Vintners, grape growers and wine enthusiasts gathered Tuesday night at Tel Aviv’s Heichal Hatarbut for the 24th annual Eshkol Hazahav awards, recognizing the winemakers and wines that stood out in the last year.

Three wineries — Mony Estate with 11 awards, Barkan with seven and Teperberg with six — were the big winners of the night, said organizer Avi Ben Ami, noting that the results depend on how many and which wineries enter their vintages to the contest.

This year, 276 wines were registered for the competition, and the wines were judged by a committee of 25 wine professionals.

The event is produced by Sommelier, Ben Ami’s organization, which also hosts an annual wine tasting event in February at Heichal Hatarbut.

This was the second year that Ben Ami included a speaking segment called Hamsa Hamsa, or Five Five, a TEDx-style presentation in which speakers have five minutes and five seconds to expound on food, wine, or both.

“We’re changing things a little,” said Ben Ami. “At least two-thirds of the attendees are in the wine business, but another third are people who just appreciate wine, and we’re seeing what works for them as well.”

After an hour of tasting 15 of last year’s vintages from vineyards across the coastal and Carmel region, the audience settled in for a mix of awards and speakers.

Among the five speakers, two spoke about the agricultural........

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