February 8, 2012

An Interview with Esther Cohen, Founder of My Israel Wine Tours

May 26, 2010

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On June 25, 2008, Boston area native Esther Cohen made alyah and moved to Jerusalem to begin her new life as a citizen of Israel. After several years of working in the Jewish community in Boston as an advocate for Israel, the move was a natural one for Cohen. In 2009 she started My Israel Wine Tours, a business dedicated to helping people discover the wines and wineries of Israel. Recently, Esther Cohen took some time to answer a few questions from the New Vilna Review via email from her home in Zichron Yaakov, a major wine producing center along Israel’s Mediterranean coast.

 

 

NVR: For readers who might not have heard of your company, “My Israel Wine Tours,” can you give us a brief sketch of what your business does?

 

My Israel Wine Tours provides high-quality, individualized wine tours for those who crave a delightful and different Israel travel experience. Israeli wines are becoming a worldwide and world-class phenomenon. Tours are customized according to regional preference; options include the Golan Heights, Lower or Upper Galilee, Mount Carmel, Shomron and Central Coast, Judaea Plain and Hills, and the Negev, as well as type of wine: kosher, non-kosher, boutique.  We also customize the experience according to the purpose of a customer’s trip such as whether it is personal or corporate and according to the amount of time and money a customer has budgeted for their Israeli wine tour experience.

 

Based on your criteria, the experts at My Israel Wine Tours build an itinerary designed especially for the customer. Tours can range from a one-day jaunt to a longer trek that lasts several days. We provide you with a tour director, transportation, entrance fees and other logistics. The price depends upon the length and the number of participants. All fees are detailed up front, with no hidden costs. 

 

 

NVR: How do most of your customers find out about your business?

 

Most of my clients find out about my services through searching on Google, yahoo groups that I post an advertisement on, word-of-mouth, Facebook fan page, Jerusalem Post advertisement, and the network of wineries/wine stores that know me and tell people about my business.

 

 

NVR: What inspired you to start this business?

 

I was working at Tishbi Winery for a year and met a lot of customers that said they wanted to see more wineries but they did not know where they were located or how to contact them. People also came into Tishbi too late or unscheduled from far away and we were not able to give them a tour because we were booked up or it was too late in the day. I also noticed a demand within the Anglo community for something different and fun when their families came to visit and a one-day wine tour is a perfect fit.

 

 

NVR: What’s your favorite thing about running “My Israel Wine Tours”? What have you found most challenging?

 

I love advocating for Israel in a different way than just politics or religion so advocating for the Israeli wine industry is interesting and up-and-coming. I love working with people and showing them around all the wineries. I love that I am helping the economy, especially in places like the Galilee or Golan Heights that do not get as much money as the center of Israel. I love that Israel has potential to become like Napa Valley or Bordeaux and I am able to be a part of the new, innovative and young winery movement in Israel. I love explaining wine and the history of Israel to people because they do not often think of Israel as a wine producing country, instead when they think of Israel what comes to mind is religion or history. I am offering a different perspective which allows visitors to Israel, both Jews and non-Jews, to be proud of this Israeli accomplishment.

 

One of the challenges of running this kind of business is that there are so many itineraries to create, including culinary elements, and I wish I could take my whole week to do research on restaurants or hidden wineries in Israel, but I need to take care of the logistical aspects of the business as well. One of the challenges is scouting out new wineries because some of them are located in people's homes in remote Kibbutzim.

 

 

NVR: Could you tell us a little about yourself and your background? How did you end up living in Israel?

 

On June 25, 2008, I made Aliyah, which is when a Jewish person moves to Israel and receives citizenship. Today, I live in Zichron Yaakov, a European-like town on the northwest side of Israel which lies on a cliff out-looking the Mediterranean and the Carmel Mountains. My passion for wine started while studying abroad in Christchurch, New Zealand.  After this experience I traveled throughout Europe where I had the opportunity to experience the wines of Italy, France and Greece. Later, my experience working as a tour guide at Tishbi Estate Winery in Israel inspired me to start my business, Israel Wine Tours.  Before coming to Israel I worked as an advocate for Israel on college campuses in the Boston area through the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston and worked as a logistics coordinator at EF Education. 

 

 

NVR: Do you think that starting your own business in Israel has been helpful in terms of integrating into Israeli society?

 Yes. I found an amazing accountant in Zichron Yaakov that helped me fill out all the papers and registered my company for me, which was an important experience. My Hebrew has improved immensely working in the food and wine industry and  I have been welcomed with open arms in a lot of wineries where they are happy to book tours for me. When I tell Israelis and people living outside of Israel what I am doing, they are amazed and very interested. My work makes me feel good about how I am helping Israeli society and the economy, as well as the wine industry here.  

 

 

NVR: Is there anything else you would like to add?

When you come to Israel, don't just think The Old City of Jerusalem, Masada, Tel Aviv and Religion...think wine and come experience a wine journey with me in Israel! For more information on My Israel Wine Tours you can check out their website by clicking here.

 

This interview has been edited and condensed.