The rhythm of the seasons and the Jewish calendar is the pulse of the Nevo Winery.

In late summer, the tension can be felt in the air as Nevo, along with his wife and children, prepare for the harvest. While most wineries harvest according to the level of sugar in the grapes, Nevo Winery harvests according to the level of acidity in order to achieve both complex wine flavor and long drinking windows.

Nevo is insistent about harvesting by hand, at night, so the heat of the day doesn’t cause the freshly picked grapes to start fermenting before they’re ready.

As soon as the daily tasting and testing shows that the grapes have reached their optimal pH, three generations of the Hazan family don headlamps and enter the excitement of harvest mode. Adults gently cut off the grape clusters. Children run the buckets of grape clusters to the central repository, where they are soon crushed and destemmed.

Over an average of five to seven years, the grapes progress from vine to vat to barrel to bottle. Nevo wines are not mevushal (boiled) in order to give the customers the opportunity to experience the living, vibrant taste of Israel and its fruit.

Each Nevo Winery vintage has its own story, where planned precision meets intuitive spontaneity. Every single barrel is carefully and personally selected in France, and then imported to complement and enhance the flavor of the wine. Nevo employs a practice for some vintages of aging wine for two years in one type of barrel and then switching to an alternate barrel for the remaining three years in order to achieve a complex flavor. He has also created varietals (single-grape wines) from grape varieties used almost exclusively for blends, and they’ve turned out to be some of the most marvelous wines he has ever produced.

The unique combination of precision, history and spirituality can be felt in each sip.