Jw kosher wine guide 03 25 2016

KOSHER WINE TheJewishWeek | MARCH 25, 2016

GUIDE

7TH ANNUAL EDITION

‘THE SWEET SPOT IS $65’ WELCOME TO THE FAST-GROWING HIGH-END KOSHER WINE MARKET PAGE 7

A TOP-CHEF PASSOVER

A CELEBRATION OF (CULINARY) FREEDOM, WITH WINES TO MATCH, COURTESY OF THREE OF N.Y.’S FINEST PAGE 17

TOYS FOR THE OENOPHILE

PLUS THE

TOP 18 LISTS

AERATING SYSTEMS, FOIL CUTTERS, CORK EXTRACTORS: GADGETS GALORE TO ENHANCE YOUR WINE EXPERIENCE PAGE 29

THE 18 BEST KOSHER WINES...

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ASK FOR THE FOLLOWING WINES FOR THE MOST ENJOYABLE HOLIDAYS

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SPAIN

ISRAEL

PORTUGAL

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FRANCE

SPAIN

FRANCE

CHILE

ISRAEL

ISRAEL

ISRAEL

ARGENTINA

ITALY

ISRAEL

SPAIN

TAKE THIS LIST WHEN SHOPPING AT YOUR LOCAL WINE SHOP.

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ITALY

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The Jewish Week KOSHER WINE GUIDE

March 25, 2016

KOSHER WINE GUIDE

March 25, 2016

CONTENTS

KOSHER WINE GUIDE

2

The One-Man Kosher Bordeaux Revolution Meet Christophe Bardeau, who took up a new challenge and became a game-changer.

The Jewish Week

3

‘The Sweet Spot Is $65’

Welcome to the fast-growing high-end kosher wine market.

7

New Moves For Napa’s Kosher Wine King Hagafen’s Ernie Weir is branching out to private label wines and a crowdsourcing marketplace.

12

A Top-Chef Passover

A celebration of (culinary) freedom, with wines to match, courtesy of three of N.Y.’s finest.

17

You Gotta Know The Terroir-tory

To stay competitive in the U.S. market, Israeli vintners focus on their country’s unique climate conditions.

25

Toys For The Oenophile Aerating systems, foil cutters, cork extractors: gadgets galore to enhance your wine experience.

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The Tastemakers FOR THE WORLD’S FINEST KOSHER WINES LIQUIDKOSHER.COM 619-663-9613 SALES@LIQUIDKOSHER.COM EXCLUSIVE IMPORTER, DOMAINE ROSES CAMILLE CHAMPAGNE BONNET PONSON www.thejewishweek.com

Meet the judges whose discerning palates pick The Jewish Week’s Top 18 Kosher Wine Competition.

PLUS

TOP 18 LISTS

32 32

The One-Man Kosher Bordeaux Revolution

3 The Jewish Week

Special To The Jewish Week

erendipity often plays a large role in wine production — stumbling upon the right bit of soil, having just the right weather during the growing season or the harvest can make all the difference between producing a merely good and a great wine. The serendipity, too, of meeting just the right people at just the right time can tip the balance in shaping a wine, or a winery.

It was true serendipity that propelled Christophe Bardeau, a young, fifth-generation Bordelais winemaker who founded Domaine Roses Camille, one of the world’s most highly prized kosher wineries — and the only kosher winery to have its wine in the cellars of France’s oldest restaurant, the Michelin-starred La Tour d’Argent (founded 1582).

Bardeau started working in his family’s vineyards, and learning about growing grapes, when he was 14. After high school he studied oenology at the Lycée Viticole de Libourne-Montagne in StÉmilion, and at the Bordeaux University’s Institute of Wine and Wine Sciences, then spent two years working as an associate winemaker to Denis Durantou of the highly regarded Château L’Eglise-Clinet, before he decided to strike out on his own.

Bardeau’s family winery, Château du Castel, with its 18 acres of vineyards, is located on the edge of the terrain with the Pomerol appellation and had a reputation for producing moderately priced wines of reasonable quality. The characteristics of the vineyards on the property vary greatly. So when Bardeau decided to start making his own wine there, he wanted to use only the best grapes.

He discovered a streak of iron-rich, blue-gray clay running through a two-acre parcel planted with 60-year-old vines of mostly Merlot with a bit of Cabernet Franc, and he decided to focus on using those grapes.

It was about that time that, serendipitously, the then-25-year-old Bardeau met Nicolas Daniel Ranson, a French Jew who was working as a mashgiach at a winery in nearby St-Émilion. (Ranson has since immigrated to Israel after being a witness to the Toulouse school shooting.) Ranson was unimpressed with the quality of kosher wine he was handling, and asked Bardeau if he could make a “very good” kosher wine in his winery. “It was a new challenge for me,” recalled Bardeau. As he learned more about the intricacies of making kosher wine, Bardeau realized that the kosher market might make a good niche within the extremely crowded and competitive world of Bordeaux wine. With Ranson providing some of the money to cover startwww.thejewishweek.com

up costs (including the cost of kosher supervision), “a few months later in 2005 we started with just three barrels [900 bottles] as a test,” Bardeau said.

The wine, made with Merlot grapes from that two-acre plot, was named Domaine Roses Camille, after his baby niece Camille, and it was superb.

The next year Ranson and Bardeau doubled-down, increasing production to include all of the Merlot grapes on the plot, and producing some 3,000 bottles of wine.

While Bardeau had produced two excellent wines, almost no one knew about them; and making the wine kosher was not helping him much — in France, the market for high-end kosher wines is small, and Bardeau did not have strong contacts

with American or Israeli importers. However a handful of French wine writers — including Emmanuel Delmas, who wrote a profile of him in 2007 — were starting to take note of Bardeau and his Domaine Roses Camille. By this time, “kosher [supervision] costs, which I was financing on my own, were too high,” recalled Ranson. “I had to make a very painful decision to unseal the 2007 barrels in the middle of the process,” which rendered the wine non-kosher. It seemed that Bardeau’s kosher wine making days were behind him.

That all changed in the summer of 2010, when the late Daniel Rogov, then the Israeli paper Haaretz’s influential wine critic, received a group Continued on folllowing page

“For me, winemaking is more a question of spirit,” says Christophe Bardeau. The quality of grapes, he says, determines how good his bottled products are.

March 25, 2016

S

Gamliel Kronemer

KOSHER WINE GUIDE

Meet Christophe Bardeau, who took up a new challenge and became a game-changer.

The Jewish Week

KOSHER WINE GUIDE

March 25, 2016

4

Bordeaux Revolution continued from previous page of shipments containing “130 kosher wines from nearly every region in France, many of very small cuvees and the vast majority of these being offered for sale only in France and Switzerland.” As he explained to his Internet wine forum, “Today’s tasting contained one of those ‘oh-wow’ wines, a wine that from first sip made my eyes open more widely and my nostrils flare just a bit.” He called it “one of the best kosher wines ever!” He was describing Domaine Roses Camille 2005.

Soon, bottles of Domaine Roses Camille were being snapped up by kosher wine aficionados. It took some months for Bardeau and Ranson to realize that they had been “discovered” by the kosher wine world, and in 2011 they decided to start kosher production again; they had also acquired a new U.S. importer, Andrew Breskin of LiquidKosher.com.

Bardeau’s winemaking philosophy is based on making wines that reflect the local climate and soil conditions. “For me, winemaking is more question of spirit. You need to understand ‘le terroir.’

‘Listening local’ is your guide,” said Bardeau. “It’s not me who determines when to harvest, but the grapes. I have to respect the grapes.” At Domaine Roses Camille, Bardeau has a biodynamic approach to viticulture, which includes using a horse-drawn plow, which preserves the microbial life in the soil by avoiding unnecessary compacting.

In addition to making Domaine Roses Camille,

Edouard Desplat, winemaker of Chateau la Clide, for whom Bardeau made the kosher wine Moulin du Chateau la Clide.

ANDREW BRESKIN

Bardeau also makes a second wine from the estate, and, starting in 2011, an increasing number of kosher wines from other Bordeaux estates. Growing up in a Bordeaux winemaking family means that Bardeau has friends working at estates across the region. “I work with my childhood friends from all [the] properties,” at which he has sourced grapes for his kosher portfolio, said Bardeau. Currently that portfolio includes “two wines from Pomerol, one St-Émilion Grand-Cru, one Montagne St-Émilion, one Lalande de Pomerol, and maybe [a] Left Bank

next year.”

In a 2011 profile in the independent French wine magazine, Anthocyanes, Bardeau is described as revolutionizing his family name, and while that may be true, he has also become the man revolutionizing Kosher Bordeaux. All we can say is, “Vive la revolution!”

In preparation for writing this article, I tasted all of Bardeau’s current releases. In over a decade of writing about wine, this was the first tasting I’ve Continued on page 6

The Largest Kosher Wine Selection in Queens www.suhagwine.com

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KOSHER WINE GUIDE

March 25, 2016

www.theriverwine.com

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Take a closer look at fine winemaking

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Bordeaux Revolution

Moulin du Château la Clide, St-Émilion GrandCru, 2011: Dark and inky garnet, this full-bodied blend of 50 percent Merlot and 50 percent Cabernet Franc has a dense nose of blackberry, plum, raspberry and oak with whiffs of bitter-sweet chocolate and red cherries. The flavor has elements of cherries, blackberries, both red and black currants, and a nice chocolaty earthiness. Still a bit too tight for optimal drinking, this wine will show its best from 2019-2030.

Score: A. ($119.99. Available online, directly from the importer, LiquidKosher.com)

continued from page 4 ever had in which every wine scored an A or A-.

Domaine Roses Camille, Pomerol, 2006: Bright garnet in color and full bodied, this impressive 100 percent Merlot wine has a complex nose, redolent of blackberries, boysenberries, plums, cassis, cherries, mocha and oak, with a whiff of cigar box aromas and a rich background earthiness. The flavor is equally complex with elements of cherries, blackberries, cassis, crème de cassis, dark chocolate, endives, pipe tobacco, white truffles, coffee, cedar and oak, all played out on a lovely mineral background. Well structured, with a nice level of tannin, this wine is enjoyable now, but will only be at its best starting in late 2017, and then should cellar well until 2028 or perhaps longer. One of the best wines I have ever tasted.

Score: A. ($229.99. Available online, directly from the importer, LiquidKosher.com) Domaine Roses Camille, Pomerol, 2011: Still very youthful and tight, this 100 percent Merlot, full-bodied wine, which was aged in new French oak barrels for 30 months, has a dark garnet color.

Look for flavors and aromas of blackberry, cherry, raspberry, boysenberry, brier, espresso, chicory, oak, cedar, pipe tobacco and mineral-earthiness.

While this wine shows great promise of things to come, with its searing tannins and acidity, opening

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it now is tantamount to infanticide (although if you must open it now, decant at least eight hours before serving). Best 2021-2032 or perhaps longer.

Score: A (To be released soon.)

Echo de Roses Camille, Pomerol, 2011: This is the estate’s second wine, and it does what a great second wine should: it gives a more approachable, ready-to-drink-sooner, glance of the estate’s first wine. Dark garnet colored and full bodied, this wine has an impressive nose of cassis, cherries, crème de mûre, chicory, brier, wild flowers, tobacco and toasty oak. Look for flavors of cherries, cassis, blackberries, boysenberries, mocha, licorice root, tobacco, and oak, with Domaine Roses Camille’s typical earthiness in the background. While approachable now, this wine will start to show its best in 2018, and should then drink well until 2025.

Score: A ($99.99. Available at Suhag Wines & Liquor, 69-30 Main St., Flushing, Queens, [718] 793-6629)

Chateau Marquisat de Binet, Cuvée Abel, Montagne St-Émilion, 2012: Dark Garnet and full bodied, this wine has a powerful bouquet of cherries, cassis and wet gravel. The flavor has notes of cherries, cassis, figs, pipe tobacco espresso, and lots of wet gravel. Enjoyable now, this wine will start to show its best late next year, and should then cellar comfortably until 2023 or perhaps longer.

This is the best under-$40 Bordeaux I’ve tasted in over a decade.

Score: A-. ($35.99. Available online, directly from the importer, LiquidKosher.com) Wines are scored on an “A”–”F” scale where “A” is excellent, “B” is good, “C” is flawed, “D” is very flawed, and “F” is undrinkable. Prices listed reflect the price at the retailer mentioned.

Gamliel Kronemer writes the Fruit of the Vine column for the paper.

‘The Sweet Spot Is $65’

7 The Jewish Week

Welcome to the fast-growing high-end kosher wine market.

KOSHER WINE GUIDE

W

Joshua E. London

Special To The Jewish Week

March 25, 2016

hen it comes to gauging the health of the high-end kosher wine market, Andrew Breskin is the canary in the wine cellar, so to speak: The healthier the market for pricey kosher wines, the busier Breskin is.

And he’s plenty busy these days.

Breskin, who is based in San Diego, is a wine lawyer, importer, broker, appraiser, cellar master and former sommelier. Six years ago, he took a risk and launched a retail and import operation, Liquid Kosher (liquidkosher.com), specifically to cater to what was then a fledgling high-end kosher wine niche. He said he began Liquid Kosher on the strength of his “belief that the high-end kosher consumer would and should exist, with the right products, service and expertise. … Same as what was available in the broader wine world.”

The risk seems to have paid off.

“The high end of the market is strong,” said Breskin, who now has warehouses on both coasts to service his clients. “It’s really in a healthy place right now.”

One sign of a mature wine culture is the development of a high-end market. Over the last decade or so, a large and growing variety of expensive kosher wines have been introduced, and they have sold well, according to anecdotal evidence. These wines are pitched to consumers with significant

Importer-broker Andrew Breskin, left, JCommerce’s Dovid Perelman and Royal Wine’s Jay Buchsbaum: All are bullish on kosher wine’s high end. Below, and on following pages, a sampling of high-quality kosher wines.

disposable income who are eager to shell out serious money for perceived quality and rarity in wine; they embrace the notion that better costs more, and they are eager for better. A distinct high-end kosher wine niche, then, has clearly taken root.

