Liftoff with Jeanniey Walden
Itay Lahat and Or Nadbach on Israeli Wine, Terroir, and the Craft Behind Lahat and Tabor
Who’s on this episode
Hosted by Jeanniey Walden, founder and host of Liftoff with Jeanniey Walden.
What you’ll learn
- Why the Western Galilee and even a high-altitude desert grow exceptional grapes.
- How climate change has turned every Israeli vintage into a “secret.”
- The 2015 sandstorm that permanently reshaped Itay Lahat’s winemaking.
- Why “Lahat” means both light and passion, and what that says about the craft.
- How Or Nadbach put his own fingerprint on Tabor’s premium wines.
- How both wineries are reaching the US through the Israeli Wine Producers Association.
Episode highlights
- 00:01Welcome to Liftoff: a wine tasting in a New York penthouse
- 00:16Meet Itay Lahat, founder and winemaker of Lahat Winery
- 00:46Lahat’s story: first wine in 2012, nearly 30 years of winemaking
- 01:03Grapes from Israel’s Western Galilee
- 01:19Why the Galilee grows great grapes
- 01:52How to tell a good wine, and a first taste
- 02:33The IWPA and Lahat’s US launch: four labels, seven wines
- 03:32Climate change and the “secret” of every vintage
- 04:24Tasting the 2023 white and how it ages
- 05:40Choosing a favorite: passion in every bottle
- 06:11The 2015 sandstorm that changed his winemaking
- 07:17What “Lahat” means, and tending four vintages at once
- 08:47Meet Or Nadbach, winemaker at Tabor Winery
- 09:16Two brands, a personal touch, and a fingerprint label
- 10:15A trip through Israel: vineyards from the Golan to the desert
- 10:52High-altitude desert grapes and winter snow
- 11:12Two cabernets: the Elements tier vs the single-vineyard flagship
- 12:00Tabor’s easy-drinking entry-level line
- 12:39The Father’s Day pick: a Marselan
Episode summary
Jeanniey opens this episode of Liftoff in a New York penthouse doing one of her favorite things, tasting wine, with Itay Lahat, the founder, winemaker, and viticulturist behind Lahat Winery. The first Lahat wine was made in 2012, but Itay has been making wine for almost thirty years, and his grapes come from the Western Upper Galilee, where he says the weather and the soils together are what make the region so good for growing. He walks Jeanniey through a 2023 white, a blend of several vineyards that is built to carry a whole evening, from raw fish to a main course of meat, and gains complexity with age. Lahat is new to the US market, launching with four labels, two whites and two reds, out of a full portfolio of seven: a trilogy of whites, a trilogy of reds, and a rosé that bridges them, all reaching American shelves through the Israeli Wine Producers Association.
The conversation turns to what has changed. Over the last five to twenty years, Itay says, the once-steady Galilee has started throwing heat waves that never used to happen, so every vintage has become a secret, you don’t know when the heat will arrive or how severe it will be. His hardest moment came in 2015, when a sandstorm buried the old Syrah vineyard right before harvest and baked the grapes. The fix, spraying the vines with water, only produced mud, and it pushed him toward a lighter style with as little skin contact as possible. That, he says, is passion, and it is fitting, because “Lahat” in Hebrew means both light and passion. He describes tending three or four vintages at once, walking next year’s grapes while making last year’s wine, bottling the wine from two years ago and promoting the one from three, which is why he can’t choose a favorite among them.
After a toast to Josh and the IWPA, Jeanniey welcomes Or Nadbach, the winemaker at Tabor Winery. When Or became head winemaker he wanted to put his personal touch on the wines, so he changed the liquid and redesigned the labels around an oak tree common to the region and his own fingerprint. Tabor draws grapes from across Israel, the Golan Heights in the north, the Upper Galilee, the Mitzpe Ramon desert in the south, and the Jerusalem Mountains, so tasting the range is like taking a trip through the country. Even the desert vineyard, he explains, is a high-altitude site that is dry but sees winter snow, which makes it one of the best places to grow grapes. Or prefers restrained, elegant wines over powerful ones, from the accessible Elements tier up to Tabor’s single-vineyard flagship Cabernet, alongside an easy-drinking entry-level line of light whites, rosé, and unoaked reds. For a Father’s Day bottle, his pick for American drinkers is a Marselan, a variety they may not know yet, and something a little different.
Key takeaways
- 00:46 Lahat Winery released its first wine in 2012, but founder Itay Lahat has been making wine for nearly 30 years.
- 01:19 The Western Galilee’s mix of weather and soils is what makes it ideal for growing grapes.
- 02:33 Lahat is launching in the US through the IWPA with four labels, part of a seven-wine portfolio: a trilogy of whites, a trilogy of reds, and a rosé bridge.
