Gat Basela
From Our Cave to Your Glass
The wine production at Gat Basela Winery takes place within a cave carved into the rock in Eish Kodesh. The proximity to the earth in the cool cave allows for a unique aging process that results in a truly special wine.
Our Story
Some people build wineries. Yaakov Ben Moshe carved his out of solid rock with a 30-pound jackhammer. In a land where winemaking stretches back three millennia, he did something unheard of: dug a cave cellar by hand beneath the Judean hills.
It started when he was eleven. A kid working summers at a small winery in Tequa, fascinated by fermentation tanks and the alchemy of turning grapes into something transcendent. By thirteen, he was running bottling lines. By forty, he'd done something no one thought possible. He excavated a limestone cave beneath his home in Aish Kodesh and turned it into a natural cellar where wine ages in perfect, silent darkness.
The cave holds steady at 15°C year-round. No climate control. No electricity. Just ancient stone doing what it's done for millennia. Breathing slowly, absorbing vibration, creating the kind of stillness that lets wine become something extraordinary. Above us, the Shiloh Valley stretches toward Jerusalem. Three thousand years ago, winemakers carved 'gatot' (stone wine presses) into these same limestone hills. We're continuing what they started.
What began with 50 bottles in 2012 has grown to 7,000. But every grape is still hand-picked at dawn. Every bottle is still crafted by Yaakov, his wife, his children, and a handful of friends who show up each harvest because they believe in what we're doing. This isn't industrial winemaking. This is a family obsession carved into rock.
All our wines carry Badatz Mehadrin certification and are kosher for Passover year-round. Because if you're going to make wine the hard way, you might as well make it the right way.
Hand-Carved
Every meter of our cellar was excavated by hand. No contractors, no heavy machinery. Just a 30-pound jackhammer, limestone dust, and years of labor. When the stone is this ancient, you take your time.
50 → 7,000
From 50 bottles in 2012 to 7,000 today. Still family-made. Still obsessive. Every bottle is numbered, every vintage tracked from vine to cellar. We could produce more. We choose not to.
830 Meters
Terra rossa over limestone at 830 meters elevation. Cold winters that harden the vines. Hot summers that concentrate the sugars. The same soil ancient winemakers understood.
The Wines
Cabernet Sauvignon
Deep crimson color. The nose reveals aromas characteristic of Cabernet Sauvignon dark and purple notes of ripe forest berries, blueberries, cherries, wild strawberries and ripe plums, with hints of Middle Eastern herbs. On the palate, pleasant and smooth fruitiness opens up, followed by a full and solid body, balanced acidity and soft tannins, finishing with a rich and lingering aftertaste.
Available Vintages
Merlot
Deep purple color. The nose offers aromas of black forest fruits plum, violets, cassis, blueberries, a touch of tobacco and hints of worked leather. On the palate, green notes emerge bay leaves, coarse black pepper, thyme and a touch of marjoram. The tannins are still somewhat firm but soften with time, as the wine continues to mature and improve.
Available Vintages
Choshen
A rare deep purple-crimson color, almost black. The nose reveals distinct aromas of toasted French oak, with notes of vanilla, mocha and caramel. On the palate, complex black fruit flavors blend with velvety vanilla and perhaps a hint of muscat, all within a delicate and smooth texture, finishing with an intriguing nuttiness. Named after the Choshen HaMishpat (High Priest's breastplate) symbolizing the unity of diverse grape varieties with the modern Israeli wine revival.
Available Vintages
Argaman
Deep, intense crimson color verging on black the very hue that gives this variety its name (Argaman means "deep purple" in Aramaic). The nose offers intense aromas of black cherry, ripe plum, and sweet grapes. Full-bodied on the palate with soft, silky tannins, intense fruitiness, and subtle spice notes. Long, caressing finish with hints of dark chocolate.
Available Vintages
Moscato
A sweet, aromatic dessert wine fortified with alcohol distilled at the winery. Pale golden color with white floral notes jasmine, orange blossom, and honey. On the palate, balanced sweetness with refreshing acidity, flavors of ripe peach, apricot, and lychee, with hints of rose and classic Muscat grapes. Velvety texture and a long, perfumed finish. Perfect with fresh fruits, cheesecake, or as a meditation wine to close a meal.
Available Vintages
Contact Us
Experience Our Cave Winery
Visit our unique cave winery in Aish Kodesh, near Shiloh in the Shiloh Valley. Tours by appointment.
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