5/5 Oren T. 3 years ago on Google
As
in
the
whole
world
after
a
long
year
that
lasted
like
an
eternity
in
which
we
were
forced
to
stop
our
lives
and
avoid
social
contacts
because
of
the
COVID-19
virus,
I
finally
went
out
to
have
a
little
fun
and
chose
to
refresh
the
taste
of
returning
to
my
favorite
routine
of
life
by
raising
a
glass
of
wine,
after
all
there
is
nothing
like
a
good
wine
to
make
a
human
heart
happy.
I
went
to
visit
the
Castel
boutique
winery
in
Moshav
Yad
Hashmona
in
the
Judean
Mountains,
established
by
Eli
Ben
Zaken,
and
has
been
in
current
residence
since
2015.
This
is
a
modern
winery
that
uses
an
optical
sorting
machine
for
grapes,
and
an
absorption
system
that
allows
grapes
to
be
received
in
containers
by
gravity
only
without
pumps.
The
winery
prepares
its
wines
from
grapes
of
the
types
Cabernet
Sauvignon,
Merlot,
Chardonnay,
Cabernet
Franc,
Malbec,
Syrah
and
Petit
Verdot
grown
in
vineyards
planted
with
clay
and
limestone
in
the
Judean
Mountains,
at
an
average
height
of
750
meters.
The
vines
grow
very
densely
and
produce
small,
high-quality
crops
that
are
harvested
by
hand.
The
winery
produces
six
wines:
three
red
wines,
Castel
Grand
Vin
which
is
the
winery's
flagship
wine,
Petit
Castel
and
La
Vie
Rouge,
Rosa,
as
well
as
two
white
wines,
C
'Blanc
du
Castel'
made
from
Chardonnay
grapes
and
aged
for
about
a
year
in
French
oak
barrels
and
La
Vie
Blanc
,
Sauvignon
Blanc
based
blend.
The
winery
bottles
about
four
hundred
thousand
bottles
of
wine
every
year,
when
from
2003
all
the
winery's
wines
are
kosher.
I
came
to
a
wine
and
cheese
tasting
tour
that
I
set
up
easily
and
conveniently
through
the
winery’s
website (130
INS
for
person).
I
was
greeted
by
a
graceful
guide
with
a
glass
of
fresh,
cool
white
wine
that
fit
just
like
a
glove
next
to
the
morning
and
the
warm
weather.
The
tour
of
the
winery
is
short
and
exhaustive,
with
the
cool
and
pleasant
wine
storage
cellar
being
the
highlight.
The
wine
barrels
in
the
cellar
are
neatly
arranged
and
uniquely
painted
for
a
winery
that
creates
a
particularly
endearing
look.
From
the
tour
of
the
basement,
we
happily
moved
to
wooden
small
tables
in
the
well-kept
and
shady
visitors'
plaza,
overlooking
an
open
view
of
the
Judean
Mountains
and
the
nearby
settlements.
A
plate
of
delicious
cheeses
accompanied
by
rustic
walnut
bread
was
served
to
the
table
and
the
guide
began
pouring
wine
glasses
from
a
selection
of
winery
wines
with
a
delightful
explanation
of
the
type
of
grapes
and
aroma
of
the
wine
served.
I
will
conclude
my
experience
in
three
words:
it
was
fun
and
great!
Highly
recommend
as
a
refreshing
and
joyful
experience
... And
if
there
were
any
errors
in
my
writing,
I
apologized
...
I'm
still
perfumed
by
the
delicious
wine (;
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