Lifetime Award For Freddie Stiller 
 25.11.2009
 

Freddie Stiller was born in Poland in 1930 and made aliyah to the young State of Israel in 1950. He studied Food Science & Technology at the Technion in Haifa. After completing his second year, he took a holiday job to earn pocket money. By chance he chose Carmel Mizrachi’s Zichron Ya’acov Wine Cellars as the place to begin his working career. He chose wine almost by accident, because Zichron Ya’acov was close to where he lived and helping out during the harvest fitted in with his holidays. His job was checking the grapes on arrival at the winery and recording their analysis.

The manager and winemaker of Zichron Ya’acov Winery was Ya’acov Avni, who recommended Stiller to Carmel at Rishon Le Zion. Eliacomb Oshtashinsky, the managing director of Carmel Mizrahi interviewed him and on July 15th 1957 he began to work at Rishon Le Zion Winery to manage the laboratory and to learn winemaking under the winemaker Shimon P. Rosenthal.

Here he learnt his trade to the extent that when Rosenthal passed away in 1973, Stiller was invited to take over as chief winemaker of Carmel’s Rishon Le Zion Winery. In 1976, he took over Zichron Ya’acov Winery to becoming Technical Director & Chief Winemaker of the Carmel Mizrahi – SCV des Grandes Caves. He was responsible for harvests in the country’s two largest wineries of up to 40,000 tonnes for producing wines and grape juice. He was also the master distiller, responsible for producing 5 million bottles of spirits, including brandy, vodka, arak and liqueurs.

In the same way an artist is remembered for his paintings, a winemaker is remembered for his wines. Stiller was responsible for the legendary Carmel Special Reserves of 1976 and 1979, which were arguably Israel’s first ‘fine’ wines. Selected, Israel’s largest selling brand until today, was created during his tenure. He also developed Fantasia, then a forerunner of today’s low alcohol Moscato wines, which grew to be a big brand which brought many new people to the world of wine. He won a number of gold medals for his brandies, where he had a special expertise. Carmel’s Brandies 777, 100 and 110 XO all won major gold medals at the IWSC in London. The biggest prize was the Trophy for Best Brandy Worldwide awarded to the Carmel 100 Brandy, 9 year old.

                                        

In 1995 he retired having devoted all his working life to Carmel. He was remembered as someone who straddled the technological revolution of Israel. He will also be remembered as a Polish gentleman, always polite, kind and eager to help. The number of Israeli winemakers who passed through his hands also says something. These include:

Israel Flam, who succeeded Stiller as chief winemaker of Carmel, now part of Flam Winery, with his sons.
Kobi Gat, winemaker and agronomist. Well-known for his wine courses
Mended Gil, winemaker at Rishon Le Zion Cellars
Philippe Lichtenstein, winemaker of Arza Winery
Arieh Nesher, winemaker of Tabor Winery
Arkadi Papikian, ex winemaker of Dalton winery. Now a winemaking consultant
Shiki Rauchenberger, winemaker of Teperberg Winery
Ed Salzberg, chief winemaker of Barkan Winery
Gil Shatsberg, winemaker of Recanati Winery
Zvi Skaist, winemaker of Jerusalem Winery
Amram Surasky, ex winemaker of Binyamina Winery, now at Villa Wilhelma Winery
Chaim Wachtenchaim, chief winemaker of Rishon Le Zion Cellars

This list is like a who’s who of Israeli winemaking. Freddie Stiller, 79 years old, now lives in Rishon Le Zion, where he is able to enjoy his eight grandchildren. He lives in the place where the last vineyards of Rishon Le Zion were situated before being grubbed up for real estate. His home appropriately lies midway between Carmel Winery, where a modern Israeli wine industry was created in the late 19th century and the Gan Gatot, a garden of old genuine wine presses from Byzantine times, excavated and preserved in modern Rishon le Zion. A connection of the ancient with the new.
Congratulations to Freddie Stiller from wines-israel on your well deserved award and thank you for your 40 year contribution to Israeli wine!