Category Archives: Kosher Wine
Dalton Alma Bordeuax Blend and sulfite free Four Gates Merlot
This past week my wife had a hunkering for risotto and the recipe is so simple that after gathering the required ingredients, I was more than happy to oblige. The risotto recipe that I used was from my blog posting in March of last year, however, in this case I roasted both the sweet potatoes and the mushrooms in the oven.
The roasted sweet potatoes really does change the flavor profile of the risotto and the roasted mushrooms bring out a further meaty and earthy flavor than just the risotto alone. That comes from the famous umami savory taste which is backed by the Glutamates. The combination of roasted flavors and the Glutamate packed mushrooms – adds a totally different dimension in flavor to plain risotto. Normally, the way to fill out the boring and plain flavored risotto rice (arborio rice) – is to finish the dish with cream, cheese, and/or pesto, along with some nice condiment or flavor addition like mushrooms or asparagus. However, because we do not eat milk and meat together and I want to enjoy my risotto with chicken, we cannot finish the dish with cheese or cream. So that leaves us with finding other ways to pump up the flavor volume with non-dairy ingredients.
Of course when it comes to chicken, I love my wife’s lemon rosemary roasted chicken, because the recipe calls for slow and low cooking which makes for tangy and “fall off the bone” moist perfect chicken. Normally I use the chicken sauce on rice and quinoa, but with risotto, I leave the sauce for another time.
To pair with this chicken I continued my Pinot Noir adventure and opened a lovely bottle of the 2009 Galil Mountain Winery Pinot Noir – which I liked a lot and wrote up in the previous posting on QPR.
We also were invited to the Rabbi’s house and I brought a bottle of the 2009 Dalton Alma Bordeaux blend. Dalton now releases three different Alma blends. One is the white blend, which does not excite me that much, along with two red blends. One is the one I enjoyed this week, a Bordeaux blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, and 9% Cabernet Franc – showing its deep French roots – with crazy graphite, green notes, while also showing with pride its own terroir and climate – with lovely ripe and black fruit. The wine is a true expression of French grapes in a Mediterranean climate – Bravo Dalton! The other blend is a SMV blend of 82% Syrah 12% Mourvedre and 6% Viognier. Each of these red blends used wines that were fermented individually for 12 months in French Oak and then blended and aged an additional two months in oak before bottling. Read the rest of this entry
Four kosher wines I enjoyed in the past week from California and Israel
This past weekend I enjoyed some lovely wines from Israel and California. The first wine is the 2010 Covenant Sauvignon Blanc and the second was the 2009 Adir Cabernet Sauvignon, Ben Zimra. The third wine was the 2010 Gvaot Pinot Noir that I loved and tasted at the Kosher Wine Society Tasting – New Wines and Vintage Experience, and the fourth wine which I also tasted at the KWS tasting was the 2007 Hevron Heights Merlot, Pardess.
The only wine in this lineup that disappointing me was the 2009 Adir Cabernet! I had the chance to taste this wine in Israel last year, and when I tasted it now it showed itself in a vastly different manner. Where before the wine was rich and layered, now the wine was still green but felt unbalanced and not all there. Again, it could be an issue of transportation or storage, but I bought the wine at a great store – called Liquors Galore. It has a fantastic selection and the prices are solid for wines that are on sale. For all other wines, shop and compare, but their selection is very impressive, and it is local if you live in Flatbush, NY.
Again, I believe the issue here is transportation and maybe the wine is a funk or quiet period, but in the end, it is a wine I could not recommend to others. The other wine I bought there was the 2010 Covenant Sauvignon Blanc, which was awesome and bright, ripe and clean, while showing nice minerality, slate, and crispness. Read the rest of this entry
Kosher Wine Society Tasting – New Wines and Vintage Experience
This past week I had the chance to taste some wines at an event put on by the Kosher Wine Society. Before we get to the main event, quick question, what does kosher wine and fashion models have in common? More on that in a moment!
