Tel Winery
GolanTel Winery is a tiny boutique winery founded in 2019 (first vintage) by winemaker Lital Ovadia. It sits at the foot of Tel Shivan on her family farm in Moshav Sha'al, in the northern Golan Heights. Before launching her own label, Ovadia spent roughly nine to ten years at the acclaimed Pelter Winery and earned a master's in wine and viticulture from Charles Sturt University in Australia. This is a one-woman operation: the winemaker hosts the tastings herself and shares the story behind each wine. Tel makes only single-varietal wines (no blends) from high-altitude vineyards at 750-1,100 m, which she presents as Israel's coldest growing climate. The range includes Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Grenache, Cabernet Franc and a Muscatel dessert wine; the labels feature the Syrian speedwell wildflower as a local emblem. Most refreshments served during a visit come from neighboring Golan farmers and producers. Production is small: about 6,000 bottles in the first harvest, rising to roughly 15,000 by the 2022 vintage.