53-75 Alumni Notes.Indd 71 2/8/10 1:51 PM
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Alum Profile Not Your Father’s Kosher Wine Alex Haruni wants to bring Israeli wines to the masses In 1991, Alex Haruni left his family’s gemstone in Europe, where tastes have business, moved to the Israel-Lebanon border looking been refined by centuries of for a new trade, and settled on an unlikely occupation: wine appreciation. winemaker. “The Israeli wine market Haruni (MET’95), a London native, owns and runs has become a lot more Dalton Winery in Upper Galilee. If he has his way — and sophisticated since we if the winery’s reputation continues to grow — Israel’s started,” Haruni says. The kosher wines will finally make the transition from minor winery sells 70 percent of embarrassment to point of pride. its wines — which run from SABO DIAB “The average consumer’s perception of kosher wines standards like cabernet Alex Haruni, owner of is that of sweet sacramental wine, such as Manischewitz,” sauvignon to reserve-label Dalton Winery in Upper he says. “They’ve been very unfairly lumped together.” zinfandel and shiraz — within Galilee, says one of his For nearly a year, Haruni and his father researched the country. But developing biggest challenges is tourism-related businesses near Galilee, hoping to find an international demand for convincing the world that Israel makes quality wines. a way to draw jobs, tourists, and new companies to the his wines means Dalton struggling region. They settled on a winery that was on won’t rely too heavily on the verge of bankruptcy and needed major investment. domestic sales — a cautious strategy, he notes, consid- His father helped him buy the fields and facilities in ering the “degree of political instability in Israel.” While 1993. With a combination of “patience, perseverance, and the winery’s production hasn’t been affected by the con- very deep pockets,” Haruni says, the winery’s output grew flict between Israel and Lebanon, a larger war could from 30,000 bottles to 900,000 last year. damage Israel’s economy enough to hurt producers of Haruni’s foray into the wine world coincided with his luxury goods like wine. BU education. In the years leading up to Dalton’s launch, Although kosher wines are commonplace in Europe, he earned a master’s in business through Metropolitan Haruni says, Israeli labels barely register next to offerings College’s part-time, nonresidential degree program. from France, Spain, and Italy. He learned some valuable academic lessons from that “Our biggest problem is that people don’t know Israel hectic time. One course taught pricing as both an art and makes quality wines,” he says. “Our wines stand head and a science, a relevant concept for a company that has to shoulders with anything else in the world.” “build demand from below,” he says. “We were building a Other producers share Haruni’s vision. In the past brand from nothing.” several years, dozens of boutique wineries have sprung up If Israeli commercial winemaking was “more or less around the country. In the newly crowded field, Dalton in its infancy” in 1995, when Dalton wines debuted, has managed to make a name for itself, in part because of then the industry is now experiencing an exciting and Haruni’s decisions to hire Israel’s only female winemaker unpredictable adolescence. Fifteen years later, Israeli and to promote wine tourism and education. (In addition winemakers are still trying to make their product stand to offering guided tours of the vineyard, Haruni blogs out. about winemaking at www.dalton-winery.com.) The hard part, Haruni says, is convincing wine Still, Dalton is more than just a challenging new drinkers, especially in the United States, that a kosher venture or a potential profit engine. For Haruni, it’s a merlot makes just as good a housewarming gift or dinner symbol of the roots he has always hoped to plant in his party offering as a nonkosher variety. spiritual homeland. He hopes to capture wine drinkers’ attention both in “It’s not only a business investment, but also a Israel, where fine wines are finally going mainstream, and Zionistic investment,” he says. KATIE KOCH James R. Whitley (SPH’94) of Springfield, “will have to learn to share. The siblings Martin DesignWorks and was the princi- Mass., published a book of poetry, This Is have the same birthday!” Jessica writes. pal designer of the recently opened West the Red Door (Ironweed Press, 2009). She is in her ninth year as a general assign- Virginia State Museum in Charleston, W.V. ment reporter for KTRK-TV and recently Visit www.mmdesignworks.com, or e-mail 1995 was honored by the Texas Associated Press him at [email protected]. Broadcasters Association. Old friends can Jessica Willey Bartley (CAS’95, COM’95) contact her at [email protected]. John M. Miyahara (STH’95) of Falls of Houston, Tex., and her husband, Ross, Church, Va., is assigned to Naval District welcomed daughter Bryn Marie on May 18, Matthew M. Martin (CFA’95) of Blue Jay, Washington and is the senior Navy chaplain 2009. Bryn joins two-year-old Charlie, who Calif., is chief creative officer of Matthew at Arlington National Cemetery. John was Winter-Spring 2010 BOSTONIA 71 53-75 Alumni Notes.indd 71 2/8/10 1:51 PM.