For more than two decades, Israel’s entrepreneurial spirit has drawn global attention. Startups, scientists and visionaries have transformed everything from agriculture to cybersecurity. And that spirit hasn’t stopped — not even in the shadow of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks.

Which brings us to something a little unexpected.

We came across a story that, while not tied to St. Louis, was just too good not to share. A story of ancient grapes — the kind King David might have sipped — brought back to life by a winemaker-scientist and turned into a bottle so exceptional it just won one of the world’s top wine awards.

Yes, we realize we’re tempting you with a wine you (probably) can’t get. But trust us, it’s worth the pour.

Biblical wine?

What happens when you cross biblical archaeology with modern genetics—and then pour the results into a wine glass?

You get Raz 2019, a wine made from indigenous Israeli grapes revived from near extinction, and now one of the most celebrated bottles in the world. Crafted by Gvaot Winery in the Shomron region of Israel and co-developed by scientist and winemaker Professor Shivi Drori, Raz 2019 just took home a Platinum Medal and 97 points at the 2025 Decanter World Wine Awards.

For Drori, this is more than a win—it’s a milestone.

“When our study identifying Israel’s wild and cultivated grape varieties was published in Science, that was the moment I felt we had truly reached something meaningful,” he said. “It showed we weren’t just preserving history—we were restoring it.”

Wine from the wild

Drori leads the Samson Family Wine Research Center at Ariel University in the West Bank, where he and his team have spent over a decade hunting down forgotten grapevines across Israel. They’ve discovered—and genetically sequenced—more than 80 unique varieties so far. Among them are grapes once served in ancient Jewish courts and temples, grown in remote hills, valleys and beaches.

One variety, called Be’er (meaning “well”), was discovered at Be’er Palmachim. “It’s a beautiful, high-quality white grape that produces a semi-aromatic wine with a refined character,” Drori said. “It’s great for barrel aging.”

Another, Yael, was found growing wild near Nitzanim Beach. “It’s a black grape with small berries that produces a medium-colored wine with excellent aromas. It’s a truly special variety,” he said.

From DNA to Decanter

Once the grapes are identified as unique and native, the team cleans them of viruses and begins cultivating them in a living lab vineyard. It can take five to 10 years to go from vine to commercial wine. Drori and his co-founder Amnon Weiss started Gvaot Winery to showcase what these grapes could do.

Located 800 meters above sea level in the hills of Givat Harel, Gvaot now produces about 100,000 bottles a year. While Raz 2019 isn’t currently available in the U.S., other wines made with rediscovered varieties are coming online. Drori confirmed they are working to bring more of these heritage grapes into the market.

Some of Gvaot’s other small-batch labels made from ancient varietals—like Vineyard Dance and Masada—are available online through kosher wine retailers. More are in the pipeline.

So yeah, you can’t taste King David’s wine today. But someone out there is bottling history. And if Drori has his way, one day soon, we’ll all be able to toast to it.