The 'Ketlav' winery is located in the 'Ketlav' stream area, where 'Ketlav' trees grow.
This winery corrects the negative image of the name "Ketlav", which is composed of the two words: "Ketal-av". The 'Ketal-av' is a wild tree found in the Jerusalem Corridor Mountains, with red fruits, and tradition tells of a sad event that occurred under the shade of one of them, from which its name comes.
It's enough to see Yossi of 'Katalev Winery' once, and in an instant, this name undergoes a complete correction.
And yet, not everyone is able to turn bad into good. For that, you need a positive outlook on all of life in general and wine in particular. That's exactly what Yossi is for. An interesting person and a special conversationalist.
I will try to present fragments of Yossi's orderly and organized teaching. He passionately claims that the wine industry is a miracle, that miracles really do happen inside the barrel, and that miracles occur according to the balance of rights and many other heavenly calculations.
Therefore, if several winery owners take the same grapes from the same vineyard, ferment, store, and bottle them, each one will produce a slightly different wine. Not because of sugar percentages, not because of a change in the amount of grapes fermenting in the barrel, nor because of a change in temperature.
Neither the cooled stainless steel tank nor the cooled hall are solely responsible for the differences in the result.
These variables do cause change, but the main change is related to the angels in charge of the wine...
This does not mean that the wine should not be made with all the precautions, because during fermentation the liquid can reach about 40 degrees, and if it is not cooled, the yeast will die before it has time to turn the sugar into alcohol. Whoever leaves grapes in the hot sun, or makes other serious mistakes, the angels simply flee from there, because they disqualify such wine from being made worthy of being offered on the altar.
But when everything is done right, there is wide scope for the angels to operate.
And Martin Luther already said: "Man makes beer, but God makes wine.".
Meet the Angel of Mercy
Some ferment in large tanks and some in small tanks, some ferment at 10 degrees and others do it at 20 degrees or more, some ferment in tanks with cooling walls, and some ferment in air-conditioned halls. For others, it is enough for the room to be shaded.
All of these differences cause a change in the taste and aroma of the wine, but they are only small differences. The essential difference between wine and wine belongs to the layer above the barrels, where the angels hover, smelling and tasting what evaporates from the barrel.
The miracle of wine, according to Yossi, does not begin in the barrel, or even during the harvest, but rather at the beginning of spring, when the grape buds are just emerging. Even then, a special angel of mercy is attached to them, who will accompany all the steps, until, with God's help, we merit to take wine from it to the Temple, to offer it on the altar, to smell a fragrance to God.
Therefore, all the actions of wine are miraculous, everything is directed from above; how it will ferment, and how much, what colors and flavors and aromas the wine will have.
This is where practical innovation comes in.
Many people make a vow of simple wine or grape juice, arguing that either way, they drink a quart of wine at a time, and don't really feel the special taste of fine wine, which should be drunk slowly.
But this is the big mistake.
Wine is for Kiddush and other mitzvah purposes. It is permissible to taste a little more wine even in the middle of the meal, but all the wine from the entire year and from all the tastings, everything is leftovers from the Kiddush wine, the Havdalah, the joy of the bride and groom, circumcision, and the like.
Therefore, Yossi argues, for the sanctification and blessing, one must open the best bottle in the treasury.
Although the palate does not enjoy Kiddush, the soul does, and for its sake we drink wine.
Even in the Temple, the finest wine was distilled, and the palate did not enjoy it, only the soul.
The angels' part
Before we cross the threshold of the winery, let's stop for a moment, take a deep breath, because the next step will take us to another world. A dark and mysterious place, large and spacious, where everything is built of heavy, dark wood and wide sofas.
We sat at one of the low, heavy tables with Yossi, who did a wonderful job explaining his doctrine about the angels' share in wine. In English, it's called "The Angels' Share.".
This term is usually used in the whiskey and brandy industry, which does lose a lot of alcohol. Whiskey aged over 20 years may lose 50% of the amount.
In his opinion, the angels' part in wine does not cause loss, but rather improvement, essence and concentration, where for every 1% of alcohol that the angels take, they return ten times the quality. This happens in barrels that swallow liquid and evaporate it out through the sides.
In the wine cellar, humidity is added to the air to somewhat stop the evaporation of wine from the barrel, but quite a lot of wine still evaporates.
Don't mistake this for a waste. This evaporation enhances the wine, but...
Tefi - Between the air and the lid
But here comes a big 'but'.
If the barrel is not filled to the brim, there is contact between the wine and the air. In the worst case, this can cause the wine to go rancid, in the best case, it can add an unpleasant sour taste.
To prevent this from happening, you have to constantly walk between the barrels, and every few days refill them to the brim. This is called 'topping', and in Hebrew 'tefiyya'. That is: filling the wine container to the brim, to protect the wine from oxidation (the root 'tefi' comes from Aramaic and means addition (according to the Academy of Language)).
Every commercial winery owner is pained by the loss of fluids in such large quantities.
Not so with Yossi. He happily breathes in the scent of wine and the fumes of alcohol, and declares: "This is the portion of the angels." They deserve much more. They are the ones who help us make wine, on the Creator's mission they accompany the wine for three and four years, from the time the grapes were unripe in the vineyard, until the wine enters the bottle four years later, and see what a low salary they have enough for.
Yes, mysticism, no mysticism, yes, believe in stories, don't believe in stories, the facts speak for themselves. The wine of 'Katalev Winery' is unique in flavor, concentration, and complexity.
The winery's wines are made from grapes that come from local vineyards. The wines are made from the varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc, in various combinations, which Yossi probably does, but I have a feeling that the angels are involved in this as well.
The flavors are unique.
Four types of wine, or more precisely, five or even more, except that the 'more' is not wine, but homemade brandy in small quantities and not for sale.
The flavors of Katlav wines are its uniqueness.
• 'Cabernet Sauvignon' - 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged in barrel for 24 months. You can feel the green Cabernet flavors well, but with the addition of the barrel you can feel it well too. The wine takes on fruit flavors and a delicate, ripe sweetness, the color is dark red. An excellent wine to drink.
• 'Nes Harim' - 50% Merlot and 50% Petit Verdot. Aged for 20 months in barrels. This is a soft wine, you can see this from its composition. Merlot is a grape with a soft and delicate texture, Petit Verdot has a very dark color (purple) and fruity flavors like plums. The combination of the two created a good, dark and delicate wine for us.
• 'Wadi Katlab' - 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Aged 24 months in barrels.
• 'Cabernet Franc' - 100% Cabernet Franc.
• The fifth is a fortified wine in the 'Port' style, called 'Ben''Porat''Yosef". Aged for 6 years in wooden barrels, and the taste - "Ben Porat Yosef"!
• Shraga Gebhard, consultant in the field of kashrut and professional wine, winery guide, organizer of winery tours including explanations and tastings. 052-6176201
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