LEADIN

Israel's first whisky (also spelt whiskey) distillery is preparing to release the country's first Single Malt whisky.

100 bottles are set to be released by auction from The Milk and Honey distillery later this month.

STORYLINE

Smooth, honey-brown whisky (also spelt whiskey) is not the first thing that pops to mind when you think of Israel. But at The Milk and Honey Distillery, rows of casks proudly stamped "Tel Aviv" hold litres of the stuff.

The country's first whisky distillery is preparing to release Israel's first Single Malt whisky.

Eitan Attir, The Milk and Honey Distillery CEO, describes it as a young whisky with a lot of woodiness and fruitiness:

"It's complex for its age, as I told you the taste feels like more than three years, more like seven or eight and again the story is much more important in this case. This is the first ever single malt whisky that any distillery released from Israel."

While wine has been produced in the Holy Land for centuries with modern day Israeli wines recently gaining international renown, whisky production is new to the country.

Milk and Honey was created in 2012 and began distilling whisky in 2015. One hundred bottles of the Single Malt are set to be released at an online auction starting 11 August 2017, while the remaining 291 will be sold at a later date.

The drink is also "ultra-kosher" according to Attir.

"Kosher is one thing that we do here differently. We are like the ultra-kosher distillery you can find I guess in the world. Because whisky by definition is kosher but here it is much more. We don't work on Saturdays, we don't work on Yom Kippur or Passover and we want to symbolise our being Jewish or Israeli and then we called it the Milk and Honey Distillery," he says.

The Single Malt was made in Israel from start to finish, according to the company's website. The climate in Israel allows for a speedier aging process than for whisky made in colder climes, according to Ran Latowicz, an Israeli whisky connoisseur and bar owner.

"This whisky is unique because of where it comes from. It comes from a warm climate country which is a place that's a lot harder to make whisky. In colder climates like Scotland or Ireland, whisky usually ages for about seven to ten to twelve years before it's even bottled because this is just the way, you know, it gets to its full potential, at least to the beginning of its full potential. The warm climate thing in Israel speeds up the process and actually makes a three year old whisky feel a lot older," he says.

The distillery believes it is well positioned to ride a wave of international interest in new world whiskies and hopes this initial offering whets the appetites of aficionados everywhere.

"There's a huge demand nowadays for whisky from other places around the world, a new world whisky. There's more than 70 countries now with a minimum of one distillery and one of them is Israel. So the demand now is for new things, new stories, new markets, new tastes and I think we're going to be a part of this amazing wave," says Attir.

Israel may have long been known as the land of milk and honey, but now the company which uses that phrase as its name hopes to make it the land of Single Malt whisky.

Tel Aviv - 10 August 2017

1. Whisky (whiskey) being removed from cask and poured into glasses

2. Tilt up of whisky casks

3. More of casks

4. The Milk and Honey Distillery CEO Eitan Attir walking through warehouse

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Eitan Attir, The Milk and Honey Distillery CEO

"It's a young whisky, let's be honest, it's only three years of 3.2 actually but it's a very unique combination between two and a half years in a new American virgin oak, and seven months in an ex-bourbon one so it has a lot of woodiness and a lot of fruitiness inside as well. It's complex for its age, as I told you the taste feels like more than three years, more like seven or eight and again the story is much more important in this case. This is the first ever single malt whisky that any distillery released from Israel."

6. Pan left of casks

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Eitan Attir, The Milk and Honey Distillery CEO

"The Milk and Honey is the first whisky distillery here in Israel and we already set the first ever whisky single malt whisky and we're going to sell it in an auction, numbers 1 up to 100 out of 391 bottles from the single cask series are going for auction in whiskyauctioneer.com."

8. Various of barley and malt on production line

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Eitan Attir, The Milk and Honey Distillery CEO

"Milk and Honey is the name of the distillery actually and also of the whisky that was released because Israel is well known as the milk and honey land. So we are very, very proud of being Israeli. We are very proud of being Jewish. We want to shout it to the world about the Milk and Honey Distillery. Kosher is one thing that we do here differently. We are like the ultra-kosher distillery you can find I guess in the world. Because whisky by definition is kosher but here it is much more. We don't work on Saturdays, we don't work on Yom Kippur or Passover and we want to symbolise our being Jewish or Israeli and then we called it the Milk and Honey Distillery."

