Since becoming Kosher with the 2015 vintage, Vitkin has pretty much shot to the top of the list of wineries which produce a consistently good line of wines. That’s not say there aren’t occasional misses here and there – but it is rare. In fact, having tasted almost all of the kosher output until now, there is only a single wine that I really didn’t like. All of the rest range from good to wonderful. VERY few wines can boast that kind of track record with me. For all of that, when David suggested another visit to Vitkin, I was apprehensive. “Another visit?” you ask – “but you’ve never written about a visit to Vitkin before!”…. Exactly. Last time I visited was also with Raccah this past November, but do to a misunderstanding between David and the winery, they simply were unprepared to handle the entourage that David brought with him – especially as we came while the winery was closed and they had no staff there [if I showed up with 6 unexpected guests at your house, you might not be able to handle it either] and in the end things just didn’t work out – as is documented in his write up – I’m AD in the post 😉 . No blame there , it was all misunderstanding – but I wanted to make sure that if we went, the winery knew in advance and everything was going to be cool. David is a persuasive guy and assured me we would be good, and thankfully it all worked super smoothly this time.]

I have to say, sitting with winemaker Assaf Paz is a pleasure. Super gracious and truly knowledgeable with a clear vision of where he wants to be with his wines. At this point, 55-60% of the wine that Vitkin produces is White & Rosé. Of the remaining 40-45% Red, you will not find any Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or even Syrah. Assaf prefers to devote his energies to wines that he feels are suited to the Israeli climate and believes that the Israeli drinker is slowly developing a preference for this flavor profile. We can only hope. (For a full history of the winery, you can read Yossie Horwitz’ excellent write-up. No need for me to literally re-write history!)