As we keep learning more and more about the difficult year had by Israeli winemakers; beginning on October 7 and continuing through as we prepare for Pesach, we feel a need to continue telling their stories to encourage support. As buying Israeli wine is perhaps the least we can do to support these incredible workers who create art from fruit, let’s learn a bit more about La Forêt Blanche’s past six months and hear CEO Ya’acov Bris’ best recommendation for seder wine.
Bris shared initially that he was called up on October 7 in his special detective unit in Jerusalem, and worked 12 hour shifts in Jerusalem for the first month of the war. “Then I started to go back to work at the winery because all my workers were called up, and we had the harvest to complete; pressing, barreling and there was no one else to do it other than me and Bruno [Darmon], the winemaker.
Darmon’s three sons and son-in-law were called up. His son-in-law was shot in the chest by a sniper, and almost died, but turned a corner, survived and is recovering well with a few bullets still in his body. “We saw a great tragedy with our agronomist, Moshe Levy, who is responsible for all our vineyards, who I work with very closely. He’s also my neighbor in Carmel. His son, Zvika Levy, was injured early in the war and passed away after two months. A very big tragedy for us.”
Bris continues to work in his police detective’s unit once or twice a week, and does shifts guarding the yishuv where he lives in Carmel. “From a sales perspective the visitor’s center was closed down since October 7, with many visitors and groups canceling. We had no sales through the website or stores buying anything for close to three months. From a cash flow standpoint we had to put people on technical leave until things picked up again, and do everything I could myself.”
The winery also had to deal with some malicious mischief during the beginning of the war. “At the vineyards we had some arson early on, with people trying to take advantage of the situation, throwing Molotov cocktails. But the army took over a strategic position near Route 60 so that cars would not be attacked as well, and our vineyards are safe.”
For Pesach, Bris recommends an exciting Israeli single varietal to everyone around the world. “My favorite wine for Pesach is the La Forêt Blanche Dvir Petit Verdot. It is very spicy, fruity, and quite light compared to other cabernets and blends. This is a good pairing with matzo which is drying to the mouth. This wine wakes up the taste buds with all the spices and fruit.”
This wine costs approximately $40 and is available at FillerUp Kosher Wines as well as on KosherWine.com and in other local wine stores. The La Forêt Blanche Dvir Cabernet Sauvignon also ranked as the number 5 cabernet in the single varietal category in The Jewish Link Wine Guide. The La Forêt Blanche Dvir Estate Blend also ranked number 5 in the category of Israeli blends. A perennial favorite, the La Forêt Blanche Talpiot, at $26, ranked in the top 10 of Israeli blends under $30.
