Over two hundred years have passed since Yankel Hirsch Segal built the family’s first distillery in 1787 in Bobroisk in White Russia. Distilling was one of the few professions open to Jews. This inheritance was passed down to the fifth generation of the Segal family who made aliyah in 1925 and opened a distillery called ‘Hakoach’ in the Templar district of Tel Aviv, known as Sarona. However it closed in 1932. Instead two brothers opened a wine shop in the Carmel Market in Tel Aviv. The company was called Carmei Zvi- Segal Bros. after their grandfather, Zvi Hirsch Segal. This was their introduction to the wine business.

In 1950 the family opened a winery for the first time in Ramle. The winery was known as ‘Askalon’ Wines, (their spelling), because the grapes initially came from Ashkelon. During Zvi Segal’s tenure, the winery became known as Segal Wines. Then Segal was the sixth largest winery in Israel. The main wines were Shel Segal and Ben Ami. The main spirits were Grand 41 Brandy, Hallelujah Orange Brandy Liqueur and Askalon Arak.