The Jewish High Holy Days have come and gone, but like all holidays, be they religious, secular or commercial, they’ll be back.
And that’s encouraging, because it’s an opportunity to choose wine for a celebration, which is an important part of wine-buying whether it’s for pouring as a host or taking as a gift to dinner at the home of a friend or relative.
With wine now being made in practically every state in our nation, and in countries throughout the world, the drive to make better and better wine goes on. Wine is not like many other things: There are no secrets. Thanks to education, the sharing of research and the general nice-guy qualities that winemakers and grape growers seem to possess, everyone knows what everyone else knows, and the result has been an improvement in every facet of grape-growing and wine making, those two not-quite-separate-but-equally-important arms of the art and business of wine.
Like most Jewish children, my first exposure to wine was sips of Manischewitz or Mogen David at the Passover holiday dinner. It was made from Concord grapes; the wine was very grapey, sweet, almost sticky, and the alcohol burned a boyish throat. As I grew up, those qualities remained in the wine, but my tastes changed.
So, apparently, did those of Israeli farmers and winemakers. How fortunate!
I visited Israel in 1988, and was taken to vineyards and a winery on the Golan Heights. Signs saying "Live Mine Fields" warned visitors to stay on the marked trails. The wine was better, with more fruit flavor, better balance, less alcohol burn, a more pleasing and longer finish.
Israeli wine has been available in St. Louis for many years, much of it under the auspices of the Royal Wine Company, which includes the Baron Herzog label and a number of others. But recently, Royal and the Israel Business and Technology Committee sponsored a tasting of new, upscale, elegant Israeli wines from a variety of wineries, mainly the Judean Hills, and the Dan region, from Jerusalem west to the Mediterranean coast south of Tel-Aviv, and the Galilee and Golan Heights area, flanking the Sea of Galilee in the far north of the nation. The highest parts of Israel are in the north, where vineyards reach all the way to the border with Lebanon.
All the wines at the tasting were Kosher; some were labeled as "mevushal," which means that they have been treated -- usually with heat -- so that non-Jews, or non-observant Jews could handle them, serve them or drink from the same bottle without destroying the Kosher standard. Most of the wines were reds, involving Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz (Syrah) and Petite Sirah, with several Cab-Merlot blends, structured to soften the tannins and make the wines table-ready a little sooner.
An overview of some favorites, in alphabetical order of wineries looks like this:
BARKAN: Located in the Dan, Barkan offered a pair of splendid Cabs, a 2000 vintage of Superieur ($65), on the expensive side by an elegant wine, rich and deep with plum notes and excellent balance and finish, and the 720, from 2003 and about half the price. Both are 100 percent Cab, and will improve in the cellar. A bargain ‘05 Shiraz ($10) was rich and flavorful, with cedar overtones.
BAZELET HAGOLAN: In the far north, where the soil shows a basalt touch, the Golan Heights is a heavy grape-producer, with excellent Cabs. A pair of ‘04 offerings, a reserve at $40 and what might be described as "regular" or "ordinary" (my guess) at $30, are pleasing, slightly soft and with a fine aroma.
CARMEL WINERY: Making wine in Israel for 125 years, Carmel is Israel’s largest winery, producing nearly two dozen different labels, divided into four categories: an entry level called Vineyard Select, and climbing the quality-price ladder, Private Collection, Appellation and Single Vineyard, and uses grapes from all over the country, including the Negev Desert, where Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel flourish. I sampled an ‘04 Petite Sirah ($22) from the Judean Hills and found it excellent, with hints of blueberries in the aroma and hearty, ripe berry flavors and a good body; I also tried two single-vineyard wines, a Kayoumi vineyard Shiraz from the Upper Galilee, also ‘04 and a little pricey at $35, but a wonderful, big-bodied wine with explosive flavors and a splendid finish, and an ‘05 Sha’al vineyard Gewurztraminer that was pleasant, but failed to bring excitement.
DOMAINE DU CASTEL: Proudly labeling it Castel Grand Vin, a Judean Hills winery blends Cabernet Sauvignon (70 percent), Merlot (25) and Petit Verdot (5) for an expensive ($65) 2004 offering that was one of my favorites, and which will improve for the next 5-10 years. The aroma shows touches of violet and cedar, the flavor is big and shows off dark fruit, and the finish is long and delightful. A splendid wine.
PSAGOT: The word translates to "peak" or "apex," and the four-year-old winery makes a group of standards, ranging across the sweetness spectrum and both whites and reds. A 2004, 100-percent Cabernet Sauvignon ($22) was stylish and accessible, showing promise of successful pairing with steak or prime rib.
SEGAL’S WINERY: Recently acquired by Barkan, another Dan region producer displayed two winning Cabs. The ‘04 special reserve ($18) was, I thought, the best value of the tasting, while the rich, unfiltered 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon deserved its heavy price tag ($65) with a lovely aroma, big flavor and fine finish, three winning benchmarks.
YATIR FOREST WINERY: At an altitude of about 2500 feet in the southern Judean Hills, Yatir made my favorite among the whites, an ‘05 Sauvignon Blanc ($18) with good mineral crispness and fine acidity. Meanwhile, an ‘03 Cab ($70) lacked the flavor and body to make it a real value.
–Joe
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