Did you know they make award winning wines in Israel? In this special episode, we have the honor to speak with Victor Schoenfeld, Head Winemaker at Golan Heights Winery and one of the pioneers of modern winemaking in Israel. Victor shares with us his journey and how we combined his love of food and interest in agriculture into a career in wine that started down a very traditional path - working for Mondavi and Champagne house Jacquesson & Fils in France - which then took a serendipitous turn to Israel and Golan Heights winery. In this interview, we learn about the challenges of growing wines in Israel, his intense focus on terroir so that he can bring out the unique attributes of wines grown and made in Israel, and how he brings his special talents to the art and science of winemaking. We also talk about the recently released vintage of their limited quantity Yarden Cru Elite Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a great interview with a winemaker who will definitely open your eyes to things you neve knew about wine.
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Show Notes
Special Episode! Meet the (Wine) Makers #9: Victor Schoenfeld, Head Winemaker of Golan Heights Winery! 00:00
Today, I have the pleasure to speak with Victor Schoenfeld, Head Winemaker of Golan Heights Winery, who joined the winery 30 years ago and has gained acclaim for his winemaking.
In our interview, he talks about the unique approach to winemaking at Golan Heights, their focus on sustainability, and how they concentrate on making beautiful terroir driven wines. You’ll also hear Victor talk about the art and creativity ins his wine, and his philosophy that wine is for bringing people joy. Stay tuned!
Introduction to the Interview with Victor Schoenfeld, Head Winemaker of Golan Heights Winery 00:36
Hello, and welcome to The Wine Pair Podcast! I’m Joe, your sommelier of reasonably priced wine, and for this special episode, I am on my own as my wine pairing partner in crime is busy making cakes for her Baby Cakes micro-bakery, which by the way you can learn more about if you head over to her website lovebabycakes.com.
Now, as a quick orientation to our podcast, what we usually do in each episode is learn about, taste, and review two to three wines that are reasonably priced, which means under $20, and should be easy to find. However, for this special set of episodes, we will interview people who are involved in actually making wine. Because part of what we want to do with our podcast is to educate ourselves and you on different aspects of wine knowledge in a fun, entertaining, and unstuffy way, even fun and entertaining as Decanter magazine has called our podcast, and that is what we are doing today!
A small plug before we get to the interview with Victor - if you like what you are hearing or are interested in hearing our other “regular” episodes, please subscribe to our podcast so you can hear more - especially since you are only getting one half of The Wine Pair Podcast in this episode! You can also go to our website to send us a note or subscribe to our newsletter, you can follow us on Instagram at The Wine Pair Podcast, and, if you like what you are hearing, leave us a nice rating and review!
Ok, let’s get to the interview with Victor
Interview with Victor Schoenfeld, Head Winemaker of Golan Heights Winery 02:13
Hi Victor - and welcome to The Wine Pair Podcast.
We are very honored and happy to have you with us, Victor, and we are really looking forward to learning more about you, about winemaking in Israel, and what makes Golan Heights wines special.
Well, without further ado, let’s jump in - and let’s start with a little bit about you, your background and family, and how that journey led you into winemaking.
Outro and How to Find Victor Schoenfeld, Head Winemaker of Golan Heights Winery 34:53
Thank you very much for listening to our interview with Victor Schoenfeld, Head Winemaker of Golan Heights Winery and we hope you will take the time to learn more about their wines and their approach to sustainable winemaking.
Just in case you are worried about memorizing all of this, don’t worry, you can find out all of this information on our website thewinepairpodcast.com in our show notes for this episode. But so you have it, here are some sites for you to checkout.
Website: https://www.yardenwines.com/
Instagram: @yardenwinesisrael
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yardenwinesisrael
info@yardenwines.com
And, we hope you will subscribe to our podcast The Wine Pair Podcast and follow us on Instagram, and visit our website at thewinepairpodcast.com where you can reach out to us and sign up for our newsletter, and if you missed our last newsletter, you can email me at joe@thewinepairpodcast.com and I will personally send it to you, just ask Dean, who I sent the newsletter to because he asked me! And feel free to reach out if you know a winemaker we should have on the podcast
But for now it’s time to go, and as we like to say, life is short, so stop drinking shitty wine.
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