“The high end of the kosher market is really vibrant,” said Jay Buchsbaum, vice president of

marketing and director of wine education for Royal Wine Corp., the largest producer, importer and distributor of kosher wines and spirits.

Likewise, Dovid Perelman, CEO of the JCommerce Group, which owns both jwines.com and kosherwine.com online retailers, agrees. “The high end of the kosher wine market,” he said, “is just doing phenomenally well right now.” (No one interviewed for this story would share specific sales figures, which tend to be closely guarded, especially for private companies.)

As a trend-spotter, Breskin essentially harnessed his years of professional experience in the non-kosher market to try to offer something unique in the kosher market. In this he was also “armed,” as he put it, “with a new [kosher] Bordeaux no one ever heard of, a cache of vintage assorted kosher wines, and a bunch of Yarden Rom [an early and successful highend kosher effort from the Golan Heights Winery].”

Today, Breskin is the exclusive importer of a line of critically acclaimed premium French kosher wines from

Continued on page 10

The Jewish Week

KOSHER WINE GUIDE

March 25, 2016

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Wine enthusiast

1848

2nd Generation Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

89

Wine enthusiast

Best Buy

Barkan

Classic Pinot Noir 2013

90

Wine enthusiast

the Cave Red Blend 2011

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Wine enthusiast editors’ ChoiCe

Matar by Pelter Petit Verdot 2013

90

Wine enthusiast

tulip

Espero Red Blend 2013

www.thejewishweek.com

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roB e rt Pa r k e r

alexander

The Great Amarolo 2011

90

Wine enthusiast

Bazelet hagolan Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

90

roB e rt Pa r k e r

Flam

Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

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Wine enthusiast

Matar by Pelter Stratus Shiraz 2013

90

Wine enthusiast

tulip

Just Merlot 2013

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roB e rt Pa r k e r

alexander

The Great Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

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Wine enthusiast

Bazelet hagolan

Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

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roB e rt Pa r k e r

Flam Blanc 2014

90

Wine enthusiast

segal’s

Special Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

90

Wine enthusiast

tulip

Just Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

90

Wine enthusiast

alexander Sandro 2012

90

Wine enthusiast

Binyamina

Yogev Cabernet Saugvignon/Shiraz 2012

90

roB e rt Pa r k e r

Matar

Sauvignon Blanc 2013

90

Wine enthusiast

Best Buy

segal’s

Fusion Red 2013

89

Wine enthusiast

tulip

White Franc 2013

89

Wine enthusiast

Barkan

Winemakers’ Choice Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

90

Wine enthusiast

Binyamina

Yogev Cabernet Saugvignon/Merlot 2012

90

roB e rt Pa r k e r

Montefiore

Kerem Moshe 2012

91

Wine enthusiast

shiloh Legend 2011

89

Wine enthusiast

tzuba

Metzuda 2010

90

Wine enthusiast

Barkan

Winemakers’ Choice Reserve Chardonnay 2012

92

Wine enthusiast

Carmel

Kayoumi Single Vineyard Shiraz 2010

91

Wine enthusiast

netofa

Syrah-Mourvèdre 2012

91

Wine enthusiast

shiloh

Legend 2 2010

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Wine enthusiast editor’s ChoiCe

tzuba

Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

9 The Jewish Week KOSHER WINE GUIDE

Wine enthusiast

Barkan

Winemakers’ Choice Reserve Merlot 2011

90

Wine enthusiast & W ine a dvoC at e

Carmel

Mediterranean 2011

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roB e rt Pa r k e r

or haganuz

Namura SV Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

92

Wine enthusiast

soreka

Special Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

90

Wine enthusiast

yatir

Forest 2011

90

Wine enthusiast

Barkan

Winemakers’ Choice Reserve Shiraz 2011

91

Wine enthusiast

Carmel

Appellation Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

90

Wine enthusiast

or haganuz

Marus SV Shiraz 2012

90

W ine sPeCtator

tabor

Limited Edition Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

91

Wine enthusiast

Barkan

Assemblage Eitan 2010

93

Wine enthusiast

Castel

Grand Vin 2012

90

Wine enthusiast

or haganuz

Elima Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

91

Wine enthusiast

tabor

Adama Cabernet Sauvigon 2011

90

90

yatir

Syrah 2010

Wine enthusiast & W ine a dvoC at e & roB e rt Pa r k e r

Petit Verdot 2010

Wine enthusiast

yatir

92

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Barkan

Assemblage Reichan 2010

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Castel

Grand Vin 2013

92

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Psagot

Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

90

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tabor

Adama Shiraz 2012

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yatir

Red Blend 2010

89

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Best Buy

Barkan

Classic Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

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Castel

“C” Blanc 2014

90

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Psagot Merlot 2012

90

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tabor

Mt. Tabor Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

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yatir

Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

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Barkan

Classic Chardonnay 2014

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Castel

Petit Castel 2013

90

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Matar by Pelter CB 2012

90

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Best Buy

tabor

Mt. Tabor Shiraz 2013

Presented by the israeli Wine Producers association For more information on these and many other wines, visit iwpa.com or email info@iwpa.com

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‘Sweet Spot Is $65’ continued from page 7 Domaine Roses Camille and winemaker Christophe Bardeau (see story on page 3). And he also buys, sells and facilitates trade in the kosher wine after-market: commerce in private high-end and rare kosher wine collections, largely among and between other private collectors. As Breskin put it, “one of the things I did was to professionalize, perhaps even invent, the kosher wine after-market. Now, instead of a handful of guys in Brooklyn trading bottles, there are legitimate market-tested prices, as well as proper vetting of provenance and storage.”

Mirroring professional services that are specialized but widely available in the non-kosher wine market, Breskin characterized what he offers this way: “Someone looking to find or collect great premium kosher wines” or enter the high-end after-market can now turn to professional advice for “personalized selections, wine cellar and wine collection planning and

evaluation, sourcing of rare bottles and bottle-formats, or to simply have their wines properly appraised.”

When it comes to the actual prices for kosher high-end wines, “the sweet spot is $65,” said Breskin. “The $40 range is kind of a dead zone,” he added, “though under $40 there are some excellent values.” Perelman agrees: “We sell far more in the $60 range then in the $40 range.”

Explained Perelman: “$15-$20 seems to be the most popular [price category], with $18 about average, but the $30 range is where the wines begin to get really serious, and the $60 range is where it just pops; [at this price range] folks are in the zone for highend wine, they are eager and ready to spend more money and so tend to jump well above the average.” Indeed, this $60 range is, said Perelman, “just an awesome price point these days.”

For Breskin, average prices for good or decent quality kosher table wine is between $18 snd $25, while for Mendel Ungar of Red Garden Imports, which imports a variety of wellregarded European and Israeli kosher wines, the average “would start at

isn’t anything else that’s mevushal from California in 11 this price range, so there is an added restaurant-based pressure on these wines.” Regardless, Buchsbaum added, “no matter what we produce in this category, we seem to sell out fast. Premium wines take time and simply can’t be brought online fast enough.”

Despite robust sales, this kosher high-end market is still in its cultural infancy. “Almost all of the high-end wine being sold today is for immediate consumption, rather than cellaring,” Buchsbaum said. “People want a nice wine for Shabbos, or a special occasion — their buying habits aren’t much different from the rest of the market, except that they are looking for premium wines, rather than more affordable wines.”

Being exclusively focused on this high-end space, Andrew Breskin’s account is similar: “I would say that definitely more is being purchased to consume than to age; most people just don’t have cellars and they’re not buying wine fridges. For everyone laying down a half case of Castel [Grand Vin], there are probably three or four who buy one bottle for that Shabbos.

Maybe they accumulate a small collection now and again, but it’s mostly still for near-term consumption.”

For Breskin, though he believes the high-end market is strong, it clearly still has a way to go.

But he maintains that “the wine-collecting culture” in the kosher wine market “is definitely on the rise,” and people are “beginning to see the value in keeping wines.” Overall, he concluded, the market trends in this space are “really positive.”

The canary, it turns out, is doing well, thank you. ♦

The Jewish Week KOSHER WINE GUIDE

March 25, 2016

$12-$13,” with “over $40” being high-end territory.

Part of what drives this push for premium-priced wines is perceived value and heightened consumer appreciation for quality. According to Buchsbaum, “The market is really appreciating these [expensive] wines now — consumers have really developed a palate for serious wine; it’s not just the show-off value, but real sophistication in their appreciation for and approach to these wines.”

This growth of the high-end segment is related to the fact, observed Breskin, that the “overall quality of the higher-end wines has increased while the prices have remained relatively stable”; that, he said, has created a perception of real value in the higher-end wines. So “while the wines from producers like Covenant, Castel, Yatir, Flam, and the like have gotten better,” he said, “the prices have remained good and stable — so they mostly all represent good, solid value to consumers.”

Kosher producers have, of course, been eager to meet this growing consumer demand with a wide variety of expensive wines. “If anything,” Buchsbaum said, “demand exceeds supply, and the market is moving faster than production.” Wineries like Covenant from California and Domaine du Castel from Israel or Capçanes from Spain have developed and held firm footholds in the high-end segment of the market long enough, he noted, that “they are able to plan better for the growing market and so we can keep them in stock.” After all, he explained, not only does the creation of premium quality wine take significant time and resources, and a substantive and sustained effort and ethos to constantly

improve, it also takes proper planning.

“Covenant, for example,” noted Buchsbaum, “sold out in the first six weeks in the beginning; only once they realized and understood the demand for premium kosher California cabernet, did they begin to plan appropriately for growth; now production has caught up so that we can just about keep it in stock vintage to vintage.”

By contrast, he lamented, “the Herzog single-vineyard range is basically all gone for now. “There really

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New Moves For Napa’s Kosher Wine King

The Jewish Week

KOSHER WINE GUIDE

March 25, 2016

12

Hagafen’s Ernie Weir is branching out to private label wines and a crowdsourcing marketplace.

F

Gamliel Kronemer Special To The Jewish Week

or nearly four decades, California’s Napa Valley has been home to some of the best kosher wines in the world. Most of them have been made by one man — Ernie Weir, the founder of Hagafen Cellars. Located at the southern end of Napa Valley’s famous Silverado Trail (one of the valley’s main wine tourism routes), Hagafen is housed in a picturesque set of stone and plaster buildings, next to a green, leafy vineyard, with purple-topped mountains hovering in the distance.

Weir started making kosher wines in Napa Valley in 1979, at a time when, for most American Jews, the choice in kosher wine was between Manischewitz and Mogen David. Weir says that his desire to make kosher wine dates back to his childhood in the 1960s when he was bothered by the fact that wine-loving relatives felt the need to bring quality non-kosher wines to the family Passover seder. He said to himself, “This is absurd, why can’t we have that product [quality wine and kosher wine] all wrapped up in one.”

In 1973 Weir moved to Napa Valley to learn about growing grapes, and was soon working at Domaine Chandon, the first French-owned winery in the U.S., and studying viticulture and oenology at the University of California at Davis. Five years after arriving in Napa, he decided to make his own wine, and Hagafen was born.

“In our first year, we sold all of our wine in California,” he said, but his wines were quickly getting attention throughout the kosher world. “One of the benchmarks that told me that I was on to something was when other people contacted me and told me that they were going to copy me or do something similar. I was getting calls in the early ’80s from the people at Yarden, and the people at Weinstock, and from the people at Manischewitz who wanted to make a dry Chardonnay.”

Even today, Weir continues to get calls from around the world from would-be kosher winemakers. “I treat them like a non-Jew wanting to convert; I try to talk them out of it three times before they get accepted,” Weir said. “There are different levels: a financial level, a spiritual level, a business level, a marketing level. It’s not for me to judge if they’re prepared [to go kosher], but if we have a deep enough conversation we touch upon all of those things.”

In 1997, Weir left Domaine Chandon, after 24 years, in order to devote himself full-time to making Hagafen. That same year he broke ground on the Hagafen winery, which opened in 2000. In www.thejewishweek.com

Going organic: Weir has become increasingly involved in the organic viticulture movement.

JIM HEAPHY

2004 Weir started to produce a reserve line of wines (which he later named Prix Vineyards), and in 2006 he started producing Don Ernesto, a line of lighter, easy-to-drink wines whose bottles proclaim “Good wine shouldn’t be complicated.”

In recent years Weir has also started making a growing number of private label wines. He is very proud of Padis Brilliance, a blend of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon he makes for his friend Steve Padis, from grapes grown on Padis’ Napa Valley property. “A lot of people are appreciating this wine,” Weir said.

Another new venture is the line of Poppy Fields wines that Weir makes for Nakedwines.com, a crowdsourcing marketplace for wine that has 75,000 members (and a months-long waitlist to join). Each member pre-spends $40 per month on wines, and this money is used to directly fund independent winemakers. Since 2012 Weir has been the website’s kosher winemaker. “Nakedwines is a very interesting venture for all of the participant winemakers. ... I’ve been making about 2,500 cases a year for them, half red and half white. We think that number will go up a bit,” said Weir. “It’s good for me because it allows me to spread my overhead over more cases of wine. And the wines I make there I am intending never to be directly

competitive with my other wines. They are all from unique vineyards.”

Weir’s page on the Nakedwines website has a Facebook-like wall with more than 6,700 posts, most of them with positive reviews of Weir’s wines; clearly for many of those posting, Poppy Fields is their first exposure to kosher wine. “I think this is largely a new customer base for me,” he said.

In general Weir sees the kosher wine industry evolving along two parallel tracks: “Look how it [the industry] has developed and matured over the past number of years. It is continuing in sophistication, and it is continuing with bargain wines.” According to Weir, “that is the natural direction of the development of any category [of wine].”