10. Various of signs showing production details in English and Hebrew

11. Pan left of warehouse

12. Establishing shot of Ran Latovicz, whisky expert

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Ran Latovicz, whisky expert

"This spirit is very complex, very…I call it an intelligent whisky. It's a whisky that develops. A whisky that you can keep it in the glass for 25 minutes and it develops again and I'm very excited, a lot of people all around the world are very excited to see where this spirit and where this whisky is going to be in about three or four, five years from now."

14. Close of whisky in glass

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Ran Latovicz, whiskey expert

"This whisky is unique because of where it comes from. It comes from a warm climate country which is a place that's a lot harder to make whisky. In colder climates like Scotland or Ireland, whisky usually ages for about seven to ten to twelve years before it's even bottled because this is just the way, you know, it gets to its full potential, at least to the beginning of its full potential. The warm climate thing in Israel speeds up the process and actually makes a three year old whisky feel a lot older."

16. Various of whisky production facility

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Eitan Attir, The Milk and Honey Distillery CEO

"There's a huge demand nowadays for whisky from other places around the world, a new world whisky. There's more than 70 countries now with a minimum of one distillery and one of them is Israel. So the demand now is for new things, new stories, new markets, new tastes and I think we're going to be a part of this amazing wave."

18. Whisky being poured from cask to glass

LEADIN

Israel's first whisky (also spelt whiskey) distillery is preparing to release the country's first Single Malt whisky.

100 bottles are set to be released by auction from The Milk and Honey distillery later this month.

STORYLINE

Smooth, honey-brown whisky (also spelt whiskey) is not the first thing that pops to mind when you think of Israel. But at The Milk and Honey Distillery, rows of casks proudly stamped "Tel Aviv" hold litres of the stuff.

The country's first whisky distillery is preparing to release Israel's first Single Malt whisky.

Eitan Attir, The Milk and Honey Distillery CEO, describes it as a young whisky with a lot of woodiness and fruitiness:

"It's complex for its age, as I told you the taste feels like more than three years, more like seven or eight and again the story is much more important in this case. This is the first ever single malt whisky that any distillery released from Israel."

While wine has been produced in the Holy Land for centuries with modern day Israeli wines recently gaining international renown, whisky production is new to the country.

Milk and Honey was created in 2012 and began distilling whisky in 2015. One hundred bottles of the Single Malt are set to be released at an online auction starting 11 August 2017, while the remaining 291 will be sold at a later date.

The drink is also "ultra-kosher" according to Attir.

"Kosher is one thing that we do here differently. We are like the ultra-kosher distillery you can find I guess in the world. Because whisky by definition is kosher but here it is much more. We don't work on Saturdays, we don't work on Yom Kippur or Passover and we want to symbolise our being Jewish or Israeli and then we called it the Milk and Honey Distillery," he says.

The Single Malt was made in Israel from start to finish, according to the company's website. The climate in Israel allows for a speedier aging process than for whisky made in colder climes, according to Ran Latowicz, an Israeli whisky connoisseur and bar owner.

"This whisky is unique because of where it comes from. It comes from a warm climate country which is a place that's a lot harder to make whisky. In colder climates like Scotland or Ireland, whisky usually ages for about seven to ten to twelve years before it's even bottled because this is just the way, you know, it gets to its full potential, at least to the beginning of its full potential. The warm climate thing in Israel speeds up the process and actually makes a three year old whisky feel a lot older," he says.

The distillery believes it is well positioned to ride a wave of international interest in new world whiskies and hopes this initial offering whets the appetites of aficionados everywhere.

"There's a huge demand nowadays for whisky from other places around the world, a new world whisky. There's more than 70 countries now with a minimum of one distillery and one of them is Israel. So the demand now is for new things, new stories, new markets, new tastes and I think we're going to be a part of this amazing wave," says Attir.

Israel may have long been known as the land of milk and honey, but now the company which uses that phrase as its name hopes to make it the land of Single Malt whisky.

Tel Aviv - 10 August 2017

1. Whisky (whiskey) being removed from cask and poured into glasses

2. Tilt up of whisky casks

3. More of casks

4. The Milk and Honey Distillery CEO Eitan Attir walking through warehouse

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Eitan Attir, The Milk and Honey Distillery CEO

"It's a young whisky, let's be honest, it's only three years of 3.2 actually but it's a very unique combination between two and a half years in a new American virgin oak, and seven months in an ex-bourbon one so it has a lot of woodiness and a lot of fruitiness inside as well. It's complex for its age, as I told you the taste feels like more than three years, more like seven or eight and again the story is much more important in this case. This is the first ever single malt whisky that any distillery released from Israel."

