The Winemaker
Ari Tannenbaum’s journey into winemaking began in an unexpected place: an ancient cave beside King David’s tomb in Jerusalem. This profound experience ignited a lifelong passion that would weave together his love for wine, tradition, and the land of Israel.
A native of Long Island, New York, Ari made a bold move to Israel’s Upper Galilee in 2014 to pursue his calling in the wine industry. There, he had the fortune to study under several of Northern Israel’s most distinguished winemakers, including Gidi Sayada of Lueria Winery, and renowned enologists Itay Lahat and Avi Feldstein.
Seeking to deepen his expertise, Ari returned to the United States in 2018 to attend Cornell University, where he earned his Master’s degree in Winemaking, Viticulture and Enology. Under the guidance of Patrick A. Gibney, Sesquicentennial Faculty Fellow in Cornell’s Department of Food Science, Ari specialized in wine microbiology.
Following his graduation in 2019, he joined Tabernacle Winery in Northern Israel, where he crafted premium wines and played a key role in developing 30 acres of new vineyards.
The Kuzari Connection
In the spirit of Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi’s masterwork “The Kuzari,” Kuzari Wines embodies the profound connection between the Jewish people and the sacred land of Israel. Just as The Kuzari speaks of the unique spiritual qualities found only in the Holy Land—describing it as the heart among the nations—our wines capture the essence of this divine relationship through the fruit of its soil. Like the text’s teaching that certain spiritual heights can only be achieved in the Land of Israel, our wines express qualities unique to the Upper Galilee’s terroir, where ancient wisdom meets the physical realm. Each bottle represents what HaLevi termed “inyan elohi” (the divine influence), manifesting through the meticulous cultivation of vines in the same hills where our ancestors practiced their craft.