- 03:32 Climate change has made Galilee vintages unpredictable, with heat waves that never used to happen, so “every vintage is a secret.”
- 06:11 A 2015 sandstorm buried the Syrah vineyard and pushed Itay toward a lighter winemaking style with minimal skin contact.
- 07:17 “Lahat” means both light and passion in Hebrew, and a winemaker tends three or four vintages at once, each at a different stage.
- 09:16 At Tabor, Or Nadbach put his personal stamp on the wines and rebuilt the labels around an oak tree and his own fingerprint.
- 10:15 Tabor sources across Israel: the Golan Heights, the Upper Galilee, the Mitzpe Ramon desert, and the Jerusalem Mountains.
- 10:52 The Mitzpe Ramon vineyard is a high-altitude desert, dry with winter snow, which makes it a prime place to grow grapes.
- 11:12 Nadbach favors restrained, elegant wines; Tabor’s flagship is a single-vineyard Cabernet, with the Elements tier as the entry to the premium range.
Questions people ask
Who is Itay Lahat?
Itay Lahat is the founder and winemaker of Lahat Winery in Israel’s Western Galilee. He has been making wine since 1995, released the first Lahat wine in 2012, and produces around 70,000 bottles a year, all certified kosher.
Where are Lahat wines grown?
Lahat’s grapes are grown and harvested in the Western Upper Galilee in northern Israel, an area Itay Lahat prizes for the way its weather and soils suit grape growing and winemaking.
What does the word Lahat mean?
In Hebrew, Lahat can mean both light and passion. Itay Lahat uses it to describe the way a winemaker tends three or four vintages at once, each at a different stage.
Who is Or Nadbach?
Or Nadbach is the winemaker at Tabor Winery who leads its premium Artisanal line. He holds a master’s degree in winemaking from UC Davis and brings more than 12 years of experience to the role.
Where does Tabor Winery source its grapes?
Tabor sources grapes from vineyards across Israel, including the Golan Heights, the Upper Galilee, the high-altitude Mitzpe Ramon desert in the south, and the Jerusalem Mountains. Or Nadbach describes tasting the range as a trip through Israel.
What is the Israeli Wine Producers Association (IWPA)?
The Israeli Wine Producers Association brings Israeli wines, including Lahat and Tabor, to the US market. Both winemakers credit Josh for his work championing Israeli wine through the association.
Are Lahat and Tabor wines available in the United States?
Lahat is newly launching in the US through the IWPA, starting with four labels, and Tabor’s premium line is rolling out as well. Both wineries are reaching the US market through the Israeli Wine Producers Association.
Full transcript
Part one: Itay Lahat, Lahat Winery
Jeanniey Walden: I’m Jeanniey Walden, and this is another episode of Liftoff. I’m here with Itay Lahat, and we’re going to have a very delicious conversation. Itay, it’s so nice of you to meet me in this beautiful New York penthouse to do one of my favorite things, taste some wine. Now tell me, this is your winery. Did you start it?
Itay Lahat: Thank you for inviting me. Yes, I’m the founder, the winemaker, and the viticulturist. It’s my adventure.
Jeanniey Walden: How old is Lahat Winery? When did you start?
Itay Lahat: The first Lahat wine was made in 2012, but I’ve been making wine for almost thirty years now.
Jeanniey Walden: And the grapes are grown and harvested in Israel.
Itay Lahat: In Israel, in the upper Galilee, and most of them in a smaller area we call the Western Galilee.
Jeanniey Walden: What makes the Galilee such a great place to grow grapes?
Itay Lahat: It’s the weather and the soils. Both fit grape growing and winemaking.
Jeanniey Walden: For viewers who might not know how to tell if a wine is good, we’ve got this beautiful glass. How do you tell? I know you swirl it to check the legs and the color.
Itay Lahat: First, if you say it’s good, they’ll want to try it too. Let’s try it.
Jeanniey Walden: Let’s. It’s delicious. And this is available in the United States?
Itay Lahat: Thank you. Yes, it’s new to the market. We’re just launching it.
Jeanniey Walden: I understand Lahat wines are part of the Israeli Wine Producers Association, the IWPA, that we’re big fans of. Through that, these wines are available wherever the IWPA distributes. How many different wines do you have?
Itay Lahat: We started with four labels, two whites and two reds. The full portfolio has seven wines: a trilogy of whites, a trilogy of reds, and a rosé that’s a bridge between them.
Jeanniey Walden: This is a beautiful venue, but I understand inside you have all the wines for us to taste.
Itay Lahat: All the wines for you to taste, and if you’d like, different vintages too.
Jeanniey Walden: Given where your winery is, and all the turmoil happening, is there any concern about the climate?
Itay Lahat: Definitely, over the last five, ten, even twenty years. Before that the upper Galilee was really steady, and it still mostly is. We get a very nice average, but with heat waves that had never happened before. So every vintage is a secret. You don’t know when the heat will arrive or how severe it will be. That’s the big change.