6. Pan left of casks

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Eitan Attir, The Milk and Honey Distillery CEO

"The Milk and Honey is the first whisky distillery here in Israel and we already set the first ever whisky single malt whisky and we're going to sell it in an auction, numbers 1 up to 100 out of 391 bottles from the single cask series are going for auction in whiskyauctioneer.com."

8. Various of barley and malt on production line

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Eitan Attir, The Milk and Honey Distillery CEO

"Milk and Honey is the name of the distillery actually and also of the whisky that was released because Israel is well known as the milk and honey land. So we are very, very proud of being Israeli. We are very proud of being Jewish. We want to shout it to the world about the Milk and Honey Distillery. Kosher is one thing that we do here differently. We are like the ultra-kosher distillery you can find I guess in the world. Because whisky by definition is kosher but here it is much more. We don't work on Saturdays, we don't work on Yom Kippur or Passover and we want to symbolise our being Jewish or Israeli and then we called it the Milk and Honey Distillery."

10. Various of signs showing production details in English and Hebrew

11. Pan left of warehouse

12. Establishing shot of Ran Latovicz, whisky expert

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Ran Latovicz, whisky expert

"This spirit is very complex, very…I call it an intelligent whisky. It's a whisky that develops. A whisky that you can keep it in the glass for 25 minutes and it develops again and I'm very excited, a lot of people all around the world are very excited to see where this spirit and where this whisky is going to be in about three or four, five years from now."

14. Close of whisky in glass

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Ran Latovicz, whiskey expert

"This whisky is unique because of where it comes from. It comes from a warm climate country which is a place that's a lot harder to make whisky. In colder climates like Scotland or Ireland, whisky usually ages for about seven to ten to twelve years before it's even bottled because this is just the way, you know, it gets to its full potential, at least to the beginning of its full potential. The warm climate thing in Israel speeds up the process and actually makes a three year old whisky feel a lot older."

16. Various of whisky production facility

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Eitan Attir, The Milk and Honey Distillery CEO

"There's a huge demand nowadays for whisky from other places around the world, a new world whisky. There's more than 70 countries now with a minimum of one distillery and one of them is Israel. So the demand now is for new things, new stories, new markets, new tastes and I think we're going to be a part of this amazing wave."

18. Whisky being poured from cask to glass

LEAD IN:

Wine makers in Israel say they will have to change the types of grapes they're growing, because their current varieties will not survive climate change which is warming temperatures.

They say warmer winters are making their vines bud too early, affecting the quality of their product.

STORY-LINE

Again the harvest has come too early for winemakers here in Moshav Segula, but the farmers are making the best out of what they say is another year of very low yields.

Mechanical harvesting takes place at night to ensure the grapes don't ferment under the scorching middle eastern sun.

High temperatures are at the core of a low yield, says Eran Alkavi an agricultural agronomist specialising in grape growing.

Alkavi turned to growing grapes himself in his retirement.

He says an additional problem to the higher summer temperatures, is the warmer winters.

The vines need a period of cold in the winter to enable a timely bud-break in the vineyards, this when vines wake up from their winter dormancy.

Warm winters mean an early bud-break and for the varieties grown in Israel it means a lower yield and a lower quality of wine.

"The most (biggest) problem that we have is that we don't have too much chilling hours in the winter. The winter becomes warm and so the wine (vines) do not wake up so well. Bud-break is very weak and continues sometimes for two long weeks of bud-break and it's not good for the yield. It's not good for the quality and dealing with it, we don't really know what to do," says Alkavi.

Bud-break normally starts early to mid-March and vines flower by the middle of April.

Now warm winters and the warm winds that come from the Arabian Desert in the south east drive temperatures higher, often forcing the vines to close down to survive.

Alkavi now wonders whether he and other can continue to keep producing grapes.

"We are still growing grapes and if it continues like this for five, six years in this city and like the situation, the situation that was this year, I think most of the farmers will close and they're looking for other things to grow, really because this year, the year was very, very low (yield). Most of the farmers I don't know if they'll balance with the with the economic situation. And I think they are not going to do it for a long time if it's going to be like this, yes," he says.

Ofer Torgeman, a grape farmer or viticulturist, in Israel's north says the changes in the weather are obvious.