The Kosher Wine Society (KWS for those in the know) was started in 2005 when Aron Ritter could not find real events to attend that centered on one of his true passions, kosher wine! Remember, this was a point in time, when Lance Armstrong could still wear a yellow jersey! Further, the only kosher wine event, at that time, in the United States, was the Gotham Wine Extravaganza!
So, the KWS was born, and slowly but surely it has grown into a membership that spans a large cross-section of the New York social scene. Thursday evening was no different, when I arrived early to see what was going down at the 4th annual New Wines for the New Year tasting. I strolled in and went straight to work photographing what I could, though I did not bring my camera thinking my cell phone camera would be enough – bad idea, so I am sorry if the pictures are underwhelming. That is totally on me and not the event. The event itself was top-notch and well worth the 50 bucks I spent, if there was an issue with the event, it would be with some of the wines that did not meet my expectations, showing 2009 and 2010 to be difficult years – for different reasons.
The event was hosted in the Solarium room at the Roger Smith Hotel, where you had the opportunity to enjoy some 80+ wines, ranging from Argentinian wines to United States wines, and everything else in between, including many Israeli wines and a few Italian wines to boot. There were also a few real shining stars, including a real winner from the Gvaot Winery and a few new Brobdingnagian wines as well! I did not have time to taste the Brob wines again, but from the responses I heard, they were well received! Read the rest of this entry
Kosher Wine and Food Pairing Showcase at the Millesime Lounge in the Carlton Hotel, NY
With the Jewish New Year fast approaching (September 17th and 18th), it is high time for another massive wine tasting, this time a cross-section of the wine world and some lovely food to boot! The past two Herzog/Royal wine events, as lovely as they have been, centered on the universe of Royal Wines and Herzog Wines. Now, there is nothing wrong with the wine portfolios of both of these wonderful organizations, however when it comes to the diversity of options out there outside of Royal’s portfolio, I am excited when there is the opportunity to see them all in one place!
Until now, the only place where that existed was the Gotham Kosher Wine Extravaganza! The event brings every major kosher wine importer, including Royal wines, Recanati Wines, Bravdo Winery, Hevron heights, and many Spanish, French, and Chilean wines as well. The best French wine outside of Royal’s portfolio is clearly Fred David’s winery, his Cotes du Rhone wines and his upcoming Chateauneuf du Pape (CDP). David’s wines are imported by Allied Wine importers, along with Dalton wines, Gvaot, and Saslove! Very interesting that Allied has added Gvaot and Saslove.
The good news is that all of the wines stated above along with many more options will be available at the upcoming Kosher Wine and Food Pairing Showcase – on September 10th. The event will include many new wines, including new vintages of stunning wines, along with wines that are not often talked about; including Shirah Wines Power to the People!
However, while we all like to taste some wines, Man does not live on wine alone! To meet this need the event organizers have come up with an original approach, that being placing the wines next to the foods or dishes that they believe best shows the wine’s potential. It is an original idea, and while some maybe concerned about the clash of humans and aromas fighting your interest to taste a wine or two – fear not! The promoters of this event have purposely limited the attendance to 150 people within a room that easily fits 300 – all with the mind of trying to best accommodate the event, its new approach, and the attendees who are interested in an evening of food and wine.
It is an original approach – appealing to both the foodie and wine lover in all of us, and one that Todd Aarons and Herzog Winery has done beautifully since day one of the IFWF in Oxnard and LA. However, even Mr. Aaron has never tried to place the food and wine in an easily accessible and taste-able pairing – it is an idea whose time has come and is a solid evolution of the food and wine festivals, but also one that needs to be carefully planned! Which is not a problem for the acclaimed Nelly Rosenking, who has made a name for herself as a first class kosher event planning coordinator, will be coordinating the logistics of the event!
Further, as stated before, the wines are a venerable list of who’s who in the kosher wine world, with the requisite Yarden and Royal wines. However, as stated previously, do not underestimate the wonders that lie in other importer’s portfolios; Recanati, Dalton, Gvaot, Saslove, Gush Etzion, Bravdo, Odem, and do not forget the oft-maligned Hevron Heights!
