Tabor Winery Launches ‘Artisanal’ Series

At the eastern end of Israel’s lower Galil, Tabor Winery has been making elevated wines since its establishment as a four-family-
run winery in 1999, though the location was originally established for viticulture in 1901 by the Rothschild family and had its
majority shares bought in 2005 by Coca-Cola Israel. I attended a dinner celebrating its designation as an ecological winery in 2019, and just last week, attended the launch of Tabor’s premium wine label, “Artisanal.” Tabor wines are imported to the United
States by Royal Wine, and Tabor’s Artisanal series is sponsored by the Israel Wine Producers Association (IWPA), which organized the launch event at Jojo Anavim Gallery in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood.

The winery continues to stay true to its sustainability mission, which in past years was illustrated on its label with a barn owl returning to its nest on Mount Tabor. As an ecological winery, the vineyards are maintained with sustainable agricultural
practices as directed through the Society for the Preservation of Nature, with agronomists and vineyard managers using natural fertilizers and native plants that allow coexistence with wildlife to promote a natural and healthy vineyard lifecycle. At the 2019
dinner, it was explained that better biodiversity between plants and animals in vineyards creates a more stable ecosystem that can protect against disease and outbreaks, both among plants and animals, while at the same time increasing the quality of the grapes.

Its mission at its latest launch was to present Artisanal, which places its premium wines on a new level and communicates a small-batch approach that includes the vineyard names that made Tabor’s earlier wines so sought-after for their authenticity, reliability and sense of place.

Tabor has long been known for its varietally correct wines, particularly with its bold flagship cabernet called Malkiya,
one of the most balanced, structured and beautiful wines made in Israel.

Malkiya Mountain in northern Israel has an exceptional rock-plated topography that is very hard to irrigate,
making anything difficult to grow. But as a rule, cabernet grows best in stressed conditions. Intense additional irrigation
and other changes in the vineyard have made this wine both unique and award-winning. It consistently scores
highly in competition, consistently scoring above 90 points in worldwide publications.

I have been a fan of its special bing-cherry and floral-scented marselan from the Revadim Vineyard and the
earthy, grippy-tannic tannat from the Shifon Vineyard, both of which I’ve sought out annually, though they have historically
not been imported to the U.S. every year. These two premium wines have been brought into the Artisanal “Creation” series, as well as wines made from roussanne, viognier, malbec, cabernet, a red blend and a white blend.

Wines in Tabor’s new Artisanal ‘Elements’ series will include a rosé made from barbera, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc,
chenin blanc, gewürtztraminer and merlot. Wines in a new ‘Tabor’ entry level series, include shiraz, merlot and cabernet sauvignon. Now producing over 2 million bottles a year, the winery seeks to elevate its special wines while maintaining its customers’ access to affordable and delicious table wines.

Guiding this approach is Head Winemaker Or Nadbach, whose background reflects both scientific rigor and international
experience. Bringing together a strong academic foundation and extensive hands-on experience in both California and Israel, his
approach combines scientific precision with deep respect for terroir, focusing on balance, clarity and wines that express origin,
structure and aging potential.

I asked Nadbach particularly about the Artisanal Creation Chardonnay 2025, which I found exceedingly balanced and creamy. He explained that the wine did not go through malolactic fermentation, a wine style often seen with cool-climate chardonnay that often results in buttery notes. Rather, he said that considering the hot climate of Israel with wines losing acid already due to
the heat, his chardonnay would benefit only from cold fermentation and sitting on the lees (spent yeast cells) and stirring (battonnage) once or twice during its nine-month fermentation. This allowed for the chardonnay to maintain its apple, pear
and lemon notes with notable creaminess.

While I didn’t get to ask Nadbach about it, I also very much enjoyed the Tabor Elements Rosé 2025, for which he told the group he specifically grows his barbera. While there is notmuch barbera grown in Israel and it’s found typically in northern Italian wines, I know it to be used for a few Israeli wineries for blending and for at least one single variety wine from Shiloh. More wineries should use it for rosé! This was an exceptionally good rosé by all definitions, with varietally correct ripe strawberries, peaches and citrus on the nose, a lovely dryness and a long finish with no residual sugar. I would strongly recommend this to white and
pink wine lovers for outdoor kiddush in the summertime.

“Artisanal is a natural evolution for Tabor and a reflection of how far Israeli winemaking has come,” said Roy Harel,
wine business unit director for Tabor Winery. “With this collection, we are able to highlight the nuance of our vineyard
sites and craft wines that truly express the diversity of Israel’s terroir—from the Galilee to the Jerusalem Mountains—
while delivering the quality and sophistication today’s global wine consumer expects.”

Artisanal’s wines are made not just from grapes grown locally in the north; grapes come from the Galil, Golan Heights, and Jerusalem Mountains. These are carefully selected vineyard plots, each chosen for its unique microclimate and soil composition.

Tabor’s Artisanal series is sponsored by the Israel Wine Producers Association, which helped launch the wines in New
York. “The launch of Artisanal is exactly the kind of innovation we are proud to champion,” said Josh Greenstein, executive
director of the IWPA. “Tabor Winery is demonstrating the depth, sophistication and global potential of Israeli wines. This
collection speaks directly to the premium consumer and reinforces Israel’s position as one of the most exciting and dynamic
wine regions in the world today.”

Jojo Anavim of his eponymous Chelsea gallery, is a mixed media artist who said he has always been fascinated by logos.
He shared that he was happy to partner with IWPA and Tabor for the launch, indicating he only drinks kosher wines and
hopes to support the Israeli winemaking industry in his life and work; to that end he created a special painting incorporating
the new Tabor ‘Artisanal’ wine label, using red wine as a component in a fingerprint of the Israeli flag. Learn more about Anavim at https://www.jojoanavim.com/.