When asked about future trends at his winery, Weir said, “I think that we’d like to continue, where appropriate, the trend of vineyard designation to appellation-specific wine, and in so doing we have a preference to produce wine from organically grown vineyards.” Indeed, Weir has become increasingly involved in the organic viticulture movement, and is excited by the number of wines he is producing from organically grown grapes. “All of our wines from our ranch in Coombsville are organi-

Continued on page 14

13

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Baron Herzog Cabernet Sauvignon Baron Herzog Chardonnay Baron Herzog Merlot Baron Herzog Zinfandel Red Herzog Late Harvest Orange Muscat Herzog Late Harvest White Riesling Herzog Special Reserve Cab. Sauv. Chalk Hill Herzog Special Reserve Cab. Sauv. Alexander Valley Herzog Special Reserve Cab. Sauv. Napa Valley Herzog Special Reserve Chardonnay Alfasi Merlot Alfasi Cab. Sauv.

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1848 Winery Cab/Merlot 1848 Winery Merlot Barkan Cab. Sauv.

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Tzuba Chardonnay Tzuba Merlot Tzuba Metsuda Reserve Tzuba Pinot Noir Tzuba Syrah Latour Netofa Red

KOSHER WINE GUIDE

City Winery Kosher Tasting

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21 E. Shore Rd, Manhasset, NY 11030 • 516.365.5077 • vintagecaskandbarrel@gmail.com

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14

Napa’s Kosher Wine King continued from page 12 cally grown, and our Cabernet Sauvignon from our estate vineyard is organically grown.”

Hagafen Cellars (including Prix Vineyards and Don Ernesto) currently makes approximately 8,000 cases of wine each year, much of which is sold at the winery’s tasting room, which has become a regular stop for Napa Valley wine tourists. “Most of the people who come to us have no idea that they are coming to a winery that is any different than any other winery,” said Weir. “And many leave without even knowing the wine is kosher. ... We are just part and parcel of the tapestry of the Napa Valley. And I think that’s great.”

Below is a selection of some of Ernie Weir’s recent releases: Hagafen, Pinot Noir, Coombsville, Napa Valley, 2014: Made from organically grown Pinot Noir, this wine has a dark ruby color and a medium body.

Look for fruity flavors and aromas of red cherries, currants, raspberries, strawberries, and pencil shavings and spice, with a hint of cherry brandy on the finish. This wine is well-structured with smooth, well-integrated tannins. Drink now and for the next five years, or perhaps longer.

Score: A- ($32. Available directly from the winery, 888-hagafen or hagafen.com.)

The Hagafen plant on the Silverado Trail in Napa Valley. J I M

Hagafen, White Riesling, Wieruszowski Vineyard, Napa Valley, 2015: Weir has been making this wine since the beginning of the winery (the 1980 riesling was served at the White House in 1981,

HEAPHY

when Prime Minister Begin met with President Reagan). This year’s vintage is a straw-colored, mediumbodied wine. Look for a nose of oranges, lychees, Continued on page 16

New York City's Premiere Wine Shop Celebrating 75 Years in Business!

With 8,000+ wines and spirits in stock, let us help you select wines that wow your host or the guests at your holiday table.

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www.thejewishweek.com

15

KOSHER WINE GUIDE

We have the largest selection of kosher wine and products At 4000 square feet we are the largest store in Monsey

Barkan Classic Cabernet Sauvignon $8.99/ Case $8.75

Yarden Cabernet Sauvignon $24.99/ $23.99 Case

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Shiloh Secret Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Shiraz $32.99/ $30.99 Case

Herzog Camouflage $18.99/ $18.49 Case

Teperberg Moscato Red Moscato White Moscato $8.99/ $8.75

Askalon Arak 80 $14.99/ $13.99 Case Kosher for Pesach

Baron Herzog Chenin Blanc $5.99/ $5.75

Herzog Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $27.99/ $26.99 Case

Flam Cabernet Sauvignon $45.99/ $44.99 Case

Teperberg Impression Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot $14.99/ $14.75 Case

Binyamian Chocolate 750mL $14.99/ $14.75 Case Kosher for Pesach

Herzog Russian River Chardonnay 22.99/ 6btls 20.75 per btl.

Herzog Battle of Barrels American Oak 27.99/ 6btls 26.99 per btl.

1848 Fifth Generation Cabernet Franc 20.99/ 6btls 19.99 per btl.

1848 7th Generation Cabernet Sauvignon 29.99/ 6btls 29.75 per btl.

Barkan Superieur Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 53.99 6btls 52.99 per btl.

Or Haganuz Elima 23.99 / 6btls 22.99 per btl.

Or Haganuz Namura Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Special Reserve 45.99 6btls 44.99 per btl.

Or Haganuz Shamai Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon $22.99/ $21.99 Case

Baron Rothschild Haut Medoc Cabernet Sauvignon $27.99/ $26.99 Case

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Yatir Cabernet Sauvignon 39.99 6btls 39.75 per btl.

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Carmel Mediterranean 39.99 6btls 37.99 per btl.

Louis Royer VSOP $43.99btl/ $42.99 6btls Kosher for Pesach

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Gigal Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Reserve $10.99/ $10.75 Case

Zachlawi Gourmet Arak, Fig $24.99/ $23.99 6btls Kosher for Pesach

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Alexander the Great Cabernet Sauvignon $59.99 6btls 59.75 per btl.

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March 25, 2016

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KOSHER WINE GUIDE

March 25, 2016

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et,guest list and special occasion. Scotch and Cigar bachelor parties,Martini Mixers

Napa’s Kosher Oak Knoll District, Napa Valley, 2014: With dark-straw color, this Sake Tasting anniversaries are just someaChardonnay offullthebody, experiand ehasncesaanwetawny can create.

Wine and King impressive nose of apples,

pears, quince, brier, and toasty oak. Look for flavors of apples and Meyer lemons at the front honey and spice, with a light floral background. The of the palate, moving to notes of coconut and flavor has elements of oranges, lychees and allspice, roasted nuts mid-palate, with quince and notes with notes of honeysuckle and bitter almonds. With of eucalyptus and mulling spices on the finish, 4 percent residual sugar, this wine is somewhere and a moderate note of oak running throughbetween semi-dry, and semi-sweet, but has crisp out. While drinking well now, this wine will acidity to balance the sweetness. Drink now until the probably start to show its best in about a year, end of the decade. and then should drink well until at least 2022.

Score: B+ ($24. Available directly from the Score: A/A-. ($40. Available directly from the winery, 888-hagafen or hagafen.com.) winery, 888-hagafen or hagafen.com.)

Magazine Ad.qxp 12/17/2007 9:46 PM Page 1 Don Ernesto Clarinet, Tempranillo, Lodi, Prix Vineyards, Reserve Chardonnay, 2014: This light garnet-colored, medium-to-

continued from page 14

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Score: B+ ($27.

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Poppy Fields, Merlot, Napa Valley, 2014: Full-bodied and garnet-colored, this Merlot has flavors and aromas of cassis, cherries and blackberries, with a hint of brier. With an abundance of chewy tannins, and a slightly rustic character, this wine should drink well until the end of the decade.

Score B/B+ ($29.99 for non-members, and $15.99 for members. Available at Nakedwines. com.)

Mixology Classes

Wines are scored on an “A”–”F” scale where “A” is excellent, “B” is good, “C” is flawed, “D” is very flawed, and “F” is undrinkable. Prices listed reflect the price at the retailer mentioned.

Gamliel Kronemer writes the Fruit of the Vine kosher wine column for the paper.

A Top-Chef Passover

17 The Jewish Week

A celebration of (culinary) freedom, with wines to match, courtesy of three of N.Y.’s finest.

KOSHER WINE GUIDE

March 25, 2016

I

Gamliel Kronemer Special To The Jewish Week

n the traditional Jewish liturgy, Passover is referred to as the “Festival of Matzah, the time of our freedom.” But while the holiday may be about freedom, at times it can feel like it’s only about matzah, and its dietary restrictions can certainly make eaters and drinkers feel anything but free.

In truth, however, with the growth of the Passover food industry, it is easier than ever to dine well during Passover. To help prove this point, we have asked the chefs at three of New York’s best-known kosher fine dining restaurants to provide us with Passover-friendly recipes.

We also asked each chef to recommend a wine to accompany his dish. Finding just the right wine to go with a dish can be a daunting challenge, and chefs are often the best guides in selecting the right ones.

Chag sameach and bon appétit!

“Twice Chai Garlic Chicken”

From Jeff Nathan, chef/owner of Abigael’s on Broadway, 1407 Broadway, at 39th Street (Serves 8) 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided 8 chicken legs and thighs, cut at the joint (about 5 lbs.)

1/2 onion, sliced to half moons 36 whole cloves garlic, about two bulbs, peeled 1 tbsp. dry oregano

“Twice Chai Garlic Chicken,” top, from Abigael’s on Broadway’s chef-owner Jeff Nathan, is an uncomplicated and healthy recipe. Above, the Abigael’s dining room. C O U R T E S Y O F A B I G A E L’ S

1 tbsp. tapioca flour 2 large lemons, juiced 1/4 cup white wine 1 cup Empire Kosher for Passover Chicken Broth 6 stalks scallions, cut on an angle to medium pieces Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pre-heat oven to 400F. In a Dutch oven, heat the oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place skin side down into the hot oil. Sear for about 3 minutes on each side.

Transfer to a holding plate and reserve.

To the same pot add in the onions and garlic.

Continued on page 20

www.columbuswines.com ■ 730 Columbus Ave. @ 96th Street New York, NY • 10025 (

Free Delivery to NYC, Westchester and L.I. with Minimum Purchase ■ Shipping Available Throughout United States

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CALIFORNIA BARON HERZOG

BATTLE OF BARRELS AM. OAK (N) 31.95 BATTLE OF BARRELS FRENCH OAK 31.95 CABERNET SAUV. INK RANCH (N) 69.95 CAB SAUV CLONE SIX 2012 139.95 CAMOUFLAGE RED BLEND (N) (MEV) 21.95 CABERNET SAUVIGNON * 11.95 CHARDONNAY * 11.95 MERLOT * 11.95 RED ZINFANDEL * 11.95 SAUVIGNON BLANC * 9.95 PINK PINOT GRIGIO* 9.95 PINOT GRIGIO * 9.95 PINOT NOIR 12.95 CHENIN BLANC * 7.50 WHITE ZINFANDEL * 7.95 JEUNESSE BLACK MUSCAT * 10.95 JEUNESSE CABERNET SAUV. * 10.95 JEUNESSE DUETTE * 10.95 JEUNESSE PINK MOSCATO * 10.95 L.H. CHENIN BLANC * 750ML 16.95 L.H. CHENIN BLANC * 375ML (N) 9.95 L.H. JOH.RIESLING * 19.95 L.H. ORANGE MUSCAT 375ML (N) 9.95 L.H. ORANGE MUSCAT * 750ML 16.95 L.H. ZINFANDEL * 18.95 ROSE OF CABERNET (N) 9.95 SPECIAL RESERVE CHARDONNAY * 26.95 SPECIAL RESERVE ALEX CAB. * 33.95 SPECIAL RESERVE NAPA CAB. * 38.95 VARIATIONS THREE (MEV) 22.95 VARIATIONS FOUR (MEV) 22.95 VARIATIONS FIVE (MEV) 22.95 WARNECKE SPECIAL ED. CAB * 82.95

B.R. COHN CABERNET SAUV (N)

COVENANT

49.95

COVENANT CABERNET SAUVIGNON 89.95 COVENANT LAVAN CHARDONNAY 35.95 COVENANT RED C 43.95 COVENANT SAUV. BLANC RED C 21.95 COVENANT SOLOMON LOT 70 (N) 159.95 COVENANT THE TRIBE RED 36.95 COVENANT THE TRIBE WHITE 31.95

HAGAFEN

CABERNET FRANC CABERNET SAUVIGNON * CHARDONNAY * LAKE COUNTY REISLING (O) * LATE HARVEST SAUV.BLANC * MERLOT * PINOT NOIR * SAUVIGNON BLANC * NAPA VALLEY WHITE REISLING * WHITE RIESLING DRY*

34.95 42.95 22.95 17.95 29.95 26.95 29.95 17.95 24.95 23.95

(IN) CHENIN IN A BOX (IN) ZIN A BOX IN A BOX TO LIFE RED BIB (ITALY) TO LIFE WHITE BIB (ITALY)

15.95 15.95 24.95 24.95

BOX WINE

ORIBELLA

ORIBELLA SEMI SWEET RED (N) 8.95 ORIBELLA SEMI SWEET RED (N) 1.5L 16.95

SHIRAH WINE COMPANY

(LIMITED QTY) SYRAH 38.95 VINTAGE WHITES VIOGNIER 26.95 BRO-DEAX BLEND 47.95 COUNTER PUNCH 44.95 GESHEM (N) 56.95

WEINSTOCK

CABERNET SAUV * CHARDONNAY * MERLOT * "W" MOSCATO * "W" RED * "W" WHITE * WHITE ZINFANDEL * SELECT ALICANTE BOUSCHET * SELECT CABERNET FRANC* SELECT CABERNET NAPA * SELECT CHARDONNAY SONOMA * SELECT PETITE SIRAH * SELECT RED ZINFANDEL *

8.95 8.95 8.95 7.95 7.95 7.95 6.95 18.95 21.95 19.95 18.95 18.95 18.95

CHARDONNAY * GRAND SELECT RED BLEND CABERNET SAUVIGNON * CABERNET RESV (N) RESERVE PINOT NOIR

11.95 32.95 11.95 22.95 29.95

TWIN SUNS

CANADA

TZAFONA RIESLIMG (N) 17.95 TZAFONA VIDAL ICEWINE (N) 375ML 32.95

WASHINGTON OREGON PACIFICA CABERNET SAUV PACIFICA CABERNET MERLOT

31.95 21.95

PACIFICA MERITAGE PACIFICA PINOT NOIR PACIFICA ROSE (N)

