El Al Serves Wine from Controlling Shareholder's Galilee Boutique Winery
El Al passengers are discovering wine from Tabernacle Winery, a Galilee boutique venture owned by carrier controller Kenny Rosenberg. Though approved in 2024, the deal went unreported due to El Al's massive turnover.
Passengers boarding El Al Israel Airlines flights are encountering an unexpected label on the wine menu alongside established Israeli brands: Tabernacle Winery, a small family-run boutique operation from Moshav Tzuriel in the Galilee. Behind the regional bottle stands Kenny Rosenberg, the controlling shareholder of the national carrier.
Tabernacle Winery is a relatively young enterprise in the local market, with winemaker Yossi Isaacowitz joining in 2018 and its inaugural vintage launched in 2020. According to recent business reports, El Al's audit and compensation committee, alongside the board of directors, approved an agreement in April 2024 to supply wine to company aircraft through March 2025. While the wine continues to be served to passengers, no further public reports regarding the formal renewal of the agreement have been issued.
Materiality and Corporate Disclosure
The absence of ongoing public disclosures regarding the arrangement stems from the vast discrepancy in scale between the two entities. Related-party transactions by public companies require formal reporting only when deemed material—typically crossing a threshold of about 5% of annual turnover.
With El Al generating an annual turnover of approximately 3.5 billion shekels, and revenue surges following recent market dynamics, transactions valued at hundreds of thousands of shekels are classified as negligible and do not trigger mandatory disclosure requirements. Conversely, for a small boutique winery in the Galilee, regular supply contracts with the national airline represent a significant commercial anchor that bolsters regional production.
Responding to inquiries, El Al emphasized that wine selections are made strictly on professional and commercial merits, focusing on product quality and alignment with passenger needs. The airline added that the engagement with Tabernacle Winery was duly reviewed and authorized by all competent internal bodies in full accordance with corporate governance regulations.