When Torgeman began tending a vineyard almost 15 years ago he recorded the temperatures and the harvest times for the varieties he grows, which are Cabernet and Syrah (Shiraz).

"The last five years I saw some change that the Cabernet  it's harvested before the Syrah," says Torgeman.

He says the Cabernet was normally harvested in the middle of September until October. But now he says the cabernet is being harvested at least two weeks earlier than normally.

He says the climate is affecting the quality of the wines he and others are able to produce.

Torgeman explains: "But we see that your wines it's not very it's not balanced and you don't have a good quality in your wine and you must to make, fix the must and the wine after you bring the grapes to your winery. As usual, I want that the the maturing will be excellent in the vineyard. And if I want that the maturity the meaning of it is that  that the level of the sugar, the level of the acidity and the aroma and taste of the wine will be balanced and will be at a good time. Now I see that (the) I must to fix my my must (young wine) in the winery. The meaning that the grapes it's not come into full quality."

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it in 1981.

There are over 300 wineries in Israel.

The industry is worth over US $ 40 million with a harvest of 60,000 tons of grapes, producing over 40 million bottles of wine, according to figures provided by the Ministry of Agriculture.

The vineyards stretch from the coastal plains to mountains in central Israel, and from the Golan Heights down to the Negev desert.

Over 55 percent of the exports are bound for North America, 35 percent goes to Europe and the rest to the Far East, according to official data.

The winemaking areas also include the occupied West Bank, which Israel captured in the 1967 war, territories the Palestinians want for their future state.

In November 2019, the European Court of Justice ruled that European countries must label products originating in the settlements.

Growing vines is not an easy task, Israel has a chronic lack of water, worsened by drought in the last five years.

The normally rainy season is now dry and many farmers compensate the lack of water with drip feed irrigation.

The most frequent grape varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, Merlot, Shiraz also known as Syrah, Colombard and Muscat of Alexandria.

But, both Alkavi and Torgeman agree if warmer winters persist viticulturists may need to look to other varieties or completely change their produce to match the new weather conditions.

"If the temperature will be more high, I must to change my work in the vineyard, The meaning it is to take species that they have a good quality in the warm, warm weather. For example, maybe in more 10 years from today, maybe I can't to grow Cabernet Sauvignon, for example, and then I must take a species that is give you a good quality in the warm, warm weather, for example Grenache or Carignan or some species like this. So, I must to change it, I must to take the Cabernet out and put a new variety in my place, Okay? And this is a meaning for the future of the warm weather," says Torgeman.

++NIGHTSHOTS++

Moshav Segula, south-central Israel - 21 August, 2021

1. Various of machinery harvesting grapes at night-time

2. Various of Eran Alkavi with friends and family inspecting grapes and tasting wine

++DAYSHOTS++

Moshav Segula, south-central Israel – 30 August, 2021

3. Mid of Eran Alkavi, retired Agriculture Ministry agronomist, Grape farmer

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Eran Alkavi, retired Agriculture Ministry agronomist:

"The most (biggest) problem that we have is that we don't have too much chilling hours in the winter. The winter becomes warm and so the wine (vines) do not wake up so well. Bud-break is very weak and continues sometimes for two long weeks of bud-break and it's not good for the yield. It's not good for the quality and dealing with it, we don't really know what to do."

Moshav Kanaf, Golan Heights – 25 August

5. Wide of vineyard

Moshav Segula, south-central Israel – 30 August, 2021

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Eran Alkavi, former Agriculture Ministry agronomist, Grape farmer (viticulturist)

"We are still growing grapes and if it continues like this for five, six years in this city and like the situation, the situation that was this year, I think most of the farmers will close and they're looking for other things to grow, really because this year, the year was very, very low (yield). Most of the farmers I don't know if they'll balance with the with the economic situation. And I think they are not going to do it for a long time if it's going to be like this, yes."

Moshav Kanaf, Golan Heights – 25 August

7. Various of vineyard and grapes ready for harvesting

8. Close set up of Ofer Torgeman owner of vineyard in the Golan Heights

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Ofer Torgeman, Grape farmer (viticulturist)

"When they begin to harvest my vineyard, for the first time is the Syrah, for example, was harvested before the Cabernet, and at the last five years I saw some change that the Cabernet  it's harvested before the Syrah, the meaning that some something it's influenced of my Cabernet and my Syrah. The cabernet was harvested in the middle of September until October. And at the last year I saw that the Cabernet is harvest at the beginning of September. The meaning is that it's a harvested two weeks before which was in the past."

