30 The Jewish Herald • Friday, March 22, 2013 11 O E N O L O G Y


Kibbutz Ein Zivan in the Golan. The green fields are dotted with basalt stone protruding from the ground; immense grasslands lie next to a fenced-in IDF training area; cows wander around freely in the expansive apple orchards. It’s easy to miss the sign marking the entrance to Kibbutz Ortal, one of the last remaining collec- tives in Israel. The vineyard is located near


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the entrance of the kibbutz, be- tween the carpentry shop, the barn and the petting zoo. The grapes are also grown there, at the foot of Tel Shifon. The rows and rows of grapevines slowly soak up the minerals from the basalt stone. The snowy moun- tain tops of the Golan Heights loom in the distance. It is quite chilly there in the


mornings at 900 meters above sea level, so we hurriedly make our way into the winery. The strong smell of fermenting wine in oak barrels accosts our nos- trils. A bottle is opened, and the red liquid is poured into tall glasses. Our guide arrives and expertly explains the pro- duction process to us, patient- ly answering our questions and describing at length the various types of grapes that are used in the successful blend we are sip- ping. Our guide’s name is Yoav Zaafrani, and he will soon turn


ERUSALEM — Road 91 winds between Hatzor and


13. Yes, he is the youngest vint- ner in Israel. “I love wine,” he tells us with a


big smile and shining eyes. “I’m interested in the entire process, but I especially love the fermen- tation process — the grapes in the vats that bubble when you put them in your mouth. I love the strong smell that clears your sinuses, and the incredi- ble flavor of our wine. I love the Syrah, which has a chocolaty taste and an extremely strong presence.” Zaafrani was born for wine.


He has taken his father’s dream and made it his own. “I want to go to Australia,” he


says, “to learn how they make wine, to understand where these grapes come from. It would be a trip to discover my roots.” Zaafrani’s roots are plant-


The Youngest Vintner G A LI T ED U


Yoav Zaafrani plants the vines, picks the grapes and makes the wine, guides tours and critiques wines — and he’s only 13


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ed firmly here, in the heart of the Golan. His father, Ilan, was sent to the kibbutz in 1986 as a member of an IDF Nachal unit assigned to help build the kib- butz. It was there that he met his wife, Anat, who was work- ing as a kindergarten teacher. And it was there that his four children were born: Yoav, Omer (10), Yiftach (five) and Eitan (three). Just as he was putting down


his own roots, the kibbutz was also planting grape vineyards on 1,000 acres that were to grow grapes for wineries in the Golan.


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