By Appointment
Dreyer Winery was founded by Boaz and Rina Dreyer who immigrated from South Africa to Israel in 1996. In 2006, they moved down to Beer Milka to pursue their vision of planting a vineyard, which was realized at the end of 2012 when they planted the first vines on ancient Negev sand dunes at 200 meters above sea level. The first harvest took place in the summer of 2016.
Beyond growing wine grapes, the couple began to study and produce essential oils to compliment what is currently offered in both conventional and natural markets. The Negev Essence brand produces handmade oils from lavender, geranium, oregano, sage, rosemary, eucalyptus-lemon, lemongrass, and sheeba.
At the vineyard, merlot, syrah, and cabernet sauvignon varieties grow.
Boaz and Rina understood that when growing in the desert, especially in sand dunes, adjustments must be made to adapt to extreme weather conditions. The primary water source for irrigation is desalinated seawater and given that the sand dunes have little organic matter, the couple fertilizes the irrigation water of its crops and feeds vines at least 20% more water than required in other growing regions. The extreme sun ripens the grapes before the peel is mature enough, and therefore it does not contribute much to the wine, although it does yield wonderful juice. The primary challenges to overcome are the lack of shade and delay in grape ripening, which the Dreyers were able to address by transitioning to an old traditional method of kniffen double tier trellising system. After making these adjustments, a layer of pruning laid close to the ground, with another thin, raised layer of fruit above it encourages leaf growth for shade. The outcome is shaded grapes that ripened three weeks later, critical for red wines.
At the winery, there is a tzimmer (bungalow), wine and essential oil tour, and volunteers are welcome with advanced coordination.