I am a contributor to the Israeli and kosher wine forum, and so are Isaac C, Pinchas L, and Adam M. The three of them have helped create the menu along with the wines chosen. However, in the end, the actual wines that will be served are being underwritten by 67 Wine, a wine store that I most admit I have never heard of before or bought from in the past. That is not to say in any way that this is not a store to buy from, rather it is to notify everyone that there is yet another wine store on the block – and one that is getting serious around the kosher wine scene, as is evident with this very event. The prices on the site look inline with the prices, though not as aggressive as Gotham or onlinekosherwine.com. However, as previously stated, you will get a list of further discounted prices for the wines you taste at the event, which gives you the opportunity to find the wines you like and then notate that on the list, and hand the list in at the end of the tasting – to get them at a discounted rate – a big WIN-WIN for all.
Along with the opportunity to buy the wines you taste, there will be the opportunity to buy some wines that did not sell last year at the Kastenbaum kosher wine auction. Much of the wine did not sell, as the bids did not hit the reserve price for the item. So, if you wish to dig deep or put on your voyeur’s hat – then by all means – check out the wines, many of which were highly acclaimed.
Finally, one cannot talk about this upcoming event and leave out the space or time. The event will be held in the newly refined and refurbished Salon Millesime in the Carlton Hotel, located on Madison Avenue b/n 28th and 29th street. The event will go on for three hours, giving you a chance to peruse through the Kastenbaum wines, taste the wines at hand, consume copious amounts of fish, hor d’oeuvres, meats, and yes for you tree huggers out there – salads and veggie dishes as well!
The event sounds crazy epic, and from the looks of the folks saying they will be attending on Facebook – this thing is going to sell out FAST! So grab your tickets here and make sure not to miss this epic event that is sure to satiate the foodie and wine lover in you!
Wine Enthusiast again covers a wide variety of Israeli Wines
Once again Israeli wines are getting more good attention – a large divergence from its almost invisible past. This time, the Wine Enthusiast did rather large wine tasting, covering many importers, and most importantly – not JUST for their once-year obligatory Passover article! So first off – Kudos and Bravo for giving Israel, Greece, and Cyprus coverage and showing the world their potential.
I can already hear the ubiquitous first question – was this tasting just wines from Royal Wine’s portfolio and their new IWPA? The answer, a resounding no! For this tasting, there were double the number of Israeli wine importers involved, in dramatic contrast to the Wine Enthusiast Passover article in April, 2012 where all 49 or so wines reviewed were Royal or Yarden wines. This month, there were 32 wines, imported by the ubiquitous Royal Wines and Yarden Wines, but it also included Recanati wines that are imported by Palm Bay and a few wines from the highly underrated Happy Hearts Wine Importers! My only complaint – why did Happy Hearts not include the wines from the wonderful Bravdo Karmei Yosef Winery?
The wines included many that we have written about in the past, from the Royal wine tasting (IFWF) in Los Angeles, and the Gotham wine event. The most prominently showcased winery was the Recanati Winery, which had four whites, one rose, and six red wines. The highest scoring Recanati wine was the famous 2009 Recanati Wild Carignan, Reserve, which we liked as well. However, in classic Recanati style, and as we discussed in the post, Recanati is famous more for its wines that score 86 or higher and are priced at 12 to 15 bucks. Those are Recanati’s bread and butter wines, and the product that is starting to get some good attention.
Some of the lower scoring wines that were interesting, was the 2010 Psagot Shiraz, that scored an 85, the Recanati White RSR which was scored an 88, and the Psagot Cabernet Franc which was scored an 86. There were no other real low scoring shockers and there was not a plethora of 91+ scores either. Rather, the review was chock full of 88, 89, 90, and a few 91 scored wines – which is highly respectable. Once again proving that Israeli wines are getting there. They are improving the quality, with solid grape and vineyard management, along with better wine production extraction and processes.
Bazelet HaGolan continues to impress in the wine press, though it is a winery that for reasons beyond my comprehension, produce wines that I cannot get my head around. I was really happy to see Carmel continuing to receive great wine scores and notes. The Carmel Appellation wines all scored 90 points, received great wine notes, and all of them were Editor’s Choice to boot! The winner, if you must call it that, would probably be Domaine du Castel – being that both of their wines were given a score of 91 – nicely done!