10. Cutaway of tasting grapes

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Ofer Torgeman, Grape farmer (viticulturist)

"But we see that your wines it's not very it's not balanced and you don't have a good quality in your wine and you must to make, fix the must and the wine after you bring the grapes to your winery. As usual, I want that the the maturing will be excellent in the vineyard. And if I want that the maturity the meaning of it is that that the level of the sugar, the level of the acidity and the aroma and taste of the wine will be balanced and will be at a good time. Now I see that (the) I must to fix my must (young wine) in the winery. The meaning that the grapes it's not come into full quality."

12. Various of harvested grapes placed in carton on truck

13. Various of machinery mashing grapes

14. Zoom into jug filled for quality testing

15. Various of machinery processing grapes

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Ofer Torgeman, Grape farmer (viticulturist)

"If the temperature will be more high, I must to change my work in the vineyard, The meaning it is to take species that they have a good quality in the warm, warm weather. For example, maybe in more 10 years from today, maybe I can't to grow Cabernet Sauvignon, for example, and then I must take a species that is give you a good quality in the warm, warm weather, for example Grenache or Carignan or some species like this. So, I must to change it, I must to take the Cabernet out and put a new variety in my place, Okay? And this is a meaning for the future of the warm weather."

17. Close of grapes

18. Close of meteorological station

MIDEAST ANCIENT BEER

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS

RESTRICTIONS: AP Clients Only

LENGTH: 3:36

SHOTLIST:

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Jerusalem - 22 May 2019

1. Various of jars from which the yeast was extracted

2. Screen from press conference reading (English) "A pint from the past"

3. Pan from cameramen to Aren Maeir from Bar-Ilan University's Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Aren Maeir, Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology, Bar-Ilan University

"Well there are several things that are very important. One is the very fact that we can identify the specific microorganisms that were used in the production of a food - and in this case beer - and the very fact that these microorganisms survived so long, which nobody believed that possible. Second of all, it opens up a whole new field of the possibility that perhaps other microorganisms survived as well and then you can identify foods such as cheese, wine, pickles, you know all kinds of other things that are there and then we can understand more about the behaviour of past cultures and then also, this opens up another thing which is fantastic, of actually tasting, tasting the past which is something that we really don't have the ability."

5. Screen from press conference showing yeast as seen via microscope

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Michael Klutstein, Microbiologist, School of Dental Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem:

"So what we discovered was that the yeast can actually survive for a very, very long time without food - a parallel phenomenon to what was discovered many years ago in bacteria."

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Michael Klutstein, Microbiologist, School of Dental Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem: ++OVERLAID BY SCREEN++

"Today we are able to salvage all these living organisms that live inside these nanopores, and to revive them and study their properties and that's basically what we are seeing here. A new tool in archaeo-biology, being able to study the traits, the characteristics of something ancient because it is surviving."

8. Various of Shmuel Naky, craft brewer from the Jerusalem Beer Center, Biratenu, pouring beer made from ancient yeast

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Shmuel Naky, craft brewer, Jerusalem Beer Center, Biratenu

"It's the first time we take such an ancient strain of yeast and we try to recreate some of the old flavours that people in this area were consuming hundreds, thousands of years ago and it has a very crucial impact on flavour. So if you try this beer, it's delicious and it's very spicy and it's somewhat fruity and it's very complex in flavour and all of this complexity comes from this strain of yeast, which is a living organism and much like us, it eats and it interacts with its surroundings and in this case making our beer alcoholic, carbonated as we can see and flavourful."

10. Naky showing beer and mead made of ancient yeast

LEADIN

Ever wondered what beer tasted like 2000 years ago? Well now you can find out.

Researchers have extracted yeast from archaeological finds, and a craft brewer has made modern day beer from it.

STORYLINE

These might look like typical pots from any archaeological dig. But in fact they carry clues to the taste of ancient beverages.

Israeli researchers raised a glass in Jerusalem to celebrate a long-brewing project of making beer and mead using yeasts extracted from ancient clay vessels - some over 5,000 years old.

Archaeologists and microbiologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority and four Israeli universities teamed up to study yeast colonies found in microscopic pores in pottery fragments found at archaeological sites spanning from 3000 BC to the 4th century BC.

