Israel Wine Tours | Judean Hills & Golan Heights
The Judean Hills and Jerusalem literally exude historical and religious significance. Our Israel wine tours ensure that whatever your religion and whether you are devout, agnostic, or an atheist that you cannot fail to be moved by the aura of Jerusalem and the surrounding parts of the world. And regardless of your religious views, as a wine lover, you will be in heaven!
- Private Israel wine tours, do what you want when you want
- Spend the day with local experts and wine guides
- Explore a number of boutique wineries in the Judean Hills
- Tour and taste with owners and winemakers
- Enjoy a two-day trip to the Golan Heights wine region
- There is always time to visit Jerusalem and all it has to offer
- Non-wine activities (e.g. Safed or the Dead Sea) can be blended in
Our Israel wine tours are made of interchangeable one and two-day trips. A one-day trip from either Tel Aviv or Jerusalem will give you an in-depth look at the wines of the highly regarded Judean Hills wine region. The two-day segment will see you taken north to the Golan Heights and visit wineries plus other places of interest at a relaxed pace.
Gary and Malka at Tzora Vineyards in Israel 
Israel wine tours plus the culture and history
Our Israel wine tours will always have a day (or two?) open so you can visit Jerusalem of course, with all that this ancient city has to offer. We can guide you or just leave you to it, Jerusalem has an easily walkable old city and is a real treat to spend the day exploring.
Judean Hills – Israel Wine Tours
The Judean Hills is becoming a big hitter with new investment and scientific know-how, plus its Mediterranean microclimates and limestone soils don’t hurt the wine quality. A day or two of wine visits here will be full of superb wines and passionate people and we have some suggestions below. But remember, everything is tailored to your tastes so please let us know if you have ideas already formed.
The order and types of winery experienced will be tailored to your tastes, literally. Below we mention just a few of the places we go.
Tzuba Winery is a Kibbutz-run enterprise. We will arrange for this visit and tasting to be led by the winemaker Paul Dubb. Paul, originally from South Africa, will make sure you are fully informed on the Holy land terroir and how his grapes enjoy growing here. A tour of the facility and a tasting is a great way to get your wine day going.
Bordeaux style blends are popular among winemakers here and Paul is no exception. Metzuda is his winery´s take on a classic Cab Sav – Merlot but with high alcohol. Many of the wines have between 14 and 15% alcohol due to the hot climate, Paul also has a port-style wine to show you.
Enjoying Nevo winery near Jerusalem with the winemakers
Another great visit we have on offer is that of Nevo. This small winery is family owned and run and we often get the chance to meet the winemaker and several generations of the family. An interesting feature at this winery is that a bomb shelter has been converted into a cellar. The wine is superb and a great cheese plate will keep you going.
Going from boutique to slightly larger scale we take you to Tzora. Tzora Winery has several blocks growing in fossil-filled soils and this offers something extra on the nose and palate. Lots of use of French oak here but it is well integrated and produces some silky delights. Ella Valley is another of our favorites and its late harvest Riesling is particularly lovely, dried fruits and petrol is an interesting combo. Flam Winery is also on our list, here we will again meet members of the owner family involved hands-on with the winemaking. Flam has a lovely terrace overlooking the vines where we can sip and eat.
Another place we can visit is one of the most well-respected producers, Domaine du Castel. This winery is now in its custom-built, modern building and is crafting some superb wines gaining international acclaim. We may not be able to have such close contact with decision-makers here but you will love the visit and the wine.
Golan Heights – Overnight Road Trip
It is around a two-hour drive to get up to the Golan Heights and Sea of Galilee area, so that would be half your day spent driving on a day trip. We don’t want you to rush or limit your wine experience so we offer this trip with an overnight stay in the Golan Heights area either in the holy and historic city of Safed, a bed, and breakfast in the countryside or at a vineyard property such as the Assaf winery cabins.
On the first day of our 2-day Israel wine tours, we will focus on some of the fine wine producers whose vineyards grow in the rich combination of limestone and volcanic soil found in this area. We will visit two quality wineries and enjoy a tasty lunch at one of the wineries opposite one of Israel’s most sought after vineyard regions.
Safed is one of the four holy cities of Judaism 
Stay at Assaf winery in the Golan Heights
At the end of your day, or at some point during the trip, in any case, we will let you wander through the artist colony in the old quarter of the mystical city of Safed. This city, like Jerusalem, needs more than a few hours in all honesty, so consider adding an extra full day to your trip (and two extra for Jerusalem we would say).
Day two will take you to explore the Golan Heights a little more, a volcanic plateau where the Israel wine revolution began. You will spend the day visiting some of the Golan’s best wineries such as the innovative Pelter Winery which produces a wide range of interesting wines and where you can enjoy a platter of homemade goat cheeses to accompany your wine tasting. In addition, you can choose between other artisanal boutiques such as a chocolatier, an olive oil factory which has created unique olive-based beauty products, a micro-brewery, and an innovative distillery using local grains and herbs. End the day with a scenic panoramic view overlooking this beautiful region and get a sense of its history and with the majestic Mount Hermon in the distance.
Then we will whisk you back to Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, you will probably sleep the whole way…most clients do! At the end of our Israel wine tours, there are many options to bolt-on another country or two, Tel Aviv has great connections around the immediate region such as Turkey, Greece, or the fantastic ancient wine-producing countries of the Caucasus maybe?
