Rota Winery is a boutique winery in the Negev desert. It is one of the single vineyard estates

planted in Halutza sand dunes along the banks of Nahal Revivim, a seasonal river traversing

the Negev plateau.

Established in late summer 2004 by Erez Rota––artist, wine viticulturist and winemaker–

Rota Winery gave Erez the opportunity to combine his long-standing dream of establishing

an agricultural estate and his love of the desert.

The winery, which actually came into being in 1999 in a small studio in Tel Aviv, would in

2004 put down roots on Negev soil on a site where the remnants of ancient agricultural

practices dating back to the Nabatean era were found and today form an integral part of the

Estate’s landscape. The vineyards were planted along the ancient terraces at a height of about

300 m. in silty loess earth containing river sand and pebbles, which facilitate good water

absorption and drain off. Desert climate conditions–cold and dry in winter, hot and dry in

summer, along with constant breezes and cool nights–form an optimal environment in which

to cultivate grapevines