NEW YORK CITY WINERY CABERNET FRANC HAYSTACK CABERNET MALBEC PETIT VERDOT ZADDIE ZINFANDEL

KEDEM PREMIUM WINES

34.95 21.95 19.95

46.95 36.95 36.95 36.95 21.95

BLUSH CHABLIS * BLUSH CHABLIS (1.5) BURGUNDY * BURGUNDY (1.5) CHABLIS * CHABLIS (1.5) CLASSIC RED CREAM WHITE 187 ML CREAM WHITE * CREAM WHITE (1.5) CREAM PINK * CREAM PINK (1.5) CREAM RED CONCORD * CREAM RED CONCORD (1.5) CREAM ROSE * CREAM ROSE (1.5) DRY VERMOUTH * MARSALA * NATURAL SWEET CONCORD * NAT.SWEET CONCORD (1.5) PLUM ROYALE * SWEET VERMOUTH *

4.95 8.95 3.95 7.95 3.95 7.95 4.95 1.75 3.95 7.95 3.95 7.95 3.95 7.95 3.95 7.95 7.95 7.95 3.95 7.95 4.50 7.95

CONCORD 187 ML CONCORD GRAPE * CONCORD GRAPE (1.5) MALAGA * MALAGA (1.5) SAUTERNE * SAUTERNE (1.5) TOKAY * TOKAY (1.5)

1.75 3.95 7.95 3.95 7.95 3.95 7.95 3.95 7.95

CONCORD KAL 1.5L CONCORD KAL * CREAM MALAGA 7% (1.5L) CREAM MALAGA 7% * CREAM BLUSH CONCORD 7% (1.5L) CREAM BLUSH CONCORD 7% * CREAM NIAGRA 7% * ESTATES RED CHABLIS 8% * MATUK SOFT ROUGE 8% * MATUK SOFT ROUGE 8% (1.5L) MATUK KAL * 144 ROUGE 7% * 144 WHITE 7% *

8.95 3.95 7.95 3.95 7.95 3.95 3.95 4.95 4.95 9.95 4.95 4.95 4.95

KEDEM TRADITIONAL WINES

KEDEM LOW ALCOHOL (8% OR LESS)

KESSER WINES SEVEN SEVENTY * SEVEN SEVENTY (1.5L) CONCORD * CONCORD (1.5) EMINENT DRY RED (1.5L) EMINENT DRY RED * MUSCATINI RED NIAGARA BLANC *

MANISCHEWITZ BLACKBERRY BLACKBERRY (1.5) CONCORD GRAPE * CONCORD GRAPE (1.5) * CREAM WHITE CONCORD * CR.WHITE CONCORD (1.5) * CR.RED CONCORD * CREAM RED CONCORD (1.5) *

APPLEATION HARD CIDER CINNAMON DRY SWEET

12.95 6.95 6.95 78.95 118.00 74.95 59.95 14.95 16.95 26.95 14.95 29.95

ARGENTINA

1.95 1.95 1.95

DON GUILLERMO MALBEC * 9.95 ELI MONTERO CABERNET SAUVIGNON 6.95 ELI MONTERO CHARDONNAY 6.95 ELI MONTERO MALBEC 8.95 FLECHAS DE LOS ANDES CABER / SYRAH 23.95 FLECHAS DE LOS ANDES MALBEC 24.95 WILD GOAT BONARDA SPECIAL 8.95 WILD GOAT RESERVE MALBEC 10.95

AUSTRALIA TEAL LAKE CABERNET/MERLOT * TEAL LAKE CABERNET RESERVE * TEAL LAKE CHARDONNAY * TEAL LAKE MOSCATO D'AUSSIE * TEAL LAKE SHIRAZ * TEAL LAKE SHIRAZ RESERVE *

CHILE

10.95 16.95 10.95 6.95 10.95 16.95

ALFASI CABERNET RESERVE 9.95 ALFASI CABERNET SAUVIGNON * 7.95 ALFASI CHARDONNAY * 7.95 ALFASI L.H. SAUVIGNON BLANC 17.95 ALFASI MALBEC/SYRAH RESERVE 9.95 ALFASI MERLOT * 7.95 ALFASI MERLOT RESERVE 8.95 ALFASI MISTICO 7.95 ALFASI PINOT NOIR RESERVE 9.95 DON ALFONSO CAB SAUV * 5.95 DON ALFONSO MERLOT * 5.95 DON ALFONSO SAUVIGNON BLANC * 5.95 LANZUR CARMENERE * 7.95 LANZUR MERLOT * 7.95 LANZUR RESERVA CAB. SAUVIGNON* 8.95

4.95 9.95 4.95 9.95 11.95 5.95 10.95 4.95 5.50 9.95 5.50 9.95 5.50 9.95 5.50 9.95

CHAMPAGNE & SPARKLING WINES BACKSBERG BRUT BARON ROTHSCHILD CHAMPAGNE* (N) ASTI SPUMANTE * PROSECCO * SPARKLING MOSCATO * ASTI SPUMANTE * PROSECCO * DRAPPIER CARTE D'OR * DRAPPIER CARTE BLANCHE * ELVI CAVA BRUT EN FUEGO CAVA FREIXENET EXCELENCIA BRUT BRUT HAGAFEN BRUT CUVEE HAGAFEN BRUT ROSE (N) (MEV) HERZOG BLANC DE BLANC BRUT * HERZOG BRUT CALIFORNIA *

HERZOG BRUT ROSE * KEDEM WHITE CHAMP * KEDEM PINK CHAMP * LAURENT-PERRIER BRUT LAURENT-PERRIER ROSE LOUIS DE SACY BRUT ROSE * LOUIS DE SACY BRUT * NOTTE ITALIANA PROSECCO * MT. TABOR 562 BRUT TISHBI BRUT VAL D'OCA EXTRA DRY PROSECCO * (N) YARDEN BLANC DE BLANC

18.95

79.95 14.95 14.95 14.95 12.99 14.95 48.95 48.95 17.95 12.95 15.95 14.95 39.95 43.95 12.95 10.95

Best Selection/Lowest FRENCH RED

ABARBANEL BATCH 22 CAB. SAUV.* 12.95 CH. BELIERIVES DUBOIS * BORDEAUX 12.95 CH. CANTELAUDETTE BORDEAUX 21.95 CH. DE AREYRES BORDEAUX * 16.95 CH. DE LA GRAVE * BORDEAUX 12.95 CH. DE COR BUGEAUD * BORDEAUX 13.95 CH. DE PARSAC * SAINT EMILION 21.95 CH. DES RIGANES BORDEAUX * (N) 10.95 CH. FOURCAS DUPRE MEDOC 25.95 CH. GRAND PUY DUCASSE BORDEAUX (N) 82.95 CH. GISCOURS MARGAUX 95.95 CH. HAUT CONDISSAS MEDOC 69.95 CH. JAUMARD * BORDEAUX 13.95 CH. LA CLARE MEDOC 26.95 CH. LA FLEUR DE BEAULIEU SAINT EMILION (N) 22.95 CH. LA TONNELLE BORDEAUX 27.95 CH. LE CROCK SAINT ESTEPHE 59.95 CH. LE PETIT CHABAN * BORDEAUX 15.95 CH. PICAMBAU SAINT EMILION (N) 22.95 CH. LEOVILLE POYFERRE 2005 ST. JULIEN 219.95 CH. MOULIN RICHE BORDEAUX 53.95 CH. ROLLAN DE BY MEDOC 51.95 CH. ROYAUMONT POMEROL 45.95 CH. TERTRE DUGUAY SAINT EMILION 99.95 CHAEAU TOUR SERAN MEDOC 55.95 CH. THENAC FLEUR DU PERIGORD * 21.95 CH. CAMPLAY BORDEAUX 13.95 CH. LE BOURDIEU MEDOC 25.95 CH. LE VIEUX CHANTRE BORDEAUX 24.95 LES ROCHES DE YON FIGEAC ST. EMILION 42.95 CHATENEUF ROUGE SEMI-DRY BORDEAU 11.95 PAVILLON DE LEOVILLE POYFERRE ST. JULIEN 53.95 GASPARD BORDEAUX RESERVE 15.95 THE BUTCHER'S DAUGHTER BORD. 14.95 VIN DE PAYS CABERNET. * 7.95 VIN DE PAYS MERLOT * 7.95 DAVID VIGNOBLES LES MASQUES CHAT DU PAPE 64.95 BARONS ROTHCHILD LES LAURIERS 23.95 HERZOG VALFLORE SEMI-DRY CAB.* 7.95

ISRAEL

ALEXANDER WINERY Herzog Camouflage $ 21.95 LANZUR RESERVA MALBEC * LANZUR RESERVA PINOT NOIR * LANZUR SAUVIGNON BLANC * LANZUR SHIRAZ *

FRANCE

FRENCH WHITE

KOENIG GEWURTZTRAMINER (N) KOENIG PINOT GRIS (N) KOENIG RIESLING (N) ABARBANEL BATCH 30 CHARD.* BEAUME DE VENISE MUSCAT * PASCAL BOUCHARD CHABLIS * JOSEPH MELLOT SANCERRE CH. LA GRAVE BORDEAUX CHAYEAU PIADA SAUTERNE BARON ROTHSCHILD CH.NEUF WHITE SEMI-DRY BORDE DOMAINE BUNAN BANDOL PROVENCE ROSE CH. MAIME ROSE CHAVIGNOL SANCERRE VIN DE PAYS CHARDONNAY * BARON ROTHSCHILD M&G VOUVRAY CHATEU VALMER VOUVRAY BARON ROTHSCHILD LES LAURIERS ROSE

8.95 8.95 7.95 7.95

16.95 16.95 16.95 11.95 16.95 37.95 34.95 11.95 49.95 10.95 29.95 49.95 46.95 7.95 15.95 21.95 19.95

AMAROLO 115.00 ALEXANDER CABERNET FRANC 32.95 ALEX.THE GREAT CAB. SAUVIGNON 74.95 ALEX. THE GREAT CAB. SAUVIGNON 175.95 ALEX. THE GREAT GRAND RESERVE INQUIRE CABERNET SAUVIGNON RESERVE 32.95 CLEOPATRA 54.95 GASTON BLEND CAB/ MERLOT/SHIRAZ 32.95 LIZA SAUVIGNON BLANC 21.95 MERLOT RESERVE 31.95 SANDRO CABERNET/MERLOT 22.95

BARKAN

ALTITUDE SERIES + 412 ALTITUDE SERIES + 720 ALTITUDE SERIES + 624 CLASSIC CABERNET SAUVIGNON * CLASSIC CABERNET SAU 375ML CLASSIC CHARDONNAY * CLASSIC SAUVIGNON BLANC * CLASSIC MALBEC* CLASSIC MERLOT * CLASSIC PETIT SYRAH * CLASSIC PINOTAGE * CLASSIC SHIRAZ * CLASSIC PINOT NOIR * CLASSIC MERLOT/ARGAMAN * CHARDONNAY RESERVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON RESERVE MERLOT RESERVE

38.95 38.95 43.95 9.95 5.95 9.95 9.95 9.95 9.95 9.95 9.95 9.95 9.95 9.95 13.95 16.95 15.95

PINOTAGE RESERVE SHIRAZ RESERVE CABERNET SAUV. WINEMAKER MERLOT WINEMAKER'S CHOICE CHARD. WINEMAKER'S CHOICE SHIRAZ WINEMAKER'S CHOICE ASSEMBLAGE EITAN ASSEMBLAGE REICHAN ASSEMBLAGE TZAFIT SUPERIEUR CABERNET * SUPERIEUR MERLOT

15.95 15.95 21.95 21.95 22.95 21.95 28.95 28.95 28.95 61.95 61.95

CABERNET SAUVIGNON CABERNET SAUVIGNON RSV MERLOT MAGMA BLEND (N) MERLOT RESERVE

35.95 53.95 34.95 29.95 43.95

BIN CABERNET * BIN CHARDONNAY * BIN MERLOT * BIN SYRAH * CAVE OLD VINES INQUIRE CARIGNAN RESERVE * CABERNET RESERVE * CHARDONNAY RESERVE * L.H. GEWURTZTRAMINER MERLOT RESERVE * SAUVIGNON BLANC RESERVE * SHIRAZ RESERVE * THE CAVE 2009 (MEVUSHAL) THE CAVE ZINFANDEL RESERVE

12.95 12.95 12.95 12.95 12.95 19.95 18.95 23.95 19.95 13.95 18.95 74.95 74.99 18.95

CHARDONNAY CABERNET SHIRAZ MERLOT QUADRO COUPAGE LANDMARK 2B LANDMARK MERLOT

27.95 31.95 31.95 31.95 33.95 33.95 46.95 46.95

BAZELET HAGOLAN

BINYAMINA

BRAVDO

CARMEL

EMERALD REISLING/CHENIN BLANC * 9.95 LTD. EDITION 75.95 MEDITERRANEAN 51.95 MOSCATO DI * 8.95 VINEYARD SELECTED CABERNET (N) 9.95 YOUNG MOSCATO * 8.95 APELLATION CABERNET * 15.95 APELLATION CABERNET FRANC 15.95 APELLATION CABERNET SHIRAZ 15.95 APELLATION CARIGNAN 15.95 APELLATION MERLOT 15.95 SHAAL L.H. GEWURTZ (375ML) 20.95 TRADITIONAL CONCORD GRAPE * 6.95 TRADITIONAL SACRAMENTAL * 6.95 KAYOUMI SHIRAZ 33.95 KAYOUMI WHITE RIESLING 24.95

DALTON

20TH ANNIVERSARY RED (N) 20TH ANNIVERSARY WHITE (N) ALMA CABERNET/MERLOT ALMA CAB/MER/CAB FRANC* ALMA CHARDONNAY/VIOGNIER ALMA GSM BLEND CABERNET RESERVE CANAAN RED * CANAAN WHITE * D SERIES CABERNET SAUV ESTATE D SERIES ESTATE PETITE SIRAH D SERIES ROSE D SERIES MERLOT D SERIES MOSCATO * D SERIES SHIRAZ D SERIES FUME BLANC D SERIES UNOAKED CHARDONNAY MERON CABERNET (LIMITED) MERLOT RESERVE MOSCATO SHIRAZ RESERVE EL KOSH SEMILLON

