When Rabbi Avraham Gislason and Toby Berkel of Tzafona Cellars tasted the great kosher wine produced in France, California and Israel, they decided to re-create the experience and provide a uniquely kosher style of the Niagara region’s fine wines. Their goal was to offer kosher wines of the same high quality as non-kosher options from Niagara’s top wineries.
In ancient Hebrew, Tzafona means northward. Tzafona Cellars, together with the winemakers at Diamond Estates, uses the same techniques and procedures that have made Diamond one of Ontario’s top wineries. The Niagara Peninsula where Tzafona wine is produced is world renowned, with exceptional conditions and quality of grapes.
“Rabbi Avraham and I were drinking good kosher wine produced in other places and wanted to support our local community,” said Toby Berkel, co-founder of Tzafona Cellars. “We went on to research Ontario kosher wines and saw that there was a serious lack in the market. We decided to fill that void, with our own kosher wine produced in Niagara.” All of Tzafona Cellars wines are produced under the supervision of COR and Mehadrin Toronto, Rav Shalom Hirsch Adler.
“We should absolutely support kosher wines from all over the world, there are many types to be discovered and we should look to support what is produced in other countries,” Berkel said. “If we can inject both an emotion and capital into our local economy, through our own unique Canadian produced kosher wine, that is important to do as well.”
Berkel described the kosher community “as far as per capita sales compared to non-kosher wine drinkers” as doing very well. He said, “It is our goal to ensure that consumers in the kosher world who have not been able to try icewine in the past, due to the lack of kosher options, will have the opportunity to try icewine for the first time and really enjoy it. We look forward to do even better in the future.”
Tzafona Cellars currently has their unique icewine and Riesling, a white table wine, available for purchase at select LCBO stores across Ontario. Tzafona recently bottled a Chardonnay, which will be available to buy in the near future and red Cabernet Sauvignon that is being produced. Tzafona Cellars wine is available for shipment within Canada, to the United States and to Israel.