Also, all the wines are new vintages for the United States, except for maybe a few and that bodes well for Israel, as 2010 and 2011 were really bad growing years, and still the scores are more than respectable.
So, congratulations to the continued solid work and wine production by so many of the wineries in Israel and our appreciation to the Wine Enthusiast for adding Israeli Wines to the September edition! Once again, the scores are listed below in the order that the Wine Enthusiast scored them:
White Wines
- 2010 Domaine du Castel ‘C’ Chardonnay – 91
- 2010 Recanati Chardonnay – 88
- 2010 Recanati Special Reserve (RSR) White – 88
- 2011 Recanati Yasmin White – 85
- 2010 Recanati Sauvignon Blanc – 85
Roses
- 2011 Odem Mountain Rose, Volcanic Dry – 86
- 2010 Recanati Rose – 86
Cabernet and Blends
- 2009 Bazelet HaGolan, Reserve – 91
- 2009 Domaine du Castel, Grand Vin – 91
- 2009 Carmel Cabernet Franc, Appellation (Editor’s Choice) – 90
- 2009 Carmel Cabernet Sauvignon, Appellation (Editor’s Choice) – 90
- 2009 Carmel Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz Blend, Appellation (Editor’s Choice) – 90
- 2009 Or Haganuz Winery, Namura Select – 90
- 2010 Psagot Edom – 90
- 2009 Recanati Cabernet Sauvignon, Reserve – 90
- 2009 Binyamina Cabernet Sauvignon, Reserve – 89
- 2009 Or Haganuz Winery, Merlot-Cabernet-Petit Verdot, Amuka – 89
- 2010 Psagot Cabernet Sauvignon – 88
- 2009 Mony Cabernet Sauvignon, Reserve – 87
- 2010 Or Haganuz Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot, Har Sinai – 86
- 2010 Psagot Cabernet Franc – 86
- 2011 Dovev Cabernet Sauvignon (Best Buy) – 85
- 2010 Recanati Cabernet Sauvignon – 85
- 2011 Recanati Yasmin, Red – 85
Merlot
- 2010 Bazelet HaGolan Merlot – 87
- 2010 Recanati Merlot – 86
- 2009 Odem Mountain Merlot, Volcanic – 85
Other Red Wines
- 2009 Recanati Carignan, Reserve, Wild – 90
- 2010 Recanati Shiraz (Best Buy) – 90
- 2010 Binyamina Carignan, Reserve – 86
- 2007 Hevron Heights Judean Heights Tempranillo – 85
- 2010 Psagot Shiraz – 85
Elliot and Micheal’s Excellent Northern California Kosher Wine Adventure
If you look at the kosher wineries in California, the majority exist here in Northern California. Down south you have the famous Herzog Winery in Oxnard, CA, and a pair of wineries that I call ADS (Agua Dulce & Shirah), for the Agua Dulce Winery and Shirah Winery, both housed in the Agua Dolce Winery. While this is great, Northern California one-ups them with Four gates Winery, Hagafen Winery, Covenant Winery, and the Brobdingnagian Winery. Of course you can actually combine all the California kosher wineries (except for Herzog) into Herzog’s parking lot (a nod to Disneyland and Disney World).
Well the adventure started late last week, when Elliot (Eli) and Michael (Yoav) both visited Benyo and Four gates Winery without me – go figure! However, on Monday I met both Elliot and Michael at my house and we started driving our way north. For this fabulous adventure our chariot of choice was a lovely Buick La Sabre, which before you start laughing, is a crazy and sick car to drive and drive-in. This car was appointed in soft leather, all kinds of toys and warning systems and a great navigation system that got us to and from our desired destinations, in comfort and style, and on time.