The scientists say the brews made from "resurrected" yeasts are an important step in "experimental archaeology, a field that seeks to reconstruct the past" and better understand the flavour of the ancient world.

"Well there are several things that are very important," explains Aren Maeir from the Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology, at Bar-Ilan University.

"One is the very fact that we can identify the specific microorganisms that were used in the production of a food - and in this case beer - and the very fact that these microorganisms survived so long, which nobody believed that possible," he says.

"Second of all, it opens up a whole new field of the possibility that perhaps other microorganisms survived as well and you can identify foods such as cheese, wine, pickles, you know all kinds of other things that are there and then we can understand more about the behaviour of past cultures and then also, this opens up another thing which is fantastic, I'm actually tasting, tasting the past which is something that we really don't have the ability."

Hebrew University microbiologist Michael Klutstein explains:

"What we discovered was that the yeast can actually survive for a very, very long time without food - a parallel phenomenon to what was discovered many years ago in bacteria... Today we are able to salvage all these living organisms that live inside these nanopores, and to revive them and study their properties."

The yeast samples came from nearly two dozen ceramic vessels gleaned in excavations around the country.

While other researchers of ancient beers have concocted drinks based on ancient recipes and residue analysis of ceramics, the Israeli scientists say it's the first time fermented drinks have been made from revived ancient yeasts.

By brewing with these ancient strains, they have recaptured the microorganisms responsible for producing the flavour of beer consumed by people in antiquity.

For this initial experiment, the team paired up with a Jerusalem craft brewer to make a basic modern style ale using yeast extracted from the pots (differing from its ancient Levantine forebears in its use of hops).

The mead was made using yeast extracted from a vessel found in the ruins of a palace near Jerusalem that contained honey wine roughly 2,400 years ago.

"We tried to recreate some of the old flavours that people in this area were consuming hundreds and thousands of years ago," says Shmuel Naky, a craft brewer from the Jerusalem Beer Centre, Biratenu, who helped produce the beer and mead.

Yeasts, he adds, "have a very crucial impact on flavour."

Naky describes the beer as "spicy, and somewhat fruity, and it's very complex in flavour," all attributes produced by the ancient yeast.

Genome sequencing of the yeast colonies extracted from the pots showed that the ancient strain of yeast was different from the conventional yeast used in beer-making today, but similar to those still used to make traditional Zimbabwean beer and Ethiopian tej, a type of honey wine.

The researchers say their next aim is to pair the resurrected yeasts with ancient beer recipes to better reproduce drinks from antiquity.

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LEAD IN:

The Psagot winery, located in an Israeli settlement near Jerusalem, was put on the map last year when a top U.S. diplomat visited it.

With a new president in the White House, people in the winery are worried they will not be getting the same treatment.

STORY-LINE:

After unprecedented support provided to Israel from former President Donald Trump, Jewish vintner Yaakov Berg is worried about what President Joe Biden will bring.

Berg is the CEO of the Psagot winery, located in a settlement near Jerusalem.

In November, then-U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo became the first top American diplomat to visit an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank.

He visited the Psagot winery around the same time that the State Department in a major policy shift announced that products from the settlements can be labeled "Made in Israel."

But Berg is concerned about what Biden's administration will bring, especially since Biden served as vice president under former president Barack Obama.

"I think we have a good reason to be worried," he says

"Everybody knows today, history says that Obama made all the mistakes possible," Berg added.

Under Trump, the U.S. abandoned a longstanding U.S. policy of opposing settlements.

Moves such as Pompeo's visit reflected the Trump administration's acceptance of Israeli settlements.

"Everybody must admit that (former President Donald) Trump did all the right things in order to get to achieve good results," Berg says.

The Palestinians and most of the international community view settlements as a violation of international law and a major obstacle to peace.

Biden has pledged a more even-handed approach to the Middle East conflict in which he will restore aid to the Palestinians and work to revive peace negotiations.

In the meantime, Berg's business is growing under the changes brought on by Trump.

Israel established ties with the United Arab Emirates in September, in a U.S.-brokered deal.

Since then, Israel and United Emirates have established direct flights and exchanged numerous trade delegations.

Berg's winery, which produces 600,000 kosher wine bottles each year, is in negotiations with UAE businesses.

"I believe that in a few weeks we are going to send our first wine bottles to the UAE, I think it is really close," he says.