59.95 29.95 19.95 19.95 19.95 19.95 31.95 12.95 12.95 16.95 19.95 15.95 16.95 10.95 16.95 13.95 14.95 37.95 38.95 10.95 32.95 29.95

MC/VISA/Debit cards accepted • All Items 750 ml unless otherwise stated. • * Mevushal N = New Wine • (S) = Shmita Year Wine • (O) = Organic • All items are curren

Call or go online for our entire Kosher Wine List (888) SKYVINO (759-8466) ■ www.skyvie www.thejewishweek.com

19

42.95 69.95 42.95

LATOUR RED RED WHITE BLEND TINTO ROSE

33.95 20.95 19.95 24.95 18.95

DOMAINE NETOFA

FLAM

BLANC CLASSICO NOBLE RESERVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON RESERVE MERLOT RESERVE SYRAH ROSE

32.95 26.95 92.95 54.95 57.95 39.95 31.95

GALIL

JACQUES CAPSUTO

COTES DE GALILEE VILLAGE BLANC 16.95 CUVEE MARCO GRAND RED (N) 38.95 CUVEE SAMUEL RED (N) 18.95

JERUSALEM

2900 RED BLEND* 2900 WHITE BLEND* PREMIUM CABERNET PREMIUM PINOTAGE PREMIUM SHIRAZ RESERVE CABERET RESERVE PETITE SIRAH VINEYARD MARSELAN SPECIAL RESERVE CAB/MERLOT

11.95 11.95 17.95 17.95 17.95 23.95 23.95 17.95 55.95

KISHOR KEREM RED (N) KISHOR KEREM WHITE (N) KISHOR SAVANT RED (N) KISHOR SAVANT RIESLING (N) KISHOR SAVANT VIOGNIER (N)

23.95 23.95 37.95 31.95 31.95

CB CHARDONNAY CUMULUS PETIT VERDOT SAUV BLANC SEMILLON STRATUS

79.95 42.95 42.95 62.95 38.95 38.95

SOUL CABERNET SAUV (N) SOUL CHARDONNAY (N) SOUL MERLOT (N) SOUL PINOT NOIR (N)

10.95 10.95 10.95 10.95

CABERNET SAUVIGNON KEREM MOSHE RED WHITE

29.95 48.95 18.95 18.95

KISHOR WINERY

MATAR

MEDITERANEAN

ALON RED BLEND ELA RED BLEND BARBERA CABERNET MERLOT MERON GALIL ROSE (N) PINOT NOIR YIRON

17.95 17.95 16.95 13.95 13.95 28.95 12.95 16.95 28.95

CABERNET SAUVIGNON CABERNET RESERVE CHARDONNAY CHARDONNAY RESERVE MERLOT MERLOT RESERVE MOSCATO

12.95 16.95 12.95 16.95 12.95 16.95 9.95

AMARETTO DOUBLE ESPRESSO DANUE PASSION FRUIT WINE DANUE POMERGRANATE WINE DANUE RED GRAPEFRUIT WINE CHOCOLATE LYCHEE "ESTROG"

19.95 19.95 16.95 16.95 16.95 18.95 16.95 16.95

CABERNET CABERNET-MERLOT CHARDONNAY PINOT NOIR SANGIOVESE (N) SYRAH GIGAL WHITE RIESLING

13.95 13.95 14.95 13.95 13.95 13.95 14.95

ELIMA (N) (NO SULFITES ADDED) AMUKA SERIES SAUVIGNON BLANC AMUKA SERIES CABERNET SAUV AMUKA SERIES SHIRAZ AMUKA SERIES MERLOT (N) MARON SERIES CABERNET SAUV MARON SERIES CAB SAUV/ SHIRAZ MARON SERIES CAB. FRANC (N)

28.95 15.95 15.95 15.95 15.95 26.95 24.95 27.95

BLESSED VALLEY RED BLESSED VALLEY WHITE LONE OAK CABERNET RSV LONE OAK CAB FRANC RSV LONE OAK PINOT NOIR RSV (N) LONE OAK SYRAH RSV SPRING RIVER CAB-MERLOT SPRING RIVER SYRAHMOURVEDRE (N) SPRING RIVER WHITE SEMI-DRY

33.95 22.95 28.95 28.95 28.95 28.95 21.95

LIQUIDITY CAB SAUV (LTD QTY) PROJECT #2

55.95 24.95

GOFNA CABERNET SAUV RSV GOFNA CHARD/CAB SAUV GOFNA RES PETIT VERDOT GOFNA RES PINOT NOIR DANCE RED BLEND DANCE WHITE (N) CABERNET MASSADA (N) MERLOT PETIT VERDOT (N) THE PROMISE (N)

57.95 38.95 57.95 44.95 29.95 31.95 29.95 68.95 29.95 56.95 25.95

CABERNET FRANC (MEV) CABERNET SAUVIGINON CHARDONNAY (MEV) EDOM RED MERLOT ROSE (N) * SINAI (N) (MEV) SINGLE VINEYARD CAB (LIMITED)

25.95 28.95 19.95 33.95 22.95 19.95 18.95 68.95

DUET MERLOT CABERNET BLEND MALBEC PETIT VERDOT

33.95 46.95 46.95

CABERNET SAUV (N) NEVE MIDBAR (N) KADESH MERLOT (N) KADESH NEGEV (N)

16.95 22.95 16.95 16.95

ADI CABERNET SAUV. * (N) ADI MERLOT * (N) ADI SHIRAZ * (N) KONDITION * (N)

8.95 8.95 8.95 12.95

CABERNET CABERNET FRANC RSV CHARDONNAY MARSELAN RESERVE MERLOT MERLOT RESERVE PETITE SYRAH

13.95 31.95 13.95 54.95 13.95 23.95 24.95

GAMLA

GILGAL

GUSH ETZION

GVAOT WINERY

HACORMIN

21.95 17.95

BARBERA * CABERNET FRANC CABERNET SAUVIGNON CABERNET SECRET RESERVE * CHARDONNAY FORT DESSERT WINE LEGEND * LEGEND II* MERLOT SECRET RESERVE * MOR BLEND MOSAIC SHIRAZ SECRET RESERVE *

31.95 29.95 25.95 39.95 24.95 27.95 34.95 34.95 36.95 24.95 55.95 36.95

ADAMA CABERNET SAUVIGNON ADAMA MERLOT ADAMA SHIRAZ ADAMA ZOHAR (N) MT. CABERNET MT. MERLOT MT. SHIRAZ MT. CHARD. LIMITED ED. CABERNET

16.95 16.95 16.95 23.95 12.95 12.95 12.95 12.95 49.95

CABERNET SAUVIGNON RESERVE IMPRESSION CAB SAUV * (N) IMPRESSION CHARDONNAY * (N) IMPRESION MERLOT * (N) INSPIRE DEVOTAGE RED BLEND * (N) ISRAELI SEMI-DRY CAB * LEGACY PETITE SIRAH * (N) NEVEL PORT * VISION CAB SAUV * VISION MERLOT * VISION SEMI-DRY WHITE * (N) RED MOSCATO * WHITE MOSCATO *

32.95 16.95 16.95 16.95 23.95 11.95 69.95 32.95 8.95 8.95 8.95 9.95 8.95

SHILOH

MONTEFIORE MORAD

OR HAGANUZ

LEWIS PASCO PSAGOT

RAMOT NAFTALY RAMAT NEGEV RECANATI

TABOR

TEPERBERG

21.95 39.95 79.95 27.95 21.95

CHARDONNAY/SAUVIGNION MISTY HILLS JUDEAN HILLS CAB/ MERLOT/SYRAH 2011

26.95 57.95

CABERNET CHARDONNAY METSUDA CAB/MERLOT

24.95 19.95 27.95

VITKIN JOURNEY ROSE (S) (N) VITKIN JOURNEY WHITE (S) (N)

22.95 22.95

CABERNET SAUVIGNON CHARDONNAY GEWURZTRAMINER MUSCAT DESSERT WINE HEIGHTS WINE (S) HERMON INDIGO HERMON MOSCATO (N) HERMON WHITE HERMON RED KATZRIN CHARDONNAY MERLOT ODEM CHARDONNAY PINOT NOIR SAUVIGNON BLANC SYRAH 2T DRY RED T2 FORTIED DESSERT WINE

26.95 19.95 18.95 13.95 19.95 11.95 11.95 11.95 11.95 32.95 26.95 24.95 24.95 16.95 24.95 31.95 36.95

RED BLEND CABERNET SAUVIGNON FOREST 2010 PETIT VERDOT SYRAH

39.95 49.95 76.95 43.95 45.95

TZORA WINERY TZUBA VITKIN

YARDEN

YATIR

YIKVEI ZION

DOLEV MOSCATO DOLEV MUSCAT HAMBURG DOLEV ETZION KALIL 4% (KIDDUSH WINE)

8.95 8.95 6.95

CABERNET SAUVIGNON CABERNET/MERLOT CABERNET/PETITE VERDOT CABERNET/SHIRAZ CHARDONNAY/SAUVIGNON BLANC

12.95 12.95 12.95 12.95 12.95

YOGEV

ITALY

BARTENURA

MALVAISA MOSCATO DI ASTI * MOSCATO DI ASTI (375 ML)* NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO OVADIA BARBERA * OVADIA CHIANTI OVADIA DOLC.D'ALBA OVADIA MORELLINO * ROSSO DI MONTEPULCIANO ROSSO TOSCANO * PINOT GRIGIO * UMBRIA ROSSO*

10.95 9.95 6.95 13.95 14.95 11.95 15.95 14.95 12.95 6.95 11.95 6.95

BAROLO BRUNELLO DI MONT. CHIANTI * CHIANTI RISERVA DOLCEZZA MATURO RED * MONTEPULCIANO * MOSCATO * PINOT GRIGIO * PINOT NOIR * PRIMITIVO * ROSE SANGIOVESE * UMBRIA ROSSO* CANTINA GIULIANA CHIANTI (N)

39.95 45.95 13.95 15.95 9.95 21.95 10.95 11.95 11.95 14.95 13.99 12.95 10.95 9.95 16.95

GABRIELE CABERNET SAUVIGNON GABRIELE CHARDONNAY GABRIELE CHIANTI * GABRIELE DOLCEMENTE RED * GABRIELE DOLCEMENTE WHITE * GABRIELE MONTEPULCIANO * GABRIELE PINOT GRIGIO * GABRIELE PINOT NOIR * GABRIELE SANGIOVESE *

8.95 8.95 13.95 8.95 8.95 10.95 10.95 12.95 10.95

BORGO REALE

Villa Cape Red $9.95

TITORA

CABERNET SAUVIGNION RESERVE MERLOT/SHIRAZ RESERVE PETITORA

TISHBI

33.95 31.95 26.95

BARBERA ZINFANDEL PORT STYLE 65.95 CABERNET/SYRAH * (S) 11.95 CHENIN BLANC * 11.95 VINEYARDS SAUV. BLANC (S) (MEV) 10.95 VINEYARDS CABERNET * 14.95 VINEYARDS MERLOT * 13.95 EMERALD REISLING (S) * 10.95 ESTATE CABERNET 24.95 ESTATE CHARDONNAY 13.95 ESTATE GEWURZTRAMINER 13.95 ESTATE SAUVIGNON BLANC 13.95 ESTATE VIOGNIER 14.95 ESTATE PINOT NOIR 24.95 MALBEC 39.95 ESTATE MERLOT 24.95 MUSCAT ALEXANDRONI 11.95 ESTATE SHIRAZ 24.95 PETIT VERDOT SINGLE VINEYARD 39.95 RUBY CABERNET SINGLE VINEYARD 39.95 CABERNET FRANC SINGLE VINEYARD 39.95

TULIP WINERY CABERNET RESERVE JUST CABERNET SAUVIGNON

39.95 21.95

28.95

GABRIELE

CONTESSA ANNALISA MOSCATO (N) (MEV) PINOT GRIGIO (N) (MEV) SANGIOVESE (N) (MEV)

RASHI

9.95 9.95 9.95

RASHI LIGHT PINK * 3.95 RASHI LIGHT WHITE * 3.95 RASHI LIGHT RED * 3.95 RASHI JOYVIN RED * 7.95 RASHI JOYVIN WHITE * 7.95 RASHI MOSCATO D'ASTI * 9.95 RASHI CLARET * 8.95 UVA MONTEPULCIANO D'ABRUZZO (N) 26.95

NEW ZEALAND GOOSE BAY

GOOSE BAY CHARDONNAY * GOOSE BAY FUME BLANC RESERVE * GOOSE BAY PINOT GRIGIO * GOOSE BAY BLANC DE PINOT NOIR * GOOSE BAY PINOT NOIR * GOOSE BAY PINOT NOIR RESERVE GOOSE BAY SAUVIGNON BLANC*

16.95 23.95 19.95 26.95 22.95 31.95 14.95

O'DWYERS CREEK SAUV. BLANC*

15.95

O'DWYERS CREEK

SOUTH AFRICA BACKSBERG CHARDONNAY 11.95 BACKSBERG MERLOT BACKSBERG PINOTAGE VILLA CAPE CHARDONNAY (N)

11.95 11.95 9.95

VILLA CAPE PINOTAGE (N)

9.95

SPAIN CAPCANES LA FLOR DE PRIMAVERA 75.95 CAPCANES PERAJ HA'ABIB CAPCANES PERAJ PETITA CAPCANES PERAJ PETITA ROSAT EN FUEGO CHARDONNAY EN FUEGO CABERNET SAUVIGNON EN FUEGO TEMPRANILLO EN FUEGO UNIDO ELVI 26 DE ELVI PRIORAT ELVI CLOS MESORAH (LIMITED) ELVI HERENZA CRIANZA ELVI HERENZA RESERVA ELVI HERENZA RIOJA NEXUS ONE RIBERA DEL DUERO PINORD VINA CHATEL TEMPRANILLO RAMON CARDOVA CRIANZA RAMON CARDOVA GARNACHA RAMON CARDOVA RIOJA * TOBIA TEMPRANILLO GARNACHA * TOBIA TEMPRANILLO * VOLCANUS PETIT VERDOT VOLCANUS TEMPRANILLO (MEV) VOLCANUS TEMPRANILLO RIOJA

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Top-Chef Passover continued from page 17

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Reduce the heat to very low. Allow to cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are wilted and the garlic is lightly golden, about 15-20 minutes.