The first stop was Covenant Winery where we were going to meet Jeff Morgan and Jonathan Hajdu, Winemaker and associate winemaker of Covenant Winery, respectively. When we arrived, Mr. Hajdu greeted us and we had the chance to taste a few barrel samples of some 2011 Brobdingnagian Wines. We started with some lovely black and blue 2011 Brobdingnagian Syrah, with nice spice, root beer, and good vanilla finish. From there we moved on to a taste of the 2011 Brobdingnagian Grenache, which keeps on giving – what a lovely wine indeed! With the 2011 season being so miserable, to get a wine so redolent and ripe is quite impressive! The nose was rich and ripe with more blue and black fruit, but this time more ripe and sweet and yet controlled with good extraction, sweet cherry drop, watermelon, and citrus peel. Then Jonathan let us have a taste of some wonderful 2011 Brobdingnagian Bordeaux Blend, which stood out to me so well because the fruit was as sweet as the Grenache and maybe even more than the Syrah, yet so perfectly controlled with a nice core of red and black fruit, nice graphite and minerality, and along with spice and green notes that really balance this whole wine out – Bravo! Read the rest of this entry
International Wine Review covers Israeli Wines in Depth!
Given this blog’s long and lengthy style – this may well be the shortest one ever! The Israeli wine industry has for the longest time has been in need of attention, in all the right ways. It has been producing fine wine, but with the passing of Daniel Rogov (his day of remembrance is coming up fast), positive wine information of the region and industry has been a bit lacking. Of course, Adam Montefiore has taken the Ambassador role on with gumption, and is helping the Israeli industry daily.
However, as I have been talking about recently, and there is even more to come, the Israeli Wine industry is getting its due. However, I think some of the best focus so far has been delivered by the recent publication from the International Wine Review, most recent report – ALL on Israel and its burgeoning wine regions and winemakers! The article is fantastic and I will now leave it to the accomplished abilities of the Israeli Wine Blog!
Great work by the International Wine Review!
Wine Spectator scores a few more Israeli Wines
Two months ago, I wrote an article about some scores and notes that the Wine Spectator released in the June 30th edition. The wines were scored by Kim Marcus where he reviewed some 21 wines from Israel and many scored above 85 point.
Well, the beat goes on and Mr. Marcus scored another 8 wines from Israel and all of them scored 85 or higher. These are the wines and the scores:
- 2009 Domaine du Castel ‘C’ Chardonnay – 90
- 2009 Clos de Gat Syrah, Har’el (NOT KOSHER) – 90
- 2009 Clos de Gat Syrah, Sycra (NOT KOSHER) – 90
- 2009 Recanati Carignan, Reserve, Wild – 90
- 2008 Yarden Merlot – 89
- 2010 Recanati Cabernet Sauvignon – 87
- 2010 Recanati Merlot – 87
- 2011 Recanati Yasmin, Red – 85
So, like last time I have a few comments here. First and foremost – BRAVO! Seriously, this is great! Israel is finally getting the scores that match the quality and wines. In NO way am I saying that the scores before did not fit the facts, I am NOWHERE in the same solar system as Mr. Marcus – so please let me set that straight before we go on here. What I am saying is that Israeli wines are improving – PERIOD! Whether it is the fact that wineries are starting to gain control over their hot climate fruit, or they are improving their processes to keep the fruit and the wine under control and thereby improving quality. Scores from all around the wine world are going up and the wine world is truly starting to take notice of Israel and their wine potential – so again BRAVO to all!
To set things straight, though on a sad note, Daniel Rogov who died on September 6th 2011, passed before he could truly see what seems to be the turning of the tide, in terms of worldwide appreciation for Israel’s wines. It will almost be a year since his passing and there is not a day that goes by, that I do not think about him and the positive impact that he had on, both the kosher and the Israeli, wine world. I am sure he is looking down on this state of affairs and laughing like he always did, and taking it all in with a glass of Cognac in hand.
Secondly, like I stated last times – please do not wonder why these scores may be high or low in comparison to the rest of the world. These wine scores are perfectly in line with what others scored these wines, and there are a few honest surprises for me again.
To start, I posted the Clos de Gat wines – even though they are not kosher, because this was about Israeli wines, and in the words of Richard Shaffer, from Israel Wine Direct, Kosher is NOT a Country – LOVE that line!