The UAE was the first of four Arab countries to establish or renew ties with Israel under a series of agreements brokered by the Trump administration.

Sha'ar Binyamin, West Bank - 26 January 2021

1. Exterior of Psagot winery

2. Garden at winery's visiting centre

3. Various of wine barrels

4. Set-up shot of Yaakov Berg, CEO of Psagot winery

5. Berg's hands

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Yaakov Berg, CEO of Psagot winery:

"I think we have a good reason to be worried. You know, it is difficult not to mention that the new president used to be the vice president of (former President Barack) Obama. And I think Obama made all the mistakes, I mean, I don't think, everybody knows today, history says that Obama made all the mistakes possible, here in our - lets call it region and everything. I think everybody must admit that (former President Donald) Trump did all the right things in order to get, to achieve good results, to achieve peace agreements, to achieve good atmosphere to everybody."

7. Various of worker bottling wine

8. Wine bottles

9. Various of workers

10. Various of wine bottles on display

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Yaakov Berg, CEO of Psagot winery:

"We negotiate already doing business and sending our wines there (to the United Arab Emirates) of course. I believe that in a few weeks we are going to send our first wine bottles to the UAE, of course, I think it is really close. I think, because the Emirates today - it is a centre to, it is not just one country, it has become a centre maybe to the Arab world, its a centre not only to the Arab world but also to the Far East, to many (locations). And you know, they are very, very good business people and they are interested in development. So, I think it is going to be really interesting. I think it is not just to sell a few more wine bottles to the Emirates, no, no. I think we can do much more than that."

12. Set-up shot of Israel Ganz, head of Binyamin regional council

13. Ganz's hands

14. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Israel Ganz, head of Binyamin regional council:

"I think the agreements (Abraham Accords) are dramatic. There's a change, instead of speaking of division (of land) and borders and what is between you and me, the conversation now is on what is common between us. And there are plenty of things that are common. There is common history, common tourism and businesses and interests, and this opens a new world."

15. Various of Palestinian village of Mukhmas as seen from Psagot winery

16. SOUNDBITE  (Hebrew) Israel Ganz, head of Binyamin regional council:  

"We congratulate President-elect (Joe) Biden, we wish him luck. We think that if someone wants to discuss something he needs to be seen on the ground, must come and know (the area). It is a special place, there is plenty to see, and good things that come from this place. And of course we will be happy and respectful, anyone who will come here, we will be honoured."

17. Psagot wine bottles on display

The Quraan family once planted their plot of land in the West Bank with grapes, but for years, they say, that land has been inaccessible to them, covered instead by the grapes of an Israeli winery.

The Psagot winery, established in part on land the family says was stolen from local residents, is part of a sprawling network of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank that most of the international community view as a violation of international law and a major obstacle to peace.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's expected tour of the West Bank winery this week will be the first time a top U.S. diplomat has visited an Israeli settlement, a parting gift from an administration that has taken unprecedented steps to support Israel's claims to war-won territory.

Kainat and Karema Quraan, two sisters from Al-Bireh, said they have documents showing they own a plot of land on which some of the vineyards and a winery building were established.

The award-winning winery, which offers tours and event spaces, is a focus of Israel's efforts to promote tourism in the occupied territory and a potent symbol of its fight against campaigns to boycott or label products from the settlements.

The Psagot winery produces 600,000 bottles a year and exports 70% of them.

The Palestinians said many of the settlements, including Psagot and its winery, were built on land stolen from private Palestinian owners.

Yaakov Berg, the owner of the winery, did not respond to requests for comment.

The winery had challenged a European Court of Justice ruling that European countries must label products originating in the settlements, a decision eventually made last November.

A week after the ruling, Pompeo announced that the U.S. no longer considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank to be a violation of international law, reversing four decades of American policy.

To express its gratitude, Psagot released a new wine called "Pompeo," a blend of cabernet sauvignon, syrah and merlot.

Muneef Traish, an Al-Bireh city council member who has U.S. citizenship, has led a legal campaign for years on behalf of the community seeking the return of the confiscated lands.

He said the settlers seized a total of 1,000 dunams (250 acres), 400 of which are being used by the winery. Traish and other residents plan to protest Pompeo's visit to the settlement.

The visit to the winery is another gift to Israel in the final weeks of U.S. President Trump's presidency.

The visit could burnish Pompeo's credentials with evangelical Christians and other supporters of Israel, should he pursue a post-Trump political career.

