After studying winemaking in Australia, Eyal Rotem, in collaboration with Kibbutz Harel, started building a winery and planting vines on the land that surrounded his house. Situated in the Judean foothills, those vines now extend to 14 hectares, and a pre-Roman `Gat` - wine press in Hebrew - takes pride of place in the new winery. Eyal planted noble, Bordeaux varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot, alongside Syrah, and Chardonnay, and a few cuttings of Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc. Stainless steel tanks, all temperature controlled, are the preferred vessel for red fermentation, followed by maturation in barrel, before being bottled unfiltered. Only wild yeasts are used, again, to aid complexity. A slew of awards were garnered almost immediately, including medals and a trophy at the Decanter World Wine Awards. (PG 14/11/07)