Stir in the oregano and tapioca flour. Cook for 1 minute.

Pour in the lemon juice, white wine and Empire Kosher for Passover Chicken Broth. Gently whisk until well blended. Return the seared chicken pieces skin side up, and any remaining drippings from the reserve plate to the Dutch oven.

Cover and place in a 400°F. oven for 45 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

Remove from the oven and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Stir in the scallions and serve hot.

Chef Nathan pairs his dish with Baron Herzog Chenin Blanc/Viognier or Psagot Chardonnay.

“Sautéed Veal Sweetbreads with Mango Quinoa, Mâche and Star Anise Vinaigrette”

Abigael’s on Broadway’s chef-owner Jeff Nathan. C O U R T E S Y O F A B I G A E L’ S

www.thejewishweek.com

From Mark Hennessey, the longtime executive chef at Le Marais, 150 W. 46th St., between Sixth and Seventh avenues. From his new cookbook, “Le Marais: A Rare Steakhouse - Well Done” (Geffen) (Serves 6)

2 lbs. of veal sweetbreads 1 bunch of thyme 2 cloves of garlic 1 lemon, cut in half Extra virgin olive oil 1 cup of quinoa, rinsed 2 cups of chicken stock or water 1 small shallot, minced 1 stalk of celery, minced 1/2 small carrot, peeled and small dice 6 sprigs of tarragon 1 ripe mango, peeled, diced 1 cup of mâche 1/2 cup of red wine vinegar 8 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 1 tsp. ground star anise 1 garlic clove, minced 1 tbsp. fresh lime juice 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice 3 tsp. raw sugar Salt and black pepper Into a medium-sized pot, add the sweetbreads, thyme, garlic and lemon. Cover the sweetbreads with cold water and then bring to a boil. Lower the pot to a simmer, cover, and then simmer on low temperature for about 1½ hours until the sweetbreads are cooked all of the way through, and very tender. Remove the sweetbreads from the pot and then plunge into an ice bath to stop the cooking.

Discard the rest of the contents of the pot.

Continued on page 22

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Yossie’s Corkboard A WEEKLY NEWSLETTER ON KOSHER AND ISRAELI WINE, WINERIES AND OTHER TIDBITS

ef

Y

ossie’s Corkboard is the home of Yossie’s Wine Recommendations; a weekly newsletter on kosher and Israeli wines, written

by Yossie Horwitz, one of the founding judges for The Jewish Week’s annual Kosher Wine Guide.

Each week Yossie distributes an e-mail newsletter to thousands of subscribers from around the world.

The weekly topics vary, and include write-ups on new wines and wineries while also covering, new and exciting developments in the wine world and tips on varied wine-related topics including “How to Order Wine in Restaurants”, “Choosing the Right Wine Glass” and the “The Right Serving Temperature”.

Yossie’s Corkboard is distributed free via email and you can sign up by going to www.yossiescorkboard.com

You can also follow Yossie on Twitter at @yossieuncorked

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A “Sautéed Veal Sweetbreads” recipe from Le Marais executive chef Mark Hennessey offers a subtle combination of spices. Below, the Le Marais dining room.

COURTESY OF LE MARAIS

Top-Chef Passover continued from page 20 Remove the outer membrane from the sweetbreads. Cut them into bitesized pieces and then put into the refrigerator until you are ready for service.

While the sweetbreads are cooking, start the quinoa. Into a large skillet (not a pot) add enough extra virgin to lightly

coat the bottom of the skillet. Bring to a medium heat. Add the shallots, celery and carrot to the pan and sauté until all of the vegetables are soft and just slightly browned. Add the quinoa and toast in the hot pan for 2 minutes.

Add the chicken stock or water, season with salt and pepper and add 4 sprigs of tarragon. Once brought up to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and cook the quinoa until all of the stock is fully absorbed. Fluff the quinoa with a fork.

For the vinaigrette, add the red wine

23 The Jewish Week KOSHER WINE GUIDE

March 25, 2016

vinegar, star anise, garlic clove, juices of lime and lemon, and the raw sugar into the cup of a blender. Run the blender until the ingredients are fully pureed and then while the blender is running, slowly add the extra virgin olive oil. Season the vinaigrette with salt and black pepper.

Prepare a large skillet with a coating of extra virgin olive oil and put on the stove on to medium heat. Begin browning the sweetbreads until they are very crisp on each side. Complete the sautéing of all of the sweetbreads.

For plating, drizzle a small amount of the vinaigrette into the quinoa as well as the diced mango pieces. Place the sautéed sweetbread atop the quinoa salad. Dress the mâche in the vinaigrette and top the salad with the leaves. Garnish with the remaining tarragon leaves and drizzle the entire plate with a little extra virgin olive oil.

Chef Hennessey suggests pairing his dish with either Shiloh Barbera or Capcanes Peraj Petita.

“Marinated Filet of London Broil & Roasted Fricassée of Baby Vegetables” From Jean-Claude Teulade, executive chef of Chagall Bistro, 305 Fifth St., at Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn (Serves 6) 3 lbs. of lean London broil roast ¼ cup of za’atar (or other blend of Mediterranean spices) ¼ cup of sumac 2 tbsp. of cracked black pepper 2 tbsp. of kosher salt 6 tbsp. of olive oil for the roast, plus more for the vegetables or your choice of baby vegetables (baby turnips, baby carrots, baby squash, pearl onions, cherry tomatoes, etc.)

Shallots, chopped Garlic, chopped Salt and pepper, to taste Coat your roast generously with the za’atar, sumac, cracked pepper and kosher salt, then drizzle with olive oil and let sit overnight. The next Continued on following page

Ella Valley Fine KosherWines

Red Garden inc.

Importers of Fine Kosher Wines info@redgardenimports.com

Perfect Malbec Reserve. Surprisingly Affordable.

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24

Top-Chef Passover continued from previous page

P

Kosher for Passover, Mevushal

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day heat up a roasting pan and seared the filet of London broil on each side.

Put in pre-heated oven at 400°F for 15 minutes and let rest for another 15 minutes (in a warm place, covered with foil) before serving.

Add your choice of baby vegetables. All vegetables once peeled and washed must be quickly poached in boiling salted water then shocked in iced water (to stop the cooking and keep the colors bright). After that take a sautéed pan, add olive oil, chopped shallot and garlic; slowly caramelize your vegetables on low heat, add salt and pepper to your taste.

“Marinated Filet of London Broil,” top, a specialty of Chagall Bistro’s Jean-Claude Teulade, includes a variety of vegetables. Below, the Chagall Bistro dining room.

PHOTOS BY MARTIM MIRELLES

Chef Teulade recommends pairing with a French red, Burgundy or Bordeaux, to balance with the strongly spiced flavors of the dish.

Broadway and Le Marias will be open during the holiday.

FYI: If you want to take a break from cooking this Passover, both Abigael’s on

Gamliel Kronemer writes the Fruit of the Vine kosher wine column for the paper.

To stay competitive in the U.S. market, Israeli vintners focus on their country’s unique climate conditions.

Special To The Jewish Week

Because of Israel’s many micro-climates, “Every winery is planting new varieties,” says Carmel Winery’s Adam Montefiore. “It’s like we’re surfing a wave. C O U RT E SY C A R M E L W I N E RY

Buchsbaum, vice president of marketing and director of wine education with the Royal Wine Corp., the largest producer, importer and distributor of kosher wines and spirits with 27 different Israeli wineries in its portfolio.

“Israel is definitely an incredibly popular part of the market,” agrees Shai Ghermezian, executive vice president of Allied Importers, the No. 2 importer and distributor of kosher wines in the U.S. “While some brands are steady performers,” says Buchsbaum, “others seem to fly off the shelf. … Some of the wineries can’t produce anything like enough volume to satisfy U.S. demand.”

Mendel Ungar of New York’s Red Garden Imports, which includes nine different Israeli wineries in its growing portfolio, notes that since roughly “the time of the second Iraq war [2003], when French wines fell out of favor due to politics, Israeli wines have www.thejewishweek.com

2015 Israel’s wine exports to North America — its largest single export market — grew 8 percent to $25 million. To put this in context, global export of Israeli wines grew 6 percent to $39 million, according to the institute’s figures.

So what’s driving all this growth? Why are Israeli wines so popular among American kosher wine consumers?

According to Ghermezian, part of the answer is Continued on following page

March 25, 2016

t’s been a long time coming, but the evidence is beginning to mount: Israeli wines are making their mark. Exports from Israel to the U.S. and global markets are up, sales are seen as “very strong” and the tastemakers of the wine world are taking note and giving high marks to Israeli vintages.

“Israeli wines remain an incredibly strong growth area in the kosher wine world,” says Jay

been gaining ground in the U.S. kosher wine market, and since then it’s gone up, more and more — sales are very strong today. Something like 70-80 percent of the kosher wine market here is Israeli wine. In the last couple of years, European wines have come back quite nicely, with a big jump last year in particular, but Israeli wines are very strong, and I think their position in the market is going to hold strong.”

According to recent figures from the Israel Export and International Cooperation Institute, in

KOSHER WINE GUIDE

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Joshua E. London

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that “the overall quality and vitality of Israeli wines is really good, and the general perception in the market is that they are getting better every year and representing generally good value.” Similarly, says Buchsbaum, “not only is the quality of Israeli wines consistently high, but the critical reception of Israeli wines also gets better every year.”

Josh Greenstein, of the Royal

The El Rom Vineyard in the Golan Heights. Inset: “Our goal,” says Golan Heights Winery’s Victor Schoenfeld, “is to produce wines that reflect this unique terroir.”

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Wine Corp.-backed Israeli Wine Producers Association adds, “Israeli wine is now being acknowledged, even lauded, for its successes.” More than “50 Israeli wines,” he notes, “have been awarded 90+ scores by such renowned industry experts and critics as Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate, and by Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast magazines.” These wines are not, he observes, “being recognized as great kosher wines or as great for Israeli wine, but as great wines amidst the world’s variety of great wines.”

Adam Montefiore, the wine development director of the Carmel Winery, Israel’s largest wine producer, also points to the quality factor: “I believe that Israel is making the best kosher wines, and the best variety of kosher wines, in the world today.

Even people who don’t agree should acknowledge that we offer the best variety of kosher wines.”

After all, he adds, “It’s a country with so much variety; it’s a long thin country, like Italy in a way, and we have an enormous amount of different micro-climates. Just to give you an example, the harvest in California

or France is two months, but in Israel it lasts from July until maybe the first week in November. Different ripening times. And every wine is a learning curve. Every wine is experimenting.

Every winery is planting new varieties. It’s like we’re surfing a wave.”

Amid all the laudatory comments, Victor Schoenfeld, head winemaker of the Golan Heights Winery (GHW), Israel’s third-largest producer, injects a caveat: “To flourish long-term,” he says, “the Israeli wine industry must produce a critical mass of high-quality wines that can be exported around the world. While Israel’s reputation as a quality wine producer is ever increasing, we must continue to think long-term and work toward improving the quality and reputation of Israeli wines.”

Schoenfeld has long argued that there is “no cost benefit” for Israel “to compete in the lower end of the market; that is a dead end for Israeli wines — see the ongoing uprooting of vines in lower-quality areas of Australia and the Central Valley of California.” Rather, he maintains, Israeli

27

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wine “must concentrate on high-end wines unique to where we are.” For the GHW, for example, he knows of “no other area that combines our latitude with high-altitude volcanic soils,” so GHW’s “goal is to produce wines that reflect this unique — and the more we learn the more we understand just how fantastic — terroir.”

One of the ways GHW is striving to accomplish this is through constant improvements and upgrades. In 2009, for example, in response to leafroll virus in the vineyards (“a huge problem in Israel”), notes Schoenfeld, GHW “really understood the extent of the problem” and knew that “a large wave of planting” was in order, so it decided to “leverage the problem” or “exploit the opportunity” to “improve our vineyards.” To this end, he explains that GHW “started a huge project of upgrading our vineyards,” and it also became “licensed for vine propagation and vine nursery by Entav,” the world leader in wine vine propagation. Through this propagation facility, “Israeli producers are now able to purchase some of the highest quality vine material — meaning vines to plant — available in the world today.”

That same year, Schoenfeld adds, GHW also “fundamentally changed” how it “plans out new vineyards and how we grow them in the years leading up to their first harvest.” Further, in 2013 it “replaced hand-sorting of fruit in the winery with optical sort-

ing, which has caused a quantum jump in both the volume and quality of our sorting.” As Schoenfeld makes clear, GHW is “always thinking how to upgrade what we do.”

Of course, quality is not the only factor in the consistent and growing popularity of Israeli wines in the U.S. Another, suggests Mendel Ungar, is the general style of the wines. A lot of Israeli wine, he maintains, is robustly flavored, rather than restrained or subtle; it’s more New World than Old World — “more like California wines than like French wines.”

Red Garden’s portfolio has a lot of European wines, he’s quick to note, and the French wines it imports are more elegant, subtle and refined. “In Yiddish we’d say they were aydel” [genteel, refined]. Israeli wines, he notes, are more broad, full-flavored and extroverted — “in Hebrew it’s called ‘bombasti.’ People who drink Israeli wine expect the wine to have a first impression of extreme and big flavors. ... Many, if not most, Israeli wines are made this way,” and it’s clearly a popular style.