Jeanniey Walden: We’re looking at a beautiful white wine. What vintage is this?
Itay Lahat: That’s the 2023.
Jeanniey Walden: Relatively young grapes then?
Itay Lahat: There are a few vineyards here. Some are young, some older. It’s a blend of a few vineyards.
Jeanniey Walden: It smells wonderful. Let’s see how it tastes. I love it.
Itay Lahat: Thank you. This is a wine that can fit a whole evening. Start with raw fish and finish with a main course of meat. And here in America you’re lucky, because we still have some 2023, while in Israel we’re already selling 2024. With age you get even more complexity in a big white wine.
Jeanniey Walden: Which one’s your favorite? Is that like asking a father to choose his favorite child?
Itay Lahat: In a way, yes. Each one has a purpose and a way to make it, and each vintage I judge by how close it got to what I wanted it to be. This is what I wanted it to be.
Jeanniey Walden: You’ve had to experience some disasters. Tell me about the worst.
Itay Lahat: 2015. There was a sandstorm, right before we usually pick the Syrah grapes. The old vineyard was covered with sand and the grapes baked. We did something for the first and last time: we sprayed the vineyard with water, and got mud. It really changed my winemaking. I made a much lighter wine, staying on the skins as little as possible. That’s passion. By the way, “Lahat” in Hebrew can mean light, but also passion. You grow the grapes, make the wine, think about new blends and old lands. Every year you’re walking next year’s grapes, making last year’s wine, bottling the wine from two years ago, and promoting the wine from three years ago. So every moment you’re taking care of three or four different children of different years.
Jeanniey Walden: I asked you to choose your favorite child, and now I understand why you can’t. You’re so passionate about what you do, and you can taste it. I’m so glad Lahat is available in the United States and part of the IWPA, and everything Josh brings to life with the organization. I hope everybody looks for Lahat.
Itay Lahat: Thank you so much. And thank you, Josh. He’s as passionate about Israeli wines as the winemakers are.
Jeanniey Walden: He is, and a great guy. Cheers to Josh. All right, everybody, stay tuned. We’ll be right back.
Part two: Or Nadbach, Tabor Winery
Jeanniey Walden: Welcome back. I’m here with Or Nadbach. He’s the winemaker for this incredible selection we’re going to talk about tonight. This is a new line that isn’t available everywhere yet, correct, in partnership with the Israeli Wine Producers Association? What inspired you to start this new line?
Or Nadbach: There are actually two different brands here. This is the entry-level base brand, and this is the premium brand. When I became the head winemaker, I wanted to put my personal touch on the wines. Together with my manager, we decided to change the look too. I changed the liquid, put my personal touch in it, and we changed the labels. The label has an oak tree, which is very common in our area, and my fingerprint.
Jeanniey Walden: That’s your fingerprint as an oak tree. That’s so cool. Where in Israel are these wines made?
Or Nadbach: Tabor Winery has vineyards all over Israel. You can find here like a trip through Israel. This one comes from the north, the Golan Heights. This one from the upper Galilee. This one from Mitzpe Ramon, in the desert in the south. And this one from the Jerusalem Mountains. Seriously all over Israel, the best locations, the best terroir. That’s what we do.
Jeanniey Walden: From a climate perspective, you don’t have concerns, especially about the one in the desert?
Or Nadbach: It’s a high-altitude desert. It’s dry, but there’s even snow in the winter. It’s unique, and those are the best places to grow grapes. So we get the best material to make the best wine.
Jeanniey Walden: For a cabernet like this, what kind of flavor?
Or Nadbach: We have two different cabs here. This one is the Elements tier, the entry to the premium. It’s usually powerful with blackberry flavors, but a bit restrained. I prefer restrained, elegant wines, easy to drink but still complex. And this one, our flagship, is a single-vineyard cabernet. It has power with elegance and length in the finish.
Jeanniey Walden: Now let’s talk about Tabor for a second. This line is your traditional line?
Or Nadbach: This is the entry level, the mass production. It goes for lower prices, easy to drink day by day. The whites and rosé are very light, and the reds are unoaked, very fruity, even good chilled.
Jeanniey Walden: Perfect for summer.
Or Nadbach: Really easy to drink. And those others are more complex.
Jeanniey Walden: If I’m buying the perfect Father’s Day wine, which of these am I buying?
Or Nadbach: In the States you may not be familiar with this variety, so I’ll go for this one. It’s a Marselan. It’s unique, something different.
Jeanniey Walden: Wonderful. Thank you so much. It’s been great speaking with you, and I’m looking forward to the wine tasting.
This conversation was recorded for Liftoff with Jeanniey Walden and lightly edited for readability.
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