On the eve of their 30th anniversary, Golan Heights Winery has won the coveted 2012 Wine Star Award from Wine Enthusiast Magazine in the New World Winery of the Year category. The award is a first for an Israeli winery and is an indicator of the tremendous growth in quality recognition of Israeli wineries led by Golan Heights Winery.
"We are so honored to win such a prestigious award," said Anat Levi, CEO of Golan Heights Winery. "This recognition gives us added motivation to continue our efforts to fully exploit the vast potential of our wonderful winegrowing area. We are excited to be a leading player in the renewal of winegrowing in Israel, and to receive this award as a leading new world winery."
Winemaker Victor Schoenfeld echoes those thoughts: "Our proudest achievement is our ongoing effort to work in tune with our natural elements, making high-quality wines that are a true reflection of our unique combination of latitude, high altitude and beautiful volcanic soils. We continue to realize what an amazing region we have, and how much the potential seems limitless."
The achievement caps off several exciting years as the winery continues to garner global awards and recognition. In 2008, Golan Heights Winery became the first winery from Israel to rank in Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of the Year.
In March 2011, Golan Heights Winery was awarded the World Wine Cup from VinItaly, the first winery from Israel ever to be named the Best Wine Producer of the Year from the international organization, besting over 1,000 wine producers from 30 different countries, including France, Italy and Spain. In June 2011, Golan Heights also received a Special Prize of Distinction in Les Citadelles du Vin in Bordeaux, a blind tasting of over 1,000 wines from multiple countries.
Golan Heights Winery and the winners of the 2012 Wine Star Awards will be honored by leading members of the wine and spirits industry at a gala, black-tie awards ceremony at the New York Public Library in New York City on January 28, 2013.
Founded in 1983, the Golan Heights Winery is based in the small town of Katzrin, Israel. The weather in the Golan region is ideal for growing grapes with warm, dry summers and cold, snowy winters.
Elevations vary from 1,300 feet above sea level in the south to 3,900 feet in the north, and soils vary from well-drained and airy basaltic soil, rich in minerals, to heavier and deeper soils, with higher clay content. The topographic and climatic conditions in the Golan Heights are considered a rare asset by wine experts in Israel and abroad, contributing to a wide range of quality winemaking styles, overseen by Winemaker Victor Schoenfeld and marketed globally under the Golan Heights Winery and Yarden brand names.
