About Our Winery
Education
I graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture in 1979, specializing in Viticulture and Ornamental Plants. Later, I earned a Master’s degree from Ben-Gurion University in the Negev, focusing on irrigation control and climate management in controlled agricultural environments. More recently, I completed another Master’s degree at the International School of Agriculture at the Hebrew University, specializing in vine cultivation and winemaking.
Further Specializations in Agriculture:
Desert Agriculture – Over the years, I studied and specialized in desert farming and arid soils, gaining extensive experience in regions such as the Sahara Desert (Africa), the Gobi Desert (Asia), and the Arizona Desert (USA).
Organic Agriculture – Courses and training at Ruppin College, as well as international experience teaching organic vegetable cultivation abroad (Ethiopia, China).
For most of my career, I have been engaged in R&D and applied agricultural research, providing consulting and guidance through research institutes in Israel and abroad (including Ben-Gurion University’s Institute for Applied Research, and the Coastal Desert Research Institute in Gush Katif).
I also have professional experience in the high-tech sector — serving as a Clinical Case Manager with certification and expertise in the development of medical devices.
A Bit About Me
Born in 1954, I grew up on Moshav Beit HaGadi in the Negev.
Later, after my military service and academic studies, we established Moshav Gan Or in Gush Katif — until that dark and painful day in August 2005, when we were forcibly uprooted from the heart of our life’s work.
After eight years of living in Meitar, we moved to our home in Yad Binyamin, in the Nahal Sorek region.
In 2017, we returned to the South, to the town of Meitar, located in the eastern desert frontier.
Family
Married to Karen nee Spiegel, father of five and grandfather to many.
Hobbies:
Hiking across Israel (my favorite pastime)
Nature: plants, reptiles, and birds
Jeep tours in the desert
Traveling to remote corners of the world
Photography — especially nature and landscape photography
And, of course — winemaking, a passion that has recently become my main profession.
Business Activities
Smart Agriculture – Consultant and advisor for agricultural projects in Israel and abroad. Beyond technical training, I specialize in crop adaptation, economic planning, and developing agro-technical and technological solutions for irrigation systems, monitoring, remote sensing, and data collection.
International Project Development – Establishing and leading agricultural projects in collaboration with humanitarian organizations, research institutes, economic enterprises, and private farmers worldwide. Activities include open-field and controlled-environment vegetable cultivation, within the frameworks of CINADCO (Israeli Ministry of Agriculture) and MASHAV (Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
Vineyards & Wine – Grower of wine grapes, producer of homemade wine, and founder of a boutique winery currently in advanced stages of expansion — aiming to increase production and enhance the quality of wine from our vineyard.
In Technology & Agriculture
I have led agricultural R&D projects focused on renewable plant-based energy, collaborating with global research institutes. This work extended from the Amazon rainforests of Brazil to Argentina, Mozambique’s coconut groves, and across China and India. We established cultivation fields for castor and jatropha (plants with oil-rich seeds), as well as small-scale farmer plots in Liberia and northern Argentina (Chaco, Misiones, Corrientes, Formosa).
I also explored the potential for cultivating algae for vegetable oil production in Patagonia’s gulf waters.
A pioneering agricultural project combining a vineyard and boutique winery in the Omer Industrial Zone.
The vineyard applies innovative cultivation methods adopted from leading wine countries and adapted to local climate conditions. The area’s unique climate allows for the selection of high-quality grape varieties for producing fine wines.
The vineyard integrates seamlessly into the desert landscape, reinforcing Jewish-Israeli presence in the open lands, while preventing hostile encroachment.
The farm will serve as a tourist attraction and a bridge between the “Wine Routes” of the north and the south. It will connect with existing and planned tourist centers in the region, enriching leisure culture and deepening love for the land.
The project holds strong economic potential, while also carrying ideological and patriotic value:
a vision of “each under his vine and fig tree.”