Let me tell you about a wine of defiance, hope and resilience. It will not win gold medals or high scores. The international wine critics will not have heard of it. It was only produced in miniscule quantities. But no doubt in my mind, this is one of the ‘Israeli Wines of the Year.’ This is a story of unspeakable horror, unbearable tragedy, but also of redemption, rejuvenation and an underlying optimism. It spreads a feeling of strength in adversity and hope. It tells the story of the biggest tragedy to befall the Jewish people since the Holocaust, in a bottle of wine. A message in a bottle.
The late Gideon Pauker, a stalwart of Kibbutz Nir Oz, was a wine lover and what is more he encouraged those around him to love wine. He went on the Soreq Winery Winemaking Course, was an integral part of the local Eshkol Wine Club and was a loyal follower of the tastings and wine tours of wine guru Haim Gan of Ish Anavim (The Grape Man.) Gan is one of the leaders of those advancing wine culture in Israel. Pauker’s great pleasure was to travel with his wife Orna to Italy to enjoy firsthand, the food and wine culture there. He was the ultimate wine guy; Unspoiled, unpretentious, yet infatuated with fermented grape juice.
He was a wine lover with a difference. He did not just want to drink, enjoy and talk about wine, he wanted to get his hands dirty in the soil. He wanted to touch, feel and experience it. So, he planted a vineyard, in between the kibbutz and Gaza, and created a domestic winery in an underground shelter. In 2007 he made his first wine. Gadi Mozes, Haim Perry, Yoram Metzger are names we have come to know. As proud sons of Nir Oz, each shared the hobby of wine. They were friends and ‘partners in wine’ with Gideon.
On October 7th 2023, the kibbutz was attacked by the marauding savages of Hamas. Gideon Pauker, just before his 80th birthday, was shot whilst holding closed the door of his safe room. There he was left to bleed to death slowly over four hours and he died in the arms of his wife Orna. This is just one story, amidst the carnage, misery, death and destruction wrought by Hamas in the Simchat Torah Massacre. People talk about the North Western Negev being abandoned by the government and army. This was never more-true than in his case. If help would have arrived, his life could have been saved. Though in their eighties, Gadi Mozes, Haim Perry and Yoram Metzger were each kidnapped, taken into captivity as hostages and kept underground in unspeakable conditions. What depraved culture sanctifies the kidnap and murder of babies and octogenarians? Though the over-woke leftists and Muslim world seems to condone this uncivilized, terrorist behavior, we will not forget. If a position of great morality is only taken with regard to Israel and the slaughter of Muslims elsewhere is ignored, then it is antisemitism.
The aforementioned Haim Gan was a close friend of the family. In the second week of the war, wine was the last thing on the family’s mind, but Gan was the one who remembered the winery. The 2022 wine was in barrels and the grapes from the 2023 vintage had been harvested and fermented but the wine was forgotten. He thought the wine could be saved and approached the family for permission. When Orna gave her approval, Haim Gan sprang into action. He gathered together two winemakers from the opposite ends of the political spectrum, who rallied to the cause: Dr. Shibi Drori from Gvaot Winery and Meiram Harel from Amphorae Winery. One is religious from the Samarian Mountains; and the other secular from Mount Carmel in the northern coastal area. The three of them gathered together to save the non-kosher wine of a left-wing kibbutz. If there is one thing positive about the October 7th War, it has brought out the best in Israelis.
They found the vineyard planted between the kibbutz and Gaza was not unscathed. Some rows and the irrigation system had been damaged. Apparently, it was the place used for rounding up of the kidnapped by the kidnappers on October 7th. The winery needed cleaning up. Wine in its natural form will turn to vinegar in the blink of an eye. Cleanliness and temperature control in wine really are next to Godliness. The rescue team came at the eleventh hour, but it was just in time. The wine that could be saved was bottled. The wine that couldn’t was distilled to make brandy. The person who took up the ropes was an impressive young man called Gal Pauker. He is the eldest grandson of Gideon Pauker z”l. Prompted and encouraged by Haim Gan, with the two winemaking experts at his shoulder, the younger Pauker took ownership for the project of his grandfather’s life. He worked hard, drew on the expertise around him and the agricultural traditions of his own family. He felt the weight of responsibility and understands this is his task in life. To fulfil his grandfather’s work and continue it in his memory felt totally appropriate for him. At the same time, he had a lot on his plate with grief, loss and the concern over his younger brother, Sivan, who was seriously injured on that black Shabbat day. However, he grew in stature to fill the void and has proved to be more than up to the task.
