Wine DJ adventure at Tel Aviv’s warehouse party
Early last winter I found myself working at a horse farm on the Sierra Nevada Mountain in southern Spain. This is where I met my friend Or from Israel. The work days there were long, hard, cold, and wet, but experiencing the breathtaking beauty of the Alpujarras from atop incredible Arabian steeds every day was well worth it. We spent the chilly damp nights huddled around a small gas heater drinking countless bottles of red Spanish table wine, the names of which have long been forgotten. While thawing out in the dimly lit kitchen we entertained each other by swapping stories about the places we called home. In true traveler style we traded e-mail addresses before parting ways and agreed that if we ever found ourselves traveling near the others home to drop a line. If the stars were aligned correctly and we happened to both be in the same place at the same time then the other was promised a couch to surf, or maybe even a bed to sleep in if we were lucky!
At this point in my journey I had no plans to visit Israel, and truth be told, I thought I would never make it there! I was sure that if we ever shared another bottle of vino it would be in the US. However, after several months and a couple of cheap flights I found myself on a plane headed for Tel Aviv, and Or was going to be there to welcome me. Always a gracious guest, I chose a random Chilean Malbec from the airport shop in Riga as a house warming gift. Lucky me, it was a great bottle of wine. Unlucky me, I forgot its name!
The two days I planned on surfing Or’s couch quickly turned into two weeks. In that short time I visited many of Israel’s legendary places and even squeezed in a winery tour (see Tzuba Winery)! The night before I planned on leaving Tel Aviv we were invited to a party. When Or’s friend picked us up and drove us to a large warehouse, the DJ in me got excited. It looked we might be in for a long night! I followed my friends around the corner and quickly realized we were headed to a different kind of party. The sounds of laughter and guitars were coming from somewhere off in the distance, and I could smell a fire.
Nearby small groups of people were assembled around the fire which was hidden by an abandoned building. Recognizing several faces among the crowd, I made my rounds and said hello. I grabbed a seat on one of many blankets and was greeted by many new smiling faces. I had brought two bottles of Tzuba Shiraz (from their premier Metsuda collection) with me, but just realized my opener was back at the house. The girl sitting next to me must have sensed my dilemma, she swiftly handed me a cork screw as if on cue. We laughed and introduced ourselves while I opened it. “That’s a great wine!” she said. Before I could finish telling her about my tour of the winery I heard someone say “Who’s speaking American over there?…I wanna practice!” (Yes, the more I travel, the more I realize English and American are very similar, but different languages). I never would have thought that speaking American would attract a crowd, maybe it was my mellow accent…nah, it was probably the wine!
Soon we had formed our own circle, a small group speaking American and singing songs from American radio. Good vibes and good wine flowed as the night went on. Everyone had brought something to contribute and an endless supply of warm pita bread fresh from the fire, snacks, various bottles of “hooch”, and funny smelling cigarettes were passed around until the small hours of the night. I had to smile and laugh as I sang along to the lyrics of Radiohead’s “Creep.” “I don’t belong here”-couldn’t have felt further from the truth, but how could I feel so at home in a place so far away from where I used to live?
Eventually the crowd started to thin as people made their way back home. Many of us brought sleeping bags which we crawled into to get a few precious hours of sleep before the sun came up. Mesmerized by the starry sky above, I slowly drifted into dream-land. That night I experienced yet another “wine adventure“. Believe it or not, this simple party still stands out as one of the highlights of my trip. It just goes to show you how good wine, and good people can combine just about anywhere to make a truly memorable experience! 
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