The daughter of an agricultural family from Moshav Balfuria in the Jezreel Valley, Nitzan Swersky grew up with a love of nature and the lands of Israel. Inspired by visiting wineries and vineyards in Italy in 2002, she launched herself into a life-long project beginning with a bachelor's degree in oenology and viticulture from the University of Milan in Italy, followed by a MSc from the Polytechnic University of Madrid. During her studies, she worked in wineries in Italy, and after graduating, Nitzan went to South Africa where she interned and worked for the acclaimed winemaker Mike Dobrovic. Despite a tempting offer to stay on at Mulderbosch as head winemaker under his direction, with the opportunity to replace him before his retirement, Nitzan decided to return to Israel and raise her children in her home country, joining the winemaking team of Barkan Winery. Two years later she left Barkan, one of the largest wineries in Israel, to open her own brand Ahat Winery with her first vintage in 2014.