From Herzliya to Tasmania: The Israeli Winemaker Conquering Down Under
Meet Yael Sandler, the Israeli-born head winemaker at Tasmania's Joseph Chromy Wines. From Herzliya restaurants to the vineyards of Down Under, her journey is a tale of passion, world-class cool-climate wine, and a lifelong dedication to craftsmanship.
Yael Sandler sits on top of the world. Well, it would be more accurate to say she is at its bottom. After all, Australia is known as the "Down Under," and Tasmania, the large island south of the mainland where she lives, is "Down Under" even more. This southern location makes it one of the southernmost wine-growing regions in the world, but climatically it is actually one of the northernmost: the proximity to Antarctica grants it a cool climate, making it a perfect habitat for varieties that demand chilly weather, such as Pinot Noir, the holy grail of wine enthusiasts.
Sandler, 44, is the head winemaker at Joseph Chromy Wines, one of the largest and most important wineries in Tasmania. Last month, she visited her homeland, which included a guided tasting of a selection of her wines at the Margalit Winery, and I seized the opportunity to speak with her. "Tasmania is a special and interesting region, and if you are interested in cool-climate wine and winemaking, it is the unicorn," she says. "Tasmania is a terribly green and beautiful place, the most New Zealand you can get in Australia. In terms of temperatures, in winter it can drop to minus five at night and plus five in the morning, and during the day 10 to 11 degrees. And there are even colder areas in the south of the island. In summer, 20 to 25."
From Herzliya to the Edge of the World
It is a relatively young place as a wine region, isn't it? "Yes. Wine has been made there in the modern era since the 1950s, and mainly since the 1970s, though wine was made earlier too. Joseph Chromy's winery, who is originally an immigrant from the Czech Republic, has only existed since 2007, and it is very young. We produce a million bottles a year, which makes us one of the five largest wineries in Tasmania. Only a quarter of our production is red, and the rest is white, and a lot of sparkling: a third of our production."
Between question and question, she pours me a wonderful Chardonnay from the winery's high-end series. Her Chardonnay is serious, elegant, and mineral, with citrus aromas and even a delicate salinity. A truly classic wine. I also taste a Pinot Noir that is hard to believe comes from Tasmania and not, for example, from its homeland in Burgundy. A complex wine, not heavy, exactly as Pinot should be, highly aromatic, with dominant fruit aromas but also some spices. A great delight.
Sandler was born and raised in Herzliya, and holds a degree in education from Beit Berl College. Her interest in wine developed while she worked during her studies as a waitress at the Tabula and Al HaMayim restaurants in Herzliya. "That's where I got hooked on wine. At Al HaMayim, I already became responsible for the wine domain." She completed chemistry studies and took a wine course with Yair Margalit. In 2009, she won the Yarden Sommelier Award, which included a one-week internship as a sommelier at Gordon Ramsay's restaurant in London's Claridge's Hotel.
"I arrived on the first day, they dressed me in a uniform, and I joined a wine team of 17 people. It was wow. In every service, there were five wine people. The week turned into a year. It was something I didn't know, wine service at such a level. London is amazing, everything happens there, and I drank the best wines in the world, but the passion for winemaking continued to burn."
A Perpetual Student of Winemaking
You are a wise student of wine, aren't you? You are currently studying for a Master of Wine (MW) degree. "Perhaps instead of a wise student, an eternal student? It makes you a better winemaker, or at least a more critical one. There are no lack of people who are sure that what they do is the best."
From London, she continued her studies in Australia, completing a master's degree in oenology at the University of Adelaide and doing internships at one of the wineries she dreamed of working at, Giaconda. Afterward, she did additional internships at wonderful wineries in Australia, South Africa, and California. In between, she returned to work for Gordon Ramsay, this time at his restaurant in Melbourne. It seems her passion for being a sommelier still burns within her. "When you're a wine waiter, you meet an audience. At a winery, you are very lonely."
And then a phone call comes from Binyamina Winery. She returns to Israel and joins the winery team. "It was very different from Australia. I learned how to manage a large winery. But to some extent, Israel did not allow me to do what I wanted. In a kosher winery, a non-religious girl like me cannot touch the wine. In Australia, yes." She returns to Australia, this time to the winery where she currently works, Joseph Chromy, but not yet as a winemaker. "After one season alone, I knew I wanted to work right there."
After one vintage, she does another season at the Ella Valley Winery in Israel, while simultaneously teaching WSET courses herself in the country. She also manages to work at the Feldstein Winery, and then flies back to Australia, to Chromy Winery. In the 2025 vintage, she is appointed head winemaker. Since the Australian summer occurs during our winter, she has already completed two vintages, 2025 and 2026. "To this day, I pinch myself on the way to work. I am living the dream." Despite this, she admits she misses Israel. "I grew up in a very Zionist home. I will come to vote in the elections."