The first time I saw Gal Pauker was at the Terravino Wine Competition Awards Ceremony in January 2024. This is Israel’s most important international wine and spirits competition. I was there to receive the ‘Terravino Lifetime Achievement Award.’ Orna Pauker and Gal were invited to present the trophy for ‘Best Wine In The Competition.’ There was scarcely a dry eye in the house when Haim Gan explained their story. Recently the 2022 wine was bottled and when Gideon Pauker was moved to his final resting place, a bottle of the wine that he was not able to finish himself, was laid in his grave. It was like closing a circle.
I then determined to meet Gal Pauker. I expected a boy rather dwarfed by the expectation. Instead, I found an extremely impressive young man with fire in his belly. The first thing you notice is the tousled hair, light beard and then that heart-warming, infectious smile, which lights up a room. He is smart, very articulate and a deep thinker. After a short time of talking, you feel the drive, determination, sense of mission and ambition. He explained how the vineyard had established deep roots. The continuation of the project was a must and symbolic of the rehabilitation of the kibbutz.
Gal has early memories of being at the harvest of grapes as a young boy. He had a deep and meaningful relationship with his grandfather. Meetings would normally center around food and wine. Gideon was incapable of not sharing enthusiasm for wine. He had a compulsion to share and talk about it. On that fateful morning Gal was in contact with his Saba hearing of the infiltrations of Hamas. He asked what was going on. The last he heard from him was a What’s App message sent with an emoji of a red heart, a red rose, and a glass of red wine. This was his farewell to his grandson. It was the last communication between them. Gal remembers him as “a humble and sweet man. He wanted only what he needed and dreamed of simple pleasures.” Yet Gideon Fauker was also a pioneer wherever he lived. He was a passionate agriculturist and took senior management and leadership positions in the communities wherever he lived. His memory is a blessing. He would have been grateful to Haim Gan and proud of his grandson. His legacy was saved. It is not a commercial winery. They produce 1,000 to 2,000 bottles a year, mainly for family and friends. However, all that will change. They have even planted a new vineyard at Ein HaBesor. This was named the Gideon Vineyard in honor of his grandfather. An investment in the future.
Gal Pauker loves going down the concrete steps into the winery. It is like entering another world; his grandfather’s world. There is no reception there; no telephone, no message beeps, no distractions. Gal is alone there with the wine, his thoughts and memories. But most of all it is where he feels his grandfather most.
Wine is an expression of a person and place. Gal explained that the wine is a connection between his grandfather, his three friends and partners in captivity and the place, Nir Oz. The Nir Oz Red 2022 is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Syrah. It is a wine that shows life goes on. It illustrates you can rape, pillage, burn, destroy and slaughter, but life is stronger the death. Wine is a symbol of life. It is a bedrock of the Judeo-Christian religion and a signal of Western Civilization. Hamas, Hezbollah and ISIS have something in common. They are anti-liberalism, anti-democracy and anti-the West. They hate all Jews and Israelis. They are also fervently anti wine. Blessed be the winemakers; cursed be those fundamentalists that hate wine.
Later, we heard the desperately sad news that Haim Perry z”l and Yoram Metzger z”l had died in captivity. Just as Gideon Pauker was abandoned on October 7th, the captives were abandoned afterwards. History will not look back kindly at those responsible. We are all praying Gadi Mozes will come home safely. His wine is ready and waiting.
I briefly met Gal’s father Raz and his brother Sivan, at the launch of a wine diplomacy project by the Combat Antisemitism Movement. Raz and Dr. Shibi Drori told their story. You could not help but be moved, but the pluckiness of this family in adversity is such a tonic. I met Gal to offer support, but left greatly encouraged and strengthened by his fortitude and positivity. He was simply an inspiration. Just before we finished our meeting Gal Pauker, 24 years old, now winemaker, wine grower and custodian of Nir Oz Winery, said to me: “My grandfather planted deep roots. We will build and not destroy. I want to make great wine, but it will not be a wine of tears.” With his spirit, eagerness to learn and sense of duty to preserve the legacy of his grandfather, I am sure he will succeed.
Adam Montefiore is a wine trade veteran and a winery insider turned wine writer. He has advanced Israeli wine for 38 years and is known as the ‘English voice of Israeli wine.’ He is the Wine Writer of the Jerusalem Post. www.adammontefiore.com
