TRAVEL 1
For as little as $20/day
(plus airfare) on an El Al
Milk & Honey Vacation:
We'll take care of your
hotel stay.
We'll take care of your
Israeli breakfasts.
We'll take care of your
car rental!
With an escorted package,
we'll take care of your tour
of Jerusalem.
We'll take care of your
journey to Masada.
We'll take care of your
excursion to Galilee.
We'll take care of your
visit to a kibbutz.
But before you leave home,
keep one thing in mind.
. There are some things
you'll have to find someone
else to take care of.
466:
4
N
Ernie Weir in his Napa Valley vineyard.
A Kosher Vintner
In The Napa Valley
RUTH ROVNER
Special to The Jewish News
E LIMA L/N-77
The Airline of Israel.
WEEKLY DEPARTURES EVERY MONDAY AND WEDNESDAY FROM CHICAGO STARTING MARCH 30, 1992.
To find out more about our exclusive Milk & Honey Vacations, call your local travel agent or 1-800-EL AL SUN.
Or for a free brochure, write: El Al Milk & HoneyVacations, 120 W. 45th St., New York, NY 10036.
'$20/day avail until 228/93 except 4/8-5/W92 and 12/16/92-1/.5/93. Hotel and car rental good for 5 nights/6 days. Based on per person,
double occupancy. Car rental: Cat A. Does not include gas, mileage and insurance. Other restrictions may apply.
STEVEN FISH
formerly
FISH TRAVEL WEST BLOOMFIELD
is pleased to announce that
he is now associated with
vh-lomm-
tra
wamillay m a x
32904 Middlebelt at 14 Mile Road
Farmington Hills, Michigan 48334
851-7760 or 8512555
62
FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 1992
E
rule Weir's vineyard
is on land that over-
looks the Silverado
Trail, a 30 mile road in the
heart of the Napa Valley.
Fifty miles north of San
Francisco, this fertile valley is
California wine country, with
close to 25,000 vineyards. For
Jewish travelers, one of the
most interesting is Mr. Weir's
vineyards, where the grapes
for Hagafen kosher wines are
grown.
"It's really the quality of
grapes that determines the
quality of wine," says Mr.
Weir, standing in a lush vine-
yard thick with neatly tend-
ed vines.
Those vines produce grapes
that are made into award-
winning wines that have
been served in the White
House — evidence enough
that a kosher wine can also be
top-quality premium wine.
A taste of these wines is one
of the pleasures awaiting
visitors who stop at Mr. Weir's
vineyard while touring
California's famous wine
region.
The vineyard is convenient-
ly located just four miles from
the town of Napa, gateway to
the valley. When Mr. Weir is
available — and visitors
should call in advance — he
shows travelers his vineyard,
talks about kosher wine-
making — and then guides
them through a tasting.
He leads the way through
the 13-acre vineyard, pointing
out how the grapes are train-
ed and grown. He talks about
` soil and weather — and the
special challenges of being a
kosher winemaker.
"Wine quality depends on
grape quality," he em-
phasizes. And grape quality
depends on meticulous care
and timing. "So waiting for
the grapes over Shabbat and
the Jewish holidays is quite a
challenge," he says. "If we're
inactive for three or four days,
it can have an effect.
"It's sometimes hair-
raising. But we do wait it out.
We don't do any work from
sundown to sundown on
Shabbat or on the holidays."
To make sure all kosher
regulations are met, a rabbi
is on hand every day during
the harvest and visits
regularly throughout the
year.
"We set out a goal
of making a quality
product and we're
doing it."
Ernie Weir
After the grapes are
harvested, the wine itself is
made at a nearby winery,
Whitehall Lane, located in
the town of St. Helena. All six
Hagafen wines are made ac-
cording to Jewish dietary
laws. That means the presses,
vats, hoses, aging barrels and
bottling equipment are
cleansed according to kosher
ritual.
What's more, no leavened
grain or animal-based ingre-
dients are used in the wine-
making. All the steps in the
process — from harvest to bot-
tling — must be witnessed by
a knowledgeable religious
observer to certify the
authenticity of the finished
product.
Mr. Weir explains all this as
we walk through the vine-
yard, where the vines grow
thick and there's a view of
mountains in the distance.
Because Hagafen wines are
becoming well-known,
visitors find their way here
from all over the United