Kitron Winery
GalileeKitron Winery is a small kosher family winery in the religious village of Hoshaya in the Lower Galilee (Jezreel Valley wine region). It was founded in 2006 by Meir Biton, who runs it together with his wife Esterka and their eight children. The winery is built and operated as a gravity winery: wine flows from floor to floor by gravity without pumps, a method the winemaker studied in Burgundy and Sonoma, and which the winery describes as the only one of its kind in Israel and among only a few in the world. The name Kitron references the ancient Galilee and Tzipori wine heritage. The house stresses slow, gentle production: grapes are hand-picked from small plots and aged in French oak, with the full cycle taking about five years. The range includes Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah/Shiraz, Chardonnay, the "Deux Chevaux" white blend (Gewürztraminer + Muscat), the "Tigra" red blend (Cabernet + Syrah) and a Merlot Reserve. Reds are the signature of the house. Production is about 50,000 bottles a year. The visitor center offers guided tours of the unusual gravity production method plus wine tastings. There are three published formats: a Classic visit (tasting of 3 wines, about 30 minutes); a VIP tour (about 1.5 hours, a guided production tour and tasting with boutique cheeses and local bread); and a Culinary tour (about 2.5 hours, a guided visit, tasting and a full meal paired to the wines, more than 4 participants). Visits are by prior arrangement only, so confirm the details before visiting.