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Tanya Winery – an idyllic winery in the rolling hills of Binyamina’s Judean Hills
This is not the first time I had the opportunity to taste wines from the wonderful Tanya Winery. Actually, the first time we had the chance to taste Yoram Cohen’s wines (the winemaker) was in 2008, some five years ago. Since then, we did not have the chance to taste ant other wines from Tanya, as they were not available here in the US, until recently! Now, they are being imported by Red Garden Imports, an importer’s name that I heard many times from a few small boutique wineries as I walked around Sommelier! Actually we were supposed to go to the winery early in 2011, but Yoram’s kid got sick so we had to postpone the visit. Instead, we had to wait almost a year to get the chance to taste some Tanya wines, and it was a worthwhile wait, given the current crop of wines.
Many in Israel know Yoram not because of his unique personality or artistic passion, but rather because he was on Israel’s Big Brother 3! Yes, you heard me correct Yoram Cohen was on the Big Brother of Israel, but I guess he should stick to what he does exceptionally well, as he was the second housemate to be tossed out. I hope it helped to put focus on his personality and winery, because they are both quite unique and wonderful treasures that we get to enjoy!
In the middle of the first day for me at the 2011 edition of Sommelier, I got to the Tanya Winery booth! Just a few reminders about Tanya Winery, in case you are too lazy to click the link to my other posts 
. In 2002 Yoram started to make wine out of his house. In 2007 one of Chaim Feder’s friends tasted Yoram’s wines and was sure that Yoram was the next big thing in wine. Chaim and his partners met Yoram and the rest is history. They upgraded the winery’s future productivity by purchasing new equipment, plantings new vineyards, and leasing more space for the winery. The winery’s current production is about 30,000 bottles annually. Most wineries were displaying their wines from 
2008 at the event, which by now you all know is a problem for many, being that it was a Shmitta year. In case this is your first roll through my blog, check out my Kosher 101 posting about Shmitta and more. Tanya however did not produce any wines in 2008, which all I can say is WOW! Takes a certain spirit and belief system to not make wine for a year! The winery has three labels; Enosh, Halel, and Eliya Reserve, all named after his kids, which are shown on the booth and on the website (though at a younger age). Enosh is the winery’s top Bordeaux blend, Halel is the main wine line, while Eliya is the lower label that has recently been upgraded, as is visible in the Shiraz below.
As I tasted these wines, I did not know that one of them was also part of my original wine tasting in 2008! The 2007 Pinot Noir, which we tasted from the barrel, has clearly changed with more red fruit showing and lovely oak extraction as well. However, the body and structure look the same from those many years earlier!
Lovely Sausage Stew, Quinoa, vegetable kugel, and current kosher Cabernet Franc wines
This past weekend I finally got around to something I have been planning for sometime, which was my Cabernet Franc Horizontal. To be fair, it was more like two horizontals, one for 2006 and one for 2007, along with a 2005 wine thrown in. So I guess I am using the term liberally, but hey, this is my blog! Anyway, the wines were quite lovely, with the only real loser being an a fore mentioned wine that was previously in a dumb period, and now I think it is just going down hill, that being the 2007 Hagafen Cabernet Franc. My deep love for all things Franc is clear and documented here.
That said, though the wines were great to exceptional, none of them exhibited anything Franc’ish. I say this because, there was almost no vegetal notes (even from Four gates), and little to no floral notes or even floral perfumes. Instead, what we had was deep and expressive wines that were nice, but more Cab’ish than Franc’ish. The common notes were, Oak/Cedar, Chocolate, Tobacco, and red fruit. There were a couple of wines with black fruit and rich flavors as well.
Tanya Winery
Tanya Winery
On a clear and cool winter day we meet up with Chaim Feder – one of the investors in the Tanya Winery. The winery is tucked away in Ofra where the wonderful and eccentric wine maker Yoram Cohen lives. When we first met Yoram he was hard at work building a barrel. Yes, he was hand building a barrel that he had just finished shaving down and toasting, and was now applying the finishing touches to a recycled barrel with equal care that he gives his wines. It was fitting that this is how we met Yoram. In an almost poetic manner, Yoram was doing what he does best – recycling, rebuilding. He is one of those ever restless artists on the hunt for his next challenge. The good news for us oenophiles – is that he chose to ply his new trade in the world of wine. Yoram had a very successful photography business and left it all for the ever finicky world of wine making. In 2002 Yoram started to make wine out of his house. In 2007 one of Chaim’s friends tasted Yoram’s wines and was sure that Yoram was the next big thing in wine. Chaim and his partners met Yoram and the rest is history. They upgraded the winery’s future productivity by purchasing new equipment, plantings new vineyards, and leasing more space for the winery. They hope to be producing 40,000 bottles as soon as the newest vineyards come on line sometime next year.
Upon meeting Yoram and the almost completed barrel, Yoram showed us the newly built wine cellar and tasting room – that is behind his house, and that he built by hand. Anchoring the middle of this beautiful hand crafted structure is a 40+ year old vine! The vine was there before Yoram bought the house.
Yoram showed the way to the slightly smaller cellar and gave us a taste of a 2005 Cabernet from a 5 liter wine cask. Chaim said Yoram was hoping to sell them for the seder table. Yet another example of his eccentric but wonderful artistic talents that Yoram brings to the staid and stogy world of wine making – a truly refreshing attitude and perspective that we are sure will do him and the winery well. Upon tasting the wine and some other white vintages we drove to the newly minted headquarters in Ofra’s industrial area. There we were given to taste a myriad of bottles and barrel tasting that gave us an appreciation of the upcoming wines and the up and coming winery’s main talent – Yoram and his artistic spin on wine and life as a whole.
We want to thank Yoram, Chaim Feder and their respective families for their very kind hospitality and time. Following are the tasting notes which we sampled at the winery.
Tanya Cabernet 2005 (Small Cask) – Score: B+
This garnet colored wine (grapes from Har Bracha) has a nose of date, vanilla, and oak. The mouth of this balanced medium bodied wine is filled with cherry and raspberry. The finish is long with a wooden cloak and cherry clinging on.
Tanya Jerba 2003 (fortified desert wine) - Score: A-
The nose of this honey colored wine is packed with honey, pineapples, and dates. The mouth on this full bodied and fortified wine is still a bit too hot. This will calm down as time progresses. Citrus fruit, honey and apple come in early and stay along for the long finish. This is a wine that one can enjoy with almost any desert – once it calms down a bit. Read the rest of this entry
