Livne Winery: Must-try wines from a hidden gem in southern Israel

My first encounter with Livne Winery happened at the recent Sommelier Exhibition. For twenty minutes, I wandered with a glass of white GSM in hand. Each time it emptied, instead of moving on, I refilled it again and again. As I always do with wines I love, I marked this winery as a place to revisit and explore. That day finally arrived!

For a long time, I wanted to speak with Bar Livne, the winemaker at Livne Winery in Moshav Sde Moshe, located in the Lachish region, and tell him he’s doing a fantastic job. However, his military reserve duty, the war affecting us all, and other matters delayed it. Eventually, I managed to catch him in the middle of the winery's third harvest as an independent brand, right in the midst of planting another small plot of Assyrtiko. I realized the future is going to be even more exciting.

The winery was born when Yoram Livne, a farmer and vintner who had spent the last 40 years cultivating vines in the moshav, began offering services in 2014 to winemakers wanting to develop their products. He opened the winery, although the family had already toyed with the idea of making wines, it hadn’t yet reached a commercial scale.

Two years ago, the family decided it was time to do something with the vines they’d been nurturing so close to home. "Most of the vineyards are within 400 meters of the winery, and the furthest vine is only 1.2 kilometers away," and thus, the label was established.

Bar, who was in the midst of a different career, came to the winery to help his father, who had fallen ill. He caught the wine bug and stayed. Now, as mentioned, the winery is in the throes of its third harvest. "In 2022, we produced 5,000 bottles, it increased to 9,000, and we’re expected to produce 14,000 bottles this year."

Only What’s Best for the Grapes

It will take another three years for the much-anticipated Assyrtiko to mature into wine, but in the meantime, Livne Winery is not lacking in wine. To be precise, it produces seven wines, all unique blends, with little overarching ideology regarding the production process.

"My father is a very experienced and seasoned vintner, and we simply do what seems to be the best and right thing for each grape—that’s what matters most."

Wines You Must Taste

Besides the white GSM, a Blanc de Noir grown in special plots aimed at producing white wine, I also tasted the Dune 2023, a blend of Sémillon and Cinsault—two varieties that complement each other by balancing acidity. The result is a very Mediterranean, mineral-rich, and balanced wine.

For red wine lovers like me, the winery's flagship wine, Pulse 2022—a blend of Syrah, Grenache, and Petite Sirah—is a highly successful combination of floral and wild notes, with a lightness that perfectly suits the southern climate. I know this sounds like a cliché wine description, but you must taste it to understand what I mean—and agree.

Where to Drink?

Now that the South has calmed down a bit and another region has opened up for travel, if not for a brief escape, Livne Winery in Sde Moshe is a location worth visiting.

The winery's welcoming atmosphere is usually available on Friday mornings and afternoons, but due to harvest activities, for the next two weeks until September, the visits will temporarily shift to midweek, with special cultural and culinary events held at the winery in the evenings. It’s recommended to follow the winery's social media pages or simply schedule a visit.

Livne Winery: 054-4372286