This Is My Story
I Am Omri Yizhak, a local Israeli wine expert, born and raised in the Jordan Valley, around the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River, at the foothills of the Golan Heights. I’m a certified sommelier, currently a WSET Level 4 Diploma student at the London WSET School. From a young age, right after my military service in the IDF as a combat medic, I’ve been working as an executive in the industries of wine, tourism, hospitality, food & beverage.
My First encounter with wine was in Florence, Italy, as a pre-med student, fresh out of the Israeli army.
My roommate was an Israeli winemaking student. He gave me the bug.
Very quickly I switched programs and began my journey into the wine world.
After taking some wine courses in Florence, I moved to London for a year, where I graduated with a WSET Level 3 certificate. From London I returned home to Tel Aviv and worked as a head sommelier for 5 years in top chef restaurants and wine bars. Later, I moved to the fine wine import industry and worked as head of training for a high quality import company that specializes in natural wines from Europe.
In 2017, I left Tel Aviv and returned to my roots, to the Sea of Galilee and the Golan Heights, where I founded the first wine bar in the north of Israel. Located at the luxurious Scots Hotel in Tiberias, the St. Urban Wine Bar hosts discriminating locals and tourists from all over the world including many Americans.
These Days, I’m working as a wine director for a number of restaurants, hotels and resorts in northern Israel and as a marketing consultant for several Israeli wineries and wine importers.
I'm also a wine educator at the Israeli branch of the WSET wine school in Tel Aviv and a wine tour guide at Vinspiration, a travel company specializes in wine & culinary trips in wine regions across the world. my specialty is Central Italy.
I am fortunate to have cultivated very warm and close relationships with the best winemakers in the country.
My strongest passion is to combine my knowledge and experience with my love for hosting tourists and offering unique, private and professional winery tours in Israel.
I invite you to explore the enchanting world of Israeli wines with me.