Pivoting from technology to vintner

Woodmere native Jacob Ner-David has pivoted from a technology applications designer to operating a kosher winery — Jezreel — in Hanaton, Israel, but doesn’t see such a stark difference.
“I see a natural connection between tech entrepreneurship and making wine,” he said. “Both require looking at simple ingredients and imagining a completely different product after a period of development. Also both demand self-confidence that even though the world is full of software and wine, we can always improve, innovate.” 
Jeff Pulver, a business associate from the tech world, explained what makes Ner-David a great working partner. “He is an insightful, resourceful, thinker who knows how to get things done,” he said. “He has a track record that shows that.”
Ner-David’s life began in Woodmere, where he spent time at the library or playing with friends. “I hope kids today have the same style of upbringing,” he said. “The communities we were part of were overlapping and close knit.”
Ner-David and his family moved from the U.S. to Jerusalem in 1996 but had already spent some time in Israel. “A friend of a friend was putting together a group of families to move together to revive what had been a failed kibbutz,” he said. “Part of us moving here was changing the status from a completely communitarian community to a more mixed model, which is loosely called a “privatized kibbutz.” A kibbutz is collective community based on agriculture in Israel.

A privatized kibbutz means that Ner-David’s income is his income and his personal property belongs to him, but the public lands are common. The other kibbutz residents own certain businesses together, like a dairy operation, a chicken “grow house,” wheat fields, and a new venture in hydroponic vegetables. “The winery is an example of a private business,” he said. “It was created on kibbutz land, and utilizing an old kibbutz building, but all the investment is private, and the kibbutz is paid rent.” 
His biggest challenge is realizing something is not working and changing direction. In start-up business terms, it’s known as a pivot. “A pivot in winery is realizing that to be profitable we can’t stay small at 50,000 bottles a year,” he said. “To be a sustainable and profitable business, we need to jump quickly to producing 250,000 bottles a year. This realization has made us turn from an intimate operation to something much bigger, requiring a different scale of investment.” 
 At Jezreel, state-of the-art Napa, Calif. methods blend with the traditional ways of Bordeaux, according to Ner-David. “Our barrels come from France, and for the most part are French oak,” he said. “Fermentation tanks are created here in Israel, but certain elements have been imported from Italy.” Jezreel Valley Winery currently makes five types of wines: Redblend, Chardonnay, Rose, Sweet and Blendlavan (three types fused together: Gewurtztraminer, Riesling and Chardonnay).
Yossie Horwitz, a sommelier (a wine professional) who has tried Jezreel, describes the process for making kosher wine. “The laws surrounding kosher wine are complex but, in a nutshell, it must be made by Sabbath observance Jews, who are the only ones who can handle the wine from crush to bottling,” he said. “It must contain no unkosher yeast or other additives and must adhere to certain agricultural laws including waiting four years from planting before using the grapes for wine.”
Redblend, by far, is Ner-David’s favorite wine to drink and make. “One reason is because I love the taste,” he said. “Two, because Redblend best represents who we are-- bringing together respect for history and tradition balanced with deep engagement with modernity. The grape varietals of Carrignan, and syrah, both of which originate in the Middle East, and Aragaman, which was created after the establishment of the modern State of Israel, are distinctly Redblend.”
To become a part of the Jezreel Valley Winery experience, or to learn more about the wine, visit https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/expand-israel-s-startup-winery-jezreel-valley-winery.