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The story of the Vitkin Winery
Vitkin is a family run and owned winery, the pioneer of Mediterranean-style winemaking in Israel. Vitkin is considered as one of the most exciting and innovative wineries in Israel. Founded on 2001, by two brothers-in-law: Doron Belogolovsky and Assaf Paz. Doron - Kfar Vitkin founder's grandson, wine lover and talented handy man; Assaf - Israel's first graduate of the Bordeaux winemaking school in Bordeaux. In 2003, Sharona Paz-Belogolovsky, Doron's wife and Assaf’s sister, joined the team. Together the three of them created a winery that enjoys a unique status among wine lovers and connoisseurs in Israel. Since 2002, the winery produces wines made from Carignan, Colombard, Petite Sirah and more varieties that were all but forgotten for making varietal wines. Assaf and Doron were determined to revive and nurture these varieties, and produce fine wines from them. Thus, began the Mediterranean wine revolution in Israel.
The beginning: In the 2001 vintage, which was marked by the children's footsteps, the winery quickly developed into a professional and cohesive unit, and in the 2015 vintage, wine production moved from the barn on the family farm to a modern, spacious, professional building where it is located today.
The family
Doron Belogolovsky
Grandson of Mordechai and Miriam Rotenberg, farmers and founders of Kfar Vitkin, a hard worker with golden hands. For the first 15 harvests when the winery was located on the family farm, he served as the winery's acting winemaker and now concentrates on carpentry and manufactures most of the winery's furniture, mainly from used wine barrels.
Sharona Paz-Belogulovsky
A brave woman who grew up in the Upper Galilee. A combination of heart and sharp mind, she designs everything from wine labels to the interior design of the winery. She inherited management and operational skills from her Jewish mother. The driving force behind Doron and Assaf's creativity.
Assaf Paz
Raised in the Galilean countryside, hence the love for nature and the open landscape. He has a hand in everything from the gardening at the winery, the instructions for growing grapes in the remote vineyards, the creativity and precision in winemaking, to the connections with customers. His culinary background sets the tone for culinary winemaking. International training provides a professional foundation for quality creation with local roots
The approach
Wine is an expression of place and time, and in our eyes, the true expression of the grapes quality must translated into a wine that is enjoyable and approachable. Suited to hot Israeli climate, Exciting cuisine, and local temperament, or as Asaf always says: "As an energetic, somewhat nervous, and hot-tempered people living in a hot country that never stops, I have always sought to produce elegant, cool, almost quiet, and above all, joyful wine styles." This approach gave birth to our local-Mediterranean winemaking approach, in which varieties that were previously forgotten or remained unknown were given a new lease of life. We avoided stereotypical and commercial "international" wines, and to everyone's surprise, we produced quality wines from forgotten varieties such as Carignan, Petite Sirah, and more recently Grenache and Macabeo. The beginning was challenging, but as of today, many winemakers adopted the approach and walled down the path we paved.
The Pioneers
When the winery was founded, all Israeli quality wines were made with international inspiration in sight –either French or Californian and from only four popular grape varieties. Assaf was the first to decide on a different approach, that later turned out to be a true turning point is the Israeli winemaking industry . Producing wines from local – Mediterranean varieties and focusing on ancient varieties that at the time were not considered as varieties with good publicity.
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