Also, I am so happy that Mr. Marcus appreciated the Recanati wines as much as we all do. Like I posted in an earlier piece, Recanati Winery was built on the premise that they could and will create great kosher wines for a reasonable price! In other words solid kosher QPR (Quality to Price Ratio) wines! The lowest three scoring wines go for less than 12 dollars at most wine stores. Further, the Yarden Merlot goes for 16 dollars, on a bad day, which makes it another solid QPR wine. The top four wines do run in the 40 to 60 dollar range, and two of them are not kosher, but the real surprise of the bunch is the 2009 Domaine du Castel Chardonnay!
The 2009 Domaine du Castel Chardonnay has quite a swirl of controversy around it, given its clear reduction, the last few times I tasted it. Now, I did enjoy it once when I went to Castel Winery itself, but many in the community feel it is not a great wine, and clearly not a wine that shows the best for Castel Chardonnays. Still, it is great to see that the world is happy to ignore the Israel-centric views and score the wine for what they perceive it to be.
My wines notes follow below for the wines that I have tasted:
2009 Recanati Carignan, Reserve, Kerem Ba’al (Wild) – Score: A-
The nose explodes with almost overripe blackberry, dates, prune, raspberry, nice floral notes, roasted meat, and plum. The mouth is rich and layered, with concentrated but accessible fruit, along with a crazy inky structure, and a mouth that is massive and rich with mouth coating tannin, and nice cedar. The finish is long and ripe with nice chocolate, butterscotch notes, heavy spice, cloves, cinnamon, black pepper, and a salty finish. This is clearly a new-world style wine with crazy fruit forward and heavy use of oak, but one that is quite lovely all the same. There will be some that do not like the heavy smoke or the overripe fruit, and that is fine, just know what you are getting into with this wine. Many have given this wine huge scores while I see this one for what it is, which is a crazy unique and lovely wine that is a bit too overdone and overripe for my taste. Drink till 2016.
2010 Recanati Merlot, Diamond Series – Score: B++
The nose starts off floral with nice black cherry, green notes, and black currant. The mouth on this medium bodied wine is softening up with rounding tannin, black plum, green bell pepper, and nice cedar notes. The finish is long and spicy with good spice, black pepper, tobacco, vanilla, and bitter notes on the long finish.
The regal kosher affair with the Sharpshooter, the Writer, the Winemaker, and the drinker
To start please excuse the obvious play on C. W. Lewis titles, as my ode to the wonderful Olympics that have just completed in Great Britain, and for Britain’s handling and medaling throughout the Olympic extravaganza. While, the games were closing down in London, a few of us were gathering for what can only be called the regal revelry in San Diego! No, we were not reveling over the medal haul of the United States or for anything related with the Olympics. Rather, it was a chance date that allowed the four of us to get down to San Diego and enjoy the insane hospitality of Andrew, the purveyor and manager of Liquid Kosher.
I arrived first and was treated to a glass of Pommery Champagne which was light with a beautiful mousse and notes that remind one of a summer orchard filled with perfume of apple, ripe lemon creme, along with a ribbon of peach and spice. This is not mevushal and it belongs side by side my other favorite sparkler, the Drappier that is mevushal. Well, as I was enjoying the atmosphere and Champagne the regal gastronomic revelry began! I could not believe the effort that both Andrew and his wife went through for the three or four guests that appeared. The haute cuisine, that was impeccably implemented, would have made Gordon Ramsay blush! The gourmet menu consisted of seven courses and each one was better, if that was possible, than the next! I started on the Toast of Caramelized Apple and Tarragon, which was a beautiful example of what one can do with bread, butter, and a few herbs! The baguette was toasted with butter and herbs and then topped with caramelized Pink Lady apple and tarragon! What a treat, as the caramelized pink ladies released their liquid gold and flavored the brioche with a mix of sweetness and bright acidity making for a well-balanced treat! The herb and cheese that topped the fruit brought with it salty earthiness that brought together the entire flavor profile.
Read the rest of this entry
Wine Musings Blog 