I’m propped on a stool on a terrace looking out over arid patches of land laced with rows of green grapevines. A bird chirps enthusiastically nearby and the sun creates shadows on the vine-covered pergola, which is thankfully providing some shade. I squint for a glimpse of the Sea of Galilee, which I know lies beyond these orchards but is blocked from my view by the hills dotted with trees.
“Shall we taste some wine?” asks Jonatan Koren, co-founder of Lotem Winery.
I’m on a pilgrimage to explore the wild, wild west and upper Galilee region of Israel and its bounty. It’s now Sunday, my third day on the road, and he’s opened up shop just for me, so l’chaim!
Strangely, most of the wineries here close on Sunday as opposed to Saturday, when businesses often shut for Shabbat. There are no wine tastings paired with heaping plates of grilled fish wrapped in grape leaves as is the case every other day of the week — and, especially, on the Sabbath, which is more celebration than contemplation in these parts. But while the festivities may be over, the music still plays. In fact, there’s always music on at Lotem, Israel’s largest organic winemaker…