Celebrating wine and the good life in Israel's north
Wine Festival season in Israel is begins this week and the harbinger is the "Beshvil Hayain" Festival of the Galilee, starting on May 25th. This is already the eighth consecutive year of the successful festival, which will commence with the traditional opening event, on the eve of the 25th and on the following Friday, in the lovely Baron's Garden situated in the old quarter of the picturesque township of Rosh Pina. More than 30 participating wineries will be offering multiple wines for tasting, with live music in the background and plenty of refreshments. From the opening event and onwards, the festival shall carry on for 3 full enjoyable weeks rich with wine events and an abundance of activities spread all around the Galilee, Golan and the Northern Valleys, in vineyards, wineries, village squares and other various locations.
Israel's north is one of the most special parts of the country, green and peaceful, hiding within many surprises, colors, scents, people and beautiful nature. The Galilee Wine Festival is a fantastic opportunity to visit the Galilee and to get acquainted with its hidden charms and pleasures, not just for wine lovers, but for all lovers of "la bella vita".
Vines were cultivated in this region since biblical times and of course still are today, and among the 70 or so wineries situated in the Galilee and Golan, large wineries besides small boutique ones, a great deal of Israel's most quality driven wineries can be found.
Main events of the festival
You are invited to celebrate 50 years of Jewish settling and more than 30 years of wine production in the Golan Heights along with the winemakers of the region, in a unforgettable wine and dance party, on June 1st, at the lovely Chateau Golan Winery located in the village of Eliad.
The village of Ramot Naftali will be hosting its traditional "4 Wineries" celebration on June 2nd, in which all four of the scenic village's wineries cooperate in launching their new wines, in an event also offering Galilean gourmet products, music, and loads of fun.
The Tulip winery of Kiryat Tivon in the Lower Galilee a stone's throw from Haifa, will be celebrating its traditional Pentecost party with live music, cheese and the winery's prized white wines on Friday the 26th of May.
There is absolutely no chance of remaining hungry during the Galilee Wine Festival. Stern and Kishor wineries of the Western Galilee will host special meals accompanied of course by their much loved wines on June 8th. The Effendy Hotel located between Acre's picturesque ancient walls and alleys by the Mediterranean Sea offers gourmet and wine special meals. You are also invited to dine between the vines by participating in organized picnics offering various local products – cheese, honey, meat, fruits and vegetables, herbs and wine.
The name "Beshvil Hayain" in Hebrew has an interesting double meaning, translating as: "for the sake of wine" and also as: "among the wine trails". It is therefore no surprise that many of the wine experiences offered during the festival shall take place between the vineyards themselves, or on the route the harvested grapes make from the vineyards to the wineries. The local tourist guide Roni Ohayon offers a variety of fun tours for lovers of wine, nature and interesting stories amongst some of the most lovely areas and most interesting wineries of the Golan and Galilee. You can of course organize your own individual private vineyard and winery tour with us at the grape man.
Sceneries and wine are not the whole story though, since the festival also includes a variety of musical events and various art exhibitions. You can also join one of the traditional "Shavouot" (Pentecost) harvest gathering happenings, or take part in guided walks through Arab and Jewish historic Galilee settlements. Also offered are visits to dairy and honey farms or olive oil presses and manufactures, including the now world famous Sindyanna of Galilee of Keffar Kanna, a unique non-profit organization led by a team of Arab and Jewish women working to create social change.
A special musical event shall take place on the evening of June first in the village of Safsufa high up on the Meron Mountain, which will host the Ashdod Andalusian Orchestra along with famous Maghreb chanters for a festive concert.
photo: Lior Gourno
For those planning a longer stay in the Galilee with the opportunity of enjoying as much of the festival's events as possible, plenty of accommodations can be found of all forms, from boutique hotels to putting up your own tent in one of the Galilee's beautiful parks. Israelis usually favor agro tourism, staying overnight in Zimmers – local cabins or small houses dispersed through the villages or the kibbutzim, most of them offering lush healthy breakfasts, and surrounded by peaceful green nature.
The festival will adjourn in Ramat Yishai, on the evening of Thursday June 8th, with a festive of scents, tastes and wine under the open sky, presenting the best of Galilee wines, cheese and pastries, accompanied by live music, and offering a food and wine workshop with Chef Doron Bar-on, along with a fascinating wine experience brought to you by our own Grape Man staff.
For lack of space we have mentioned only the main events, with many more of them to be discovered around the Golan and Galilee, throughout the festival. In short, the Galilee Wine Festival offers multiple activities suited for each and every one, of every age, taste and preference, during three fun filled festive weeks, abundant with beautiful nature, quality wine, lovely people and loads of fun. Enjoy and Lechaim!
For further details contact:
info-tour@golan.org.il
gogalil on facebook
Or by phone: 972-4-6962885
