After a decade working for celebrated Israeli winery Pelter and receiving a masters in viticulture in Australia, Lital Ovadia opened her own winery on Moshav Sha’al in the northern Golan. Her winery specializes in wines from single vineyards, all located in the northern plateau at altitudes ranging from 750 to 1,070 meters above sea level.

The winery is open to visitors on Fridays, though midweek visits can be arranged in advance. Ovadia welcomes guests with a captivating smile, shares the story behind the wines, and offers tastings. Most of the refreshments served during a visit are also sourced from local farmers and producers.

Interior of the winery, Photo: Noam Prisman

Local food advocate Yasmin Shenhav adds: “A strong local focus is truly at the heart of this winery, which adorns its bottles with the beautiful local Syrian speedwell flower. The winery exclusively uses grapes from the northern Golan Heights, which best express the local terroir. This allows Lital to explore the region and highlight its uniqueness as a cool climate wine region in Israel. For example, the winery produces two types of Cabernet Sauvignon, with the key difference being the varying altitudes and soil types of the vineyards.”