Sentimentality and Jewish communal identity are also factors in the ongoing popularity of Israeli wines.

“A lot of kosher wine consumers,” notes Shai Ghermezian, “want to support Israel anyway, so if they are already willing to spend a few extra dollars on a good wine, they’ll seek Continued on following page

1407 Broadway @ 39th Street 212.575.1407 www.abigaels.com www.facebook.com/Jeff.Abigaels

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Gotta Know The Terroir-tory

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an Israeli wine. The fact that Israel makes such great wines simply makes this choice an easy one.”

Red Garden’s Ungar concurs: “It is definitely easier to sell an expensive Israeli wine, than any other [expensive] non-Israeli wine. Once people are spending $50 or $60, many want to spend it on Israel.” They might normally drink French or Spanish wines in the average price range, he says, “but when it comes to spending real money, many prefer that it should be on an Israeli bottle of wine. It’s unbelievable the number of expensive Israeli wines being sold here.”

In all this growth, there are also some clear trends. “There is a clear trend for high-end mevushal wines,” notes Allied’s Shai Ghermezian. “The Cave was the first major Israeli highend wine to offer mevushal,” he says, “but Shiloh came in with a wider range and consistent high quality, followed by Psagot. Others are now really following their lead. Dalton’s recent mevushal Alma, for example, has been very successful.”

Ruti Schvarcz of Happy Hearts Wines, which has 10 different highly regarded Israeli wine brands in its portfolio, fully agrees: “Yes, 100 percent, mevushal high-end Israeli wines are in demand. We used to have [in our portfolio] the lower-level mevushalim, in most cases, but we’ve completely reversed on that because we came to realize that kosher restaurants with serious wine are eager for and really looking for higher-end mevushal Israeli wines. This pressure from American kosher restaurants and caterers is really driving it.”

Still, she notes, “the wineries are not so eager to do it, and some are even afraid of it — these are their high-end wines after all and they don’t want to risk damaging their reputations, but the economic benefits today are clear and compelling.”

While according to Gil Shatsberg, head winemaker at the Recanati Winery, one of Israel’s 10 largest producers, the high-end mevushal issue is a “very touchy” subject.

“We know the commercial potential of making a high-end mevushal wine,” he explains, “but thus far we are refraining from doing this — mainly from an enological point of view.” The bottom line is the potential damage to a wine’s reputation: “Mak-

ing a wine mevushal has the potential to shorten a wine’s lifespan and we don’t want a ‘Reserve’ or ‘Special Reserve’ label to disappoint down the road — it could happen.”

When pressed about the potential effects of the mevushal process, Shatsberg made clear that this thinking is based largely on “conventional wisdom” and is more “of an educated guess” than empirical certainty, but the “risks” are considered too “real.”

Ghermezian also points to “huge interest and growth” in Israeli rosé wines, though he imagines the Shmita issue will “hinder availability” a bit as those wines won’t likely see the U.S. market.

Interestingly, notes Shatsberg, Recanati has very recently decided to sell its Shmita wines in the U.S. “From talking with kosher wine retailers in the U.S., we got a clear sense that they consider kosher consumers much more educated and aware about Shmita, and so are able to avoid mistakes … so we are going to export Shmita wines. We are handling it cautiously; the wines will have different barcodes from our regular wines, and it will be clear to anyone who buys them that they are buying a Shmita year, which is a big deal.

“One of our new wines that will hit the U.S. in limited quantities in time for Passover is our Recanati Gris de Marselan rosé 2015, it is a Shmita year, but it will be coming. … Most of the wine stores that primarily serve the Orthodox communities, like in Brooklyn, Monsey and the like, will not take it, but wine stores that are mixed, kosher and non-kosher, and many outside of New York will take them. It is made from a bleeding of the Marselan grapes; it turned out very nice. It’ll be released in small amounts, because we don’t want to take big risks because it’s Shmita. For those stores who won’t handle Shmita wines, we had set aside huge amounts of the 2014 vintage—so no accounts will have to forgo Recanati wines.”

Although 2015 was a difficult vintage, says Shatsberg, “it was a very good year for certain varietals — if you harvested early enough; we had a very severe heat spell towards the end of the season, so people who waited suffered some shriveling and burning of the fruit from scorching sun, so it was difficult, but overall the quality was good.”

“The well-known Israeli brands are having an easier time of it, and the price points make a significant difference, but all in all,” says Shai Ghermezian, “Israeli wines are still hot, and everyone under the sun in the kosher wine market wants Israeli wines.” ♦

W

KOSHER WINE GUIDE

Aerating systems, foil cutters, cork extractors: gadgets galore to enhance your wine experience.

Joshua E. London

Special To The Jewish Week

www.thejewishweek.com

March 25, 2016

ine is one of life’s simple pleasures, sure. Wine accouterments — not so simple.

Turns out there there are a dizzying number of wine toys, gadgets and accessories marketed to help us enjoy drinking it.

To help get a handle on this, I reached out to the Mount Kisco, N.Y.-based Wine Enthusiast (winenthusiast.com), a leading purveyor of wine accessories, and publisher of The Wine Enthusiast magazine. According to sales director Marshall Tilden III, outside of “wine storage” solutions, the company’s two hottest categories are “wine preservation” and “wine service.”

When it comes to wine preservation, Tilden noted that sales of preservation devices were up 15 percent last year. Especially at the high end of the market, for systems such as Coravin (from $299) and EuroCave Wine Art (from $399).

The expensive Coravin system is a tad unwieldy but offers seemingly great preservation. A metal contraption, vaguely microscope-like in look and feel, with a rather long, slightly scary looking surgical needle, the Coravin enables you to tap into an otherwise sealed wine bottle without popping the cork or introducing additional oxygen. You insert the needle straight through the foil and cork, extract as much wine as desired, while inert argon gas fills the remaining bottle space. When finished, you extract the needle. The naturally springy cork reseals itself, leaving only the tiniest pinprick in the outer foil capsule.

The product has garnered ringing endorsements from the usual suspects, such as wine authority Robert Parker and various glossy wine magazines.

The Coravin’s argon gas will supposedly preserve the untapped conditions of the wine more or less indefinitely.

The more expensive EuroCave Wine Art preservation device is essentially a combined two-bottle wine fridge and air-extraction preservation system.

This rather expensive gadget chills the wines down to the “proper” serving temperature, either 16C or (about 61F) for reds or 8C (about 47F) for whites — not that there is universal agreement on proper temps. The device allows you to set it for two reds or two whites or one of each. It also eliminates oxygen and establishes a vacuum seal on open bottles, preserving freshness for up to 10 days.

The idea here is to help the consumer drink wine at the suitable serving temperature, and then free the consumer to open bottles without fear of having leftover wine spoil through oxidation. After tinkering with it for a time, my biggest takeaway on the Eurocave Wine Art, frankly, is the reminder that I typically wind up drinking many red wines warmer

The Jewish Week

Toys For The Oenophile

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The Coravin Model Eight wine preservation device with carrying case.

than is ideal.

“The Eurocave Wine Art is our top seller for the last two years,” says Tilden, “even higher than the Coravin. The serving [temperature] function really gives it that edge … also that whole exploding bottle thing scared some folks away.”

Launched to terrific fanfare in July 2013, Coravin suffered from a handful of exploding bottle incidents and sales were halted and the product was recalled in June 2014. The problem was soon corrected by the inclusion of a protective neoprene sleeve or sheath to be put over the bottles in case of breakage under pressure from the argon gas. Many onlookers thought the problem was likely just user error, but the episode clearly hurt Coravin’s image. Sales remain robust, notes Tilden, and Coravin is still a hot ticket item, but sales — at least via Wine Enthusiast — are not as robust as sales of the EuroCave Wine Art. Having played with both devices for some time now, I think their utility all depends on one’s drinking habits. If you seek the personal equivalent of restaurant by-the-glass service of expensive wines, and you wish to dip into bottles without having to uncork them or without having to finish them in one sitting, either device works just fine. For many, the Coravin will likely prove to be the much promised game changer, inducing folks to change their drinking habits and tap ever more expensive wines, and more frequently.

I drink a fair amount of affordable, everyday wines, so can’t help but feel silly spending so much to preserve, well, so little. Before taking this $300$400 plunge, I would urge one to think long and

hard about one’s drinking habits — how often, really, are you stuck with leftover wine? How hard is it to serve wine at the “proper” temperature?

A cheaper, fun alternative to either system is the “Electric Blue 1 Wine Opener & Preserver Set” ($69.99) which is, as advertised, a “sleek cylinder” that “features a corkscrew on one end and vacuum pump on the other.” It is essentially the same preservation system as the Eurocave Wine Art, without the bulk of the bottle-fridge temp control features.

A tad noisy, it worked very well in my tests. The set includes a six-blade foil cutter, two stoppers, aerating pourer and a recharging stand for the gadget.

When it comes to serving wine, Tilden noted several interesting trends. Though once quite hot, wine aerator devices, like the popular “Vinturi Essential Wine Aerator” ($29.95) — a device which according to its marketing “creates better bouquet, improved flavors and mouth feel, and smoother finish” by exposing more of the surface of the wine to the air – have cooled down considerably. They still sell, but he noted that, since there has not really been any “new” technology or design factor, the buzz has petered out and they no longer fly off the shelf.

Some wine lovers — myself included — consider aerator devices unnecessary tchotchkes, as vigorous swirling in the glass, or decanting offer the exact same aeration. But they continue to make the wine gift rounds, and some folks swear by them.

According to Tilden, another trend is the shift in stemware: “Over the last 2-3 years,” he noted, “Riedel glassware has become a bit passé in favor of the

Continued on following page

30 March 25, 2016

Toys For The Oenophile

The Jewish Week

KOSHER WINE GUIDE

continued from previous page

a New York tradition...

Since 1985.

V.O.S. Selections and Bodegas Pinord

are pleased to introduce TAANUG (Pleasure) Kosher Sparkling Cava and Cabernet-Merlot Crianza to the New York/ New Jersey Area.

Both of our wines are Kosher for Passover V.O.S. Selections 555 8th Ave, Suite 1209 New York NY 10018 212 967 6948

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Zalto and the Fusion brands,” which are lighter, thinner and sleeker in appearance. The Fusion is also incredibly break resistant. None of these are cheap, and the Zalto is the one beloved of critics like Robert Parker, Jancis Robinson, et al. If you’re in the market for high-end stemware, however, the Fusion edges out the others on price and durability, in my book.

When it comes to cork extraction tools, the lever-style corkscrews are now less fashionable compared to electronic extractors like the “Electric Blue.” Likewise, back in vogue is my perennial favorite, the double-hinged “Waiter’s Corkscrew.” It is also the gen-

erally preferred device of wine service professionals the world over. The Wine Enthusiast offers some sleek, high-end and personalizable options by Laguiole, Legnoart and Origine. I still prefer the basic Pulltap model — available for only $10 on Amazon.com.

A more extravagant wine-opening device is the “Champagne Sabre

by Karim Rashid for Menu” ($150; menudesignshop.com). Crafted to further the art of Sabrage, the name of the technique for opening champagne with a saber, the Rashid Sabre is a very modernist, cool, slightly less fuddy-duddy option for this essentially show-offy, ceremonial item.

The Sabrage technique supposedly began life in 18th-century France with Napoleon Bonaparte’s cavalry officers — which sounds rather more practical and less dangerous to life,

The Electric Blue Corkscrew, above. Left, the Vinturi Essential Wine Aerator. Below, the Rabbi Black Foil Cutter. All are available at Wine Enthusiast in Mt. Kisco.

limb, light fixture and carpet than doing it at home today with a saber.

Essentially, you smartly rap the blunt side of a saber against the lip of the champagne or champagne-style bottle right where it meets the vertical seam of the bottle, and thereby cause the lip, cork and all, to fly cleanly off the bottle in one piece, as it were. In my tests, the Rashid Sabre worked nicely on both Champagne and Cava, and the break was incredibly clean. OK, so it is probably a remarkably old-school way of opening a champagne bottle in the modern

March 25, 2016

era — but it is fun and cool nonetheless. Best used away from small children and outdoors or at least a good distance from obvious breakables.

Another useful little tool, not exactly “hot” but incredibly useful all the same and one that always sells, is the “Foil Cutter.” A device designed to

Find these wines from France in Your Local Liquor Store.

KOSHER WINE GUIDE

The EuroCave Wine Art preservation system, above.

Right, the Zalto stemware set.

31

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The Jewish Week

easily cut through the sometimes damnably difficult foil or plastic capsule that covers the cork. It simply fits over the top of the bottle and cleanly slices through the capsule with a simple squeeze of the sides and a twist. The product runs anywhere from $5 for the “Rabbit Black Velvet Foil Cutter” (at Bed Bath and Beyond) to $25 for the “Personalized Wine Enthusiast 6 Blade Foil Cutter.”

Sure, you can as easily attack the capsule with a bread knife or poke at it with the pointy end of a corkscrew, but foil cutters are easier and faster.

There are plenty of other wine toys out there, too. As long as you approach them all with healthy skepticism and

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March 25, 2016

32

The Jewish Week’s

18

KOSHER WINE GUIDE

The Jewish Week

The Tastemakers

TOP

TOP WHITE WINES UNDER $18

PLACE

1 2 3 4 5 tie 5 tie 6 7 8 9 tie 9 tie 10 11 12 13 14 tie

14 tie 15 16 17 18

Meet the judges whose discerning palates pick The Jewish Week’s Top 18 Kosher Wines Competition.