Al-Bireh, West Bank - 16 November 2020

1. Wide of municipality council member, Muneef Traish showing sisters, Kainat and Karema Quraan detailed map of the land and Psagot settlement buildings

2. Close of Karema Quraan

3. Wide of Muneef Traish and his sisters, Kainat and Karema Quraan

4. Close of Traish's finger on map

5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Kainat Quraan, owner of private land who says her land was confiscated by Jewish settlers of Psagot:

"I feel pain and sadness for the loss of our land that we used to plant and harvest it with my father, so it hurts to see that your own land, your property, is taken like this and you can't do anything."

6. Close of map of the confiscated land and Psagot settlement buildings

Psagot, West Bank - 12 November 2019

7. Zoom out from Ramallah outskirts to winery

8. Wine bottles on table

9. Close of label on bottle reading (English) "Product of Israel"

10. Various of winery

11. Wine bottles on display

12. Various of frames certificate reading (English) "Best wine producer, Israel" and ''Psagot winery, Israel''

Al-Bireh, West Bank - 16 November 2020

13. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Kainat Quraan, owner of private land who says her land was confiscated by Jewish settlers of Psagot:

"My father used to cultivate the confiscated land with grapes, wheat, barley and figs, and my mother and I were harvesting it. Literally we were making our full living from this land, there was no other income source for my family other than it."

14. Mid of sisters Kainat and Karema Quraan

15. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Muneef Traish, Al-Bireh Municipality Council Member:

"We see Pompeo's visit as a step to legitimize settlement activity, because he is coming to visit lands owned by Palestinian citizen who hold American citizenship and instead of asking Israel to return the land to its American citizens you are here to celebrate the occupation of this land and dedicate the presence of these settlers."

16. Traish showing map to his sisters

Palestinians demonstrated in the West Bank city of Al-Bireh on Wednesday against U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's expected tour of a West Bank winery in an Israeli settlement this week.

It will be the first time a top American diplomat has visited an Israeli settlement, a parting gift from an administration that has taken unprecedented steps to support Israel's claims to war-won territory.

The Psagot winery, established in part on land the Palestinians say was stolen from local residents, is part of a sprawling network of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Pompeo's expected visit, reported by Israeli media but not officially confirmed, would mark a radical departure from past administrations, which frequently scolded Israel over settlement construction — to little effect.

President Donald Trump has already broken with his predecessors by recognising contested Jerusalem as Israel's capital and repudiating the decades-old U.S. position that settlements are inconsistent with international law.

Trump's Mideast plan, which overwhelmingly favored Israel and was immediately rejected by the Palestinians, would have allowed Israel to annex nearly a third of the West Bank, including all of its settlements.

Al-Bireh, West Bank - 18 November 2020

1. Palestinian demonstrators marching against U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's expected tour of winery in Israeli settlement

2. Palestinian officials and activists holding Palestinian flag

3. Various of demonstrators marching

4. Demonstrators burning tires, with Psagot settlement in background

5. Demonstrators near burning tire

6. Smoke rising, Psagot settlement in background

7. Demonstrators holding balloons

8. Balloons

9. Demonstrators launching balloons into air

10. Balloons in air

11. Press conference organised by a group of Al-Bireh residents, many of whom are American citizens, who say the settlement has gobbled up their land

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Muneef Traish, Al-Bireh Municipality Council Member:

"We urge you to pass this message to the American people, to the people all over the world because of what Mr. Pompeo is trying to do, he is trying to get legitimacy to the settlement activities in the West Bank against all rules and resolutions passed by the United Nations and by all international organisations."

13. Press conference

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Sam Bahour, Palestinian-American businessman:

"This settlement is one of a hundred or so settlements throughout the West Bank - all of them are illegal no matter who visits them or who does not. Lastly I would say, before I came to this press conference and this demonstration, I contacted my lawyer in Ramallah and we are currently seeking a way to issue a warrant for the arrest of Pompeo for trespassing on Palestinian private lands. This is an illegal act, it is an act of a failed administration (of President Donald Trump), trying to make himself relevant when he is one month away from being a nobody."

15. Various of demonstrators holding signs against Pompeo's visit

16. Sign reading (English): "Trump and Pompeo, Americans have voted you out - concede"

17. Protesters holding sign

18. Demonstrators holding Palestinian flags, Psagot settlement background

19. Smoke rising from burned tire, settlement in background