Meet Evyatar
I didn’t set out to become a wine person. I needed a job, and Kos Shel Bracha in Katamon needed help. That was the extent of my career plan.
My experience with kosher wine at the time? Sweet syrupy bottles that nobody seemed to actually enjoy drinking. Wine was something you endured at kiddush, not something you looked forward to.
But something happened in that shop. Customers would come in, study the shelves, ask questions. They cared about what they were choosing. And the owner—he cared too. He’d spend real time explaining why one bottle might suit someone better than another. Not showing off. Just helping.
I started asking the customers questions. Why did you pick that one? What did you notice about the last bottle you bought? What are you serving it with? The answers were rarely about scores or regions or vintages. They were about dinner with friends, a quiet evening, a celebration that deserved something special or a winery with a story they connected to. It was learning by paying attention to real people making real choices.
After several years, he was ready to move on and he sold the shop to another. Thirteen years ago, I bought the shop from the second owner.
Word of Mouth
I didn’t have a plan. I had customers who kept coming back, and who told their friends. The shop grew through recommendations, one satisfied wine drinker at a time.
If there’s a complaint I hear, it’s this: “I used to be happy with any bottle. Now I notice the difference.” I take that as a compliment.
Beyond the Shop
The wine shop is still home base. I’m there most days, talking to customers, recommending bottles, learning what people are enjoying. That conversation never gets old.
But wine pulled me further in. I studied winemaking at Soreq. I went through the WSET program. And eventually, I started growing my own grapes with partners in Nokdim—Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon in the older section, with Syrah, Petit Verdot, Grenache, Colombard, Assyrtiko, and Chenin Blanc in the newer plantings.
Now I spend my time across the whole journey: growing grapes, blending, tasting, advising winemakers, and—most importantly—enjoying what ends up in the glass.
Why JLM Wines Exists
The online shop is an extension of what happens in the physical store in Katamon. The same approach: taste everything, reject what doesn’t meet the bar, recommend only what I’d be happy to serve myself.
You aren’t just buying wine. You’re buying my selection, my curation and my reputation. Every bottle on jlmwines.com passed through my hands before it reached yours.
My goal hasn’t changed since those first days behind the counter: to be an honest guide in a complicated world. Not necessarily the fanciest or cheapest option. Just good wine, chosen with care, delivered to your door.
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by labels and prices and mysterious terminology—you’re not alone. That’s exactly why I’m here.
Every bottle on jlmwines.com passed through my hands before it reached yours.
Ready to browse? See the collection — every bottle personally chosen.
