The quality of the current winemaking team is one of the reasons for the revolution that is occurring in the quality of Carmel wines.

The new, young, highly qualified team is headed by Lior Laxer, the new Chief Winemaker of Carmel Winery.

In the last two years, winemakers of the caliber of Laxer, Sam Soroka, Asaf Paz, Kobi Arens and Eran Goldwasser (from Yatir Winery), have been employed by Carmel. They joined an established team, including Zvi Skaist, Haim Wachtenhaim & Gil Mendel. This has ensured Carmel has a new, well balanced team with youth and expertise, married with experience. They are fortunate to receive advice & guidance from the famous winemaking consultant, Peter Stern, from California and assistance from Carmel’s Viticulturist, Dr. Gil Nir.

Together the winemakers represent the old & the new – but they have one thing in common: all but one have worked or studied in Australia, the world’s current leader in winemaking technology & viticulture.

Details about Carmel’s winemaking team follows.

Lior Laxer is the new Chief Winemaker of Carmel Winery. He is based at Rishon Le Zion. He is a graduate of CFPPA in Beaune in Burgundy. He has experience in both Burgundy and Bordeaux having worked at Domaine Comte Armand, Pommard and at Chateau le Bon Pasteur, St. Emilion. He was fortunate to work with Michel Rolland, arguably the most famous and certainly the most influential winemaker in the world today. He followed this with experience in Australia working for Harman’s Ridge Estate in the Margaret River region of West Australia. He joined Carmel in 2003 and was appointed the Chief Winemaker of Rishon Le Zion Winery in 2005.

Rishon Le Zion Winery

Haim Wachtenhaim is the Winemaker of Carmel’s Rishon Le Zion Winery. He has a First Degree in Chemistry at Tel Aviv’s Bar Ilan University and a Second Degree in Food Technology at the Technion in Haifa. He began to work for Carmel at Rishon Le Zion in 1996 and worked for a harvest in Australia at Hitcock Winery in the Hunter Valley.

Gil Mendel is the Associate Winemaker at Carmel’s Rishon Le Zion Winery. Born in the Ukraine, he has First Degree  in Food Technology in Odessa, a Second Degree in Winemaking & Viticulture in Yalta and Third Degree in the Biochemistry of Red Wine. He made aliya in 1991 & worked for the Volcani Institute for Agriculture and the Israel Wine Institute before joining Carmel in 2001.

Zichron Ya’acov Winery

Zvi Skaist is the Chief Winemaker of Zichron Ya’acov Winery (appointed in 2005). He graduated at the Faculty of Agriculture at the Hebrew University. He joined Carmel in 1990 as Quality Control Manager. He was then made responsible for winemaking at Rishon Le Zion, after a year’s post graduate course at the University of Adelaide in Australia.  His other interest has been spirits & liqueurs – he has been responsible for production of Carmel Brandies & Sabra Liqueurs, both regular gold medal winners.

Sam Soroka is the Winemaker of Carmel’s Zichron Ya’acov Winery. Born in Canada, he is a graduate of Adelaide University in Australia. He has worked for a whole range of international wineries including Wynns (part of Southcorp) in Coonawarra, South Australia and Hardys in Western Australia. He also worked for Hardys in Languedoc, South of France and for Charles Krug in the Napa Valley, California. In 2003 he opened the new boutique winery at Zichron, was responsible for the red wine winemaking of red wines at Rishon Le Zion for the next two years, and now he returns to Carmel’s Zichron Ya’acov Winery.

Zichron Boutique Winery

Asaf Paz is a graduate of the Faculty d’Oenologie de Bordeaux. He has worked at Chateau Pontet Canet in Paulliac, Bordeaux and Chateau Barreyre, Premier Cotes de Bordeaux. He has experience in both Australia & California working in the ‘Master of Wine’ Winery in the Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia and Navarro Vineyards in Anderson Valley, California. On returning to Israel, he was winemaker for Tishbi Winery before joining Carmel Winery in 2004 as winemaker of Zichron’s Boutique Winery. 

Ramat Dalton Winery

Kobi Arens is Winemaker of the Carmel’s Ramat Dalton Winery in the Upper Galilee. He is a graduate of Adelaide University in Australia. Coming from a family of wine growers, he has a great deal of experience in the vineyards. He worked at Carmel’s Zichron Ya’acov Winery before taking over at the new Ramat Dalton Winery in the Upper Galilee.

 Yatir Winery

Eran Goldwasser is the winemaker of Yatir Winery. He is a graduate of Adelaide University in Australia and he worked for Rouge Homme in Coonawarra, a winery owned by Southcorp. On returning to Israel, he worked for Carmel at Zichron Ya’acov Winery before taking over at Yatir, which is 50% owned by Carmel.

Winemaking Consultant

Peter Stern from California is a graduate of UC Davis at California. He worked for both Gallo & Robert Mondavi Winery. Between 1983 – 2003, he was winemaking consultant to the Golan Heights Winery and also the winemaker for Herzog Cellars & Baron Herzog Winery. In 2004 he became winemaking consultant to Carmel Winery.

Viticulturist

Dr. Gil Nir is Carmel’s viticulturist. He graduated at Hebrew University with a B,Sc in agriculture , later receiving an M.Sc and a Ph.D. for his studies on vines. He has held many official positions as the viticultural authority on committees researching vines & vineyards in Israel and  as advisor to the Ministry of Agriculture and the Wine & Grapes Board. He has undertaken study tours to wine regions such as California & South Africa. He is now responsible for Carmel’s vineyards in co-ordination with the winemakers.

December 2005