MEV*

In, Chenin Blanc, 2014 Baron Herzog, Viognier-Chenin Blanc, 2014 Dalton, Estate, Pinot Gris, 2014 Baron Herzog, Clarksburg, Chenin Blanc, 2014 Twin Suns, Chardonnay, 2014 Abarbanel, Chardonnay (Unoaked), Batch 30, 2014 Tabor, Mt. Tabor, Chardonnay, 2014 Barkan, Classic, Chardonnay, 2014 Lanzur, Chardonnay, 2014 Baron Herzog, Chardonnay, Clarksburg, 2014 Recanati, Diamond, Sauvignon Blanc, 2014 Segal, Fusion (White), 2014 Binyamina, Chardonnay, 2014 Chateau Bellerives Dubois, Sauvignon Blanc, 2014 Teperberg, Vision, Semi-Dry, 2014 Golan Heights Winery, Yarden, Mount Hermon, White, 2014

Golan Heights Winery, Gilgal, Chardonnay, 2014 Backsberg, Chardonnay, 2015 Terrenal, Chardonnay, 2014 O’Dwyers Creek, Sauvignon Blanc, 2014 Hai, Emerald Riesling, 2014

Y Y N Y Y Y N Y Y Y N Y Y Y Y N N Y Y Y Y

TOP WHITE WINES $18 AND OVER PLACE

1 2 3 4 5 6

7 8 9 10 11 tie 11 tie 12 13 14 15 16 tie 16 tie

MEV*

Tzuba, Chardonnay, 2014 Hagafen, White Riesling, Lake County, 2015 Covenant, The Tribe, Chardonnay, 2014 Shirah, Grüner Veltliner, 2014 Segal, Special Reserve, Chardonnay, 2013 Golan Heights Winery, Yarden, Single Vineyard, Chardonnay, Odem, 2013 Recanati, Diamond, Chardonnay, 2013 Teperberg, Impression, Chardonnay, 2014 Bat Shlomo, Sauvignon Blanc, 2014 Hafafen, Don Ernesto, Collage, Lodi, 2014 Psagot, Chardonnay, M Series, 2014 Matar, Chardonnay, 2013 Hagafen, Prix Reserve, Sauvignon Blanc, 2014 Domaine Du Castel, Blanc Du Castel, Chardonnay, 2014 Covenant, Chardonnay, 2012 Montefiore, White, 2014 Goose Bay, Sauvignon Blanc, 2014 Kishor, Savant, White, 2014 JEWISH WEEK’S TOP 18 KOSHER WINES COMPETITON

N Y Y N Y N N Y N Y Y N Y N N N Y N

The judges used a 100-point scoring system; tallies were made after each of four rounds of tastings.

The tastings took place over a four-day period in February and were held at The Jewish Week.

*MEVUSHAL WINES www.thejewishweek.com

YOSSIE HORWITZ Growing up in a tee-totaling household in Jerusalem — “my father drank a shot of amaretto per year,” he recalls — Yossie Horwitz didn’t have much early exposure to wine. That all changed one Passover night, when at the tender age of 16, Yossi tasted his first quality dry red wine in the form of a kosher Bordeaux that a family friend brought to the seder. A lifelong passion was stoked: Yossi began attending wine tastings and winery tours around Israel, educating himself on what he liked. By the time he was 30 and moved to New York City, Yossi was penning a weekly email blast to family and friends in which he shared his favorite bottles. Today, “Yossie’s Corkboard” goes out to more than 4,000 subscribers and covers the ever-exploding world of kosher wine, and finding time to taste nearly 2,000 kosher wines each year keeps this corporate attorney-by-day quite busy. This is Yossie’s seventh year tasting wines for The Jewish Week. @yossieuncorked; yossiescorkboard.com GAMLIEL KRONEMER Of all of our wine judges, Gamliel Kronemer, a university archivist in Washington, D.C., is the most familiar with The Jewish Week: he has written a regular wine column “Fruit of the Vine” for the paper since 2005. Back then, Kronemer recalls, such a column was extremely rare, with kosher wines garnering press just before Passover but hardly ever throughout the rest of the year, he said. As to how he developed his expertise, Kronemer remembers that he first became interested in kosher wine when he was in his 20s, after he bought a couple of bottles of kosher Beaujolais. “That really started me off,” he said. As more and more varieties of kosher wine became available throughout the mid’90s, Kronemer tried to taste them all. Though he is excited about all of the great wine coming out of Israel these days, Kronemer fondly recalls a time before prohibitive exchange rates cut down on the number of excellent kosher imports from France and Italy. “My tastes definitely run towards the Old World,” he said.

JOSHUA LONDON Joshua London has been drinking, writing, consulting and speaking professionally about kosher wines and spirits for more than 15 years. Originally from northern California, London’s love affair with wine began in the late-1980s with a relatively short-lived kosher wine venture in Davis, Calif. Besides being a frequent contributor to The Jewish Week, London writes a weekly kosher wine and spirits column for the Washington Jewish Week (which is frequently reprinted in more than a dozen other Jewish publications), and his writing has appeared in a wide variety of both Jewish and non-Jewish print and online media. A highly sought after public speaker, London has also become popular on the Passover circuit with his tutored tastings and spirits education and appreciation programs. A D.C. lobbyist by day and a kosher wine and spirits aficionado by night, London is also the author of an unrelated slice of American history: “Victory in Tripoli: How America’s War with the Barbary Pirates Established the U.S. Navy and Shaped a Nation” (John Wiley & Sons, 2005).

MIRIAM MORGENSTERN Miriam Morgenstern is associate publisher of Wine Spectator magazine and vice president of M. Shanken Communications Media. Wine Spectator reaches close to 3 million influential readers with each issue, while its

33

RAPHAEL SUTTON Like many of our other judges, Raphael Sutton’s education in wine was, by necessity, self-conducted. Growing up in Jerusalem, and later living in Tel Aviv, Sutton recalls that during his youth there was a “limited amount of information on wine in Israel, and only a few courses to take here and there.” Following his palate, Sutton worked as a waiter and a cook, which led him to a job in a wine shop; from there, he went on to review wine and restaurants for Globes, an Israeli business magazine, and later became the editor in chief of The Israeli Wine Magazine. Sutton continued to develop his knowledge of wines even after he moved to New York to work in banking, and he authored a blog called “Wild Goat,” where he recommended bottles about once a week. Sutton recently became CEO of YRF Darca, a fund to educate children of underserved youth in Israel.

ADAM TEETER Adam Teeter is one of the founding partners of VinePair, the country’s leading wine, beer and spirits lifestyle publication. The online-only publication seeks to make wine, beer and spirits accessible to everyone, removing the elitism and pretentiousness from the world’s oldest beverages. Prior to founding VinePair, Teeter led Tablet Magazine through an aggressive growth strategy that quadrupled the readership of the site. In the realm of wine, beer and spirits, Teeter co-founded Vivo in Vino, a music series that paired cutting-edge bands, such as The Antlers and Freelance Whales, with accessible wine makers, such as Mouton Noir and Brooklyn Oenology. The result of this was the creation of Juiced, a television show about wine, beer and spirits and their cultural influence that was optioned by Herzog TV. Since 2015, Teeter has also been an adjunct professor at Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism, lecturing on digital media and the media business. www.thejewishweek.com

The Jewish Week’s

18

PLACE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 tie 10 tie 11 tie 11 tie 12

13 14 15 tie 15 tie

15 tie

TOP RED WINES UNDER $25

Galil Mountain, Ela, 2012 The Chosen Barrel, Carrera, 2012 Jacques Capsouto, Cuvee Marco, 2014 Terrenal, Seleccionado, 2014 Carmel Winery, Appellation, Carignan, 2009 Backsberg, Merlot, 2014 Galil Mountain, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2012 Binyamina Yogev, Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz, 2012 Teperberg, Impression, Merlot, 2014 Binyamina Yogev, Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot, 2012 Terrenal, Tempranillo, 2014 Galil Mountain, Merlot, 2012 Bartenura, Ovadia, Chianti, 2013 Gush Etzion, Spring River, Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot, 2010 Carmel Winery, Appellation, Cabernet Franc, 2009 Carmel Winery, Appellation, Petite Sirah, 2009 Dalton, Estate, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2013 Carmel Winery, Appellation, Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz, 2010 Segal, Special Reserve, Cabernet-Merlot, 2012

TOP RED WINES $25 AND OVER

PLACE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 tie 8 tie 9 10 11 tie 11 tie 12 13 14 15 tie 15 tie 15 tie

MEV*

N N N N N Y N N Y N N N Y N N N N N Y

MEV*

Shiloh, Shor, Barbera, 2013 Recanati, Mediterranean, Reserve, Carignan, 2013 Carmel, Mediterranean, 2010 Elvi, Herenza, Rioja, 2009 Golan Heights Winery,Yarden, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2012 Golan Heights Winery, Yarden, Merlot, 2011 Recanati, Mediterranean, Reserve, Marselan, 2013 Shirah, Har Hamoriah, Mourvedre, 2013 Tura, Merlot, 2013 Chateau Marquisat de Binet, Cuvet Abel, 2012 Gvaot, Merlot, 2012 Barkan, Special Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2011 Recanati, Reserve, Merlot, 2012 Shiloh, Mosaic, 2012 Bat Shlomo, Betty’s Cuvee, 2013 Covenant, Red C, Red, 2014 Le Grand Soreq, Bordeaux, 2014 Bazelet HaGolan, Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2011 Agua Dulce, Zinfandel, 2010 JEWISH WEEK’S TOP 18 KOSHER WINES COMPETITON

The judges used a 100-point scoring system; tallies were made after each of four rounds of tastings.

The tastings took place over a four-day period in February and were held at The Jewish Week.

*MEVUSHAL WINES

Y N N N N N N N N N N Y N N N N Y N N

March 25, 2016

ARON RITTER When Aron Ritter founded the Kosher Wine Society in 2005, he was responding to a hole he saw in the wine marketplace: tasting events for kosher wines. An amateur wine drinker whose passion for the fruit of the vine was steadily increasing, Ritter had looked for tasting events to attend, with no luck. “There was nothing for kosher wine,” he recalls.

The first KWS tasting was attended by only about 20 or so friends, but by the time of the group’s second event, a collaboration with Israeli winery Recanati, membership had swelled to about 70, and has only grown from there. Today, Ritter devotes his little free time — he currently works at Citibank — to KWS, hosting several events a year, including the society’s well-loved “New Wines for the New Year,” timed to provide recommendations for Rosh HaShanah wines. @koshwinesociety/ kosherwinesociety.com

TOP

KOSHER WINE GUIDE

ALISON NATHAN Alison Nathan knows from kosher food: working alongside her husband, Jeff Nathan, at Abigael’s on Broadway, the nation’s largest kosher restaurant, she directs both guest services as well as promotions.

Nathan’s interest in food blossomed at an early age: as a teenager, she made a habit of cooking dinner for her family, and eventually chose a professional track, graduating from the Johnson & Wales culinary school in Rhode Island. She then found work as a line cook at Soho’s New Deal Restaurant, where she met her husband and future business partner Jeff.

After becoming a mother, Nathan transitioned to the front of the house at New Deal, and in her duties as the restaurant’s manager she expanded on the wine knowledge she had obtained in culinary school. Nathan is also a food writer and recipe developer. Even among all these achievements, “one of my career highlights is to be a part of The Jewish Week wine judging panel,” she said. @chefjeffabg/ abigaels.com

The Jewish Week

website, WineSpectator.com, garners 3.5 million page views per month.

In her role as Shanken’s vice president, Morgenstern, based in New York, oversees and directs Global Integrated Marketing Programs. She holds an advanced wine degree from WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) and has been a part of the M. Shanken Media team for over 20 years.

The Jewish Week

KOSHER WINE GUIDE

March 25, 2016

34

TOP

The Jewish Week’s

18

PLACE

TOP ISRAELI WINES

MEV*

1

Shiloh, Shor, Barbera, 2013

Y

2

Recanati, Mediterranean, Reserve, Carignan, 2013

N

3

Carmel, Mediterranean, 2010

N

4

Golan Heights Winery, Yarden, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2012

N

5

Golan Heights Winery, Yarden, Merlot, 2011

N

6

Recanati, Mediterranean, Reserve, Marselan, 2013

N

7

Tura , Merlot, 2013

N

8

Gvaot, Merlot, 2012

N

9 tie

Barkan, Special Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2011

Y

9 tie

Recanati, Reserve, Merlot, 2012

N

10

Shiloh, Mosaic, 2012

N

11 tie

Tzuba, Chardonnay, 2014

N

11 tie

Bat Shlomo, Betty’s Cuvee, 2013

N

12

Bazelet HaGolan, Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2011

N

13

Livni, Pinot Noir, 2012

N

14

Domaine Du Castel, Grand Vin, 2012

N

15

Galil Mountain, Ela, 2012

N

16

Recanati, Special Reserve, Red, 2012

N

TOP ROSÉ, SPARKLING, SWEET WINES PLACE

MEV*

1

Hagafen, Late Harvest, Sauvignon Blanc, 2009

Y

2

Hagafen, Prix Reserve, Late Harvest, Chardonnay, 2006 Y

3

Borgo Reale, Rosé, 2015

Y

4

Hagafen, Don Ernesto, Beret, Napa Valley, 2015

Y

5 tie

Sara Bee, Moscato, NV

Y

5 tie

Tabor, 562, Brut, NV

Y

6

Golan Heights Winery, Gilgal, Brut, NV

N

7

Galil Mountain, Rosé, 2014

N

8

Les Floreales, Prosecco, Brut, NV

Y

9

Taanug, Cava, Brut, NV

N

10

Joseph Zakon Winery, White Muscatini, 2014

Y

11

Les Floreales, Moscato, 2014

Y

12

Le Soreq, Semi Sweet Cabernet Sauvignon, 2012

Y

13

En Fuego, Cava, NV

N

14 tie

Domaine Bunan, Bandol, Rosé, 2014

N

14 tie

Segal, Zmora, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2014

Y

15

Zion Winery, Dolev, Moscato, 2014

Y

16

Les Floreales, Moscato, 2013

Y

A nose for nuance (facing page, bottom): Jewish