for that matter. From being an ‘also’ winemaker, he became a standout figure in Israeli wine. Ido Lewinsohn had studied Viticulture and Oenology in Milan. He has had work experience in Tuscany, Languedoc, the Rhone Valley and Tasmania. Therefore he has a highly developed international perspective. He has made wine in the Rhone Valley (his first winemaking job), in Cyprus (a joint venture between Barkan and Kamanterena wineries) and in Germany (Lewinsohn and Kuntz wineries working together.) He now lives in Tuscany where he consults, but hops back on regular flights for the main wine growing and winemaking activities. When he is not at home, he has associate winemaker Igor Ivanov, to watch over the shop. Ivanov also graduated in Italy and worked under Lewinsohn, at Barkan.
Ido Lewinsohn is always kind, friendly, respectful and giving, but he has great ability to focus, concentrate and compartmentalize. I always feel he is like a coiled spring waiting to unleash his focus and talent on some new project. He makes wine with acute intelligence with a refined understanding of marketing. He is a restless innovator, a pusher and hard on himself if he does not succeed in something right away.
During the time Ido was playing in the sandpits of Recanati and Barkan, Lewinsohn Winery was steadily growing. Eventually they moved to a temporary site in 2017, before moving to a new permanent home in 2023. With a flash and a tinkle, the winery has come out of hibernation and has now suddenly become one of the more active and lively wineries around. To visit one of the best wineries in the country, you usually have to plan and travel. The Golan, Upper Galilee and Judean Hills are reasonably far away from Tel Aviv. Well, Lewinsohn Winery sits in Petach Tikvah, easily accessible from the center of the country. It is part of a complex which includes Nono and Mimi, the very successful and tasty creation of Ido’s brother, Dovev Lewinsohn and brother in law, Yaki Boneh. The complex is like a cathedral to the outsize success of the Lewinsohn family.
The reincarnation of Lewinsohn Winery is complete. It has changed from a rather shy, bashful secretive winery, into one of the most active, sought after wine venues. They produce 40 to 50,000 bottles a year, so are still a relatively small hands-on winery. However it is rich in content and options for the wine tourist. It is at once a winery with a visitors’ center, a wine bar with a full menu, and a wine education center for master classes and tutored tastings. From 11.00 to 18.00 it is a winery and visitors center. Like at any winery, you can book a tour with an explanation and tasting, or buy a bottle and settle down with a friend with a cheese platter. After 18.00 until 23.00, it turns into a wine bar. You can sit in armchair comfort inside, or grab a seat on the outside patio and order wines and food cooked by Nono’s chef. The cultural and educational side of the winery continues with its own program. Lecturers include winemakers, sommeliers or other wine professionals. As it is a non-kosher winery, the tasting events and master classes are held in the barrel room and wine lovers and connoisseurs are able to taste the finest Israeli wines and a broad range of international wines. The winery is also open seven days a week. Quite apart from wine, it is also an events venue bulging with activity. An event could be anything from a workshop of a famous chef to live music. Every time I go there it is throbbing with content. Yet it remains a family winery. When I turned up recently, Ido Lewinsohn’s father at a mere 78 years old, was working as a cellar hand in the winery with the enthusiasm of a young boy. I am sure he was not there just for my benefit. Then, by chance, Ido’s sister, Yarden came by. She opened and managed the iconic first Nono Restaurant in Hod Hasharon and manages the winery visitors’ center and wine bar. The point I am making, is that to say it is a family winery is not just public relations. The essence of the winery is family.
Of course, the core of any winery is its wines, and Lewinsohn’s wines are some of the finest in Israel. The vineyards of the winery are cherry picked from some of the best regions in the country. These include the Golan Heights, the Upper Galilee, Tzuba in the Judean Hills and Givat Yeshayahu in the Judean Foothills. The basic range is a red, white and rosé. The Rosé is made from the Caladoc variety (a cross between Malbec and Grenache.) The wine is fermented in stainless steel, nothing unusual about that, but is then aged on its lees in 500 liter oak barrels for four months. This gives the rosé a texture and minerality, rare amongst Israeli rosés. It is delicious. The Garage de Papa Blanc is a lean and elegant Chardonnay, loved by purists. Different from the oaky peaches and cream style Chardonnays we were once used to. The Garage de Papa Rouge is mainly from Syrah, balanced with Petite Sirah, fermented in small open top tanks. It is full of juicy fruit, but velvety and silky in texture. La piece de la resistance is the rare, prestige Vendange Entière, or Whole Cluster red. It is made from Petite Sirah. The wine is sensual, floral with an elegance that belies the mouth filling flavor. And it may be cellared and will age beautifully. Probably the best Petite Sirah in the country. I used to think Lewinsohn’s white was the star. Now I think his reds are outstanding.
Lewinsohn Winery is a pearl that has landed like a meteorite in the greater Tel Aviv area, offering great wines, good food, wine culture and education along with fun events. It is certainly one of the best wine venues in the center of the country. Well worth a visit.
Adam Montefiore is a wine trade veteran and a winery insider turned wine writer, who has advanced Israeli wine for 38 years. He is referred to as the English voice of Israeli wine and is the Wine Writer for the Jerusalem Post. www.adammontefiore.com
