The Pomegranate Orchard
The Nachmias family’s pomegranate orchard is located on a mountain in Israel’s Upper Galilee on the edges of the pastoral Moshav Kerem Ben Zimra. Here, the family’s specially cultivated pomegranates thrive in the basalt-rich soil that is typical of the region and gives Rimon wines their distinctive characteristic flavor and color. Planted nearly 3,000 feet above sea level, their one-of-a-kind orchard benefits from the cool climate of the Upper Galilee, which supports the ripening process and enhances the superior quality of each pomegranate.
The idea for Rimon Winery began in this family orchard. Father and son Gaby and Avi were inspired to experiment, cultivating a new and improved variety of the ancient crimson fruit. Their experience with their land, combined with traditional grafting methods, lead them to naturally select a “super fruit” pomegranate that would be richer in vitamins and antioxidants, sweeter, and deeper in color that most other pomegranate types.
Unlike most pomegranate varieties, the new “super fruit” that the Nachmias family developed had enough natural sugars to support the production of high quality wine made directly from 100 percent pomegranate juice. To a family living in a popular winegrowing region of Israel, the implications were clear. In 2003, they decided to produce a 2,000 bottle limited-run dessert wine, which received rave reviews and was acclaimed for its superb quality by wine enthusiasts. The success of this wine led to the 2004 establishment of the winery, a full scale commercial production line, and an expansion of Rimon’s product offerings to include a dessert, dry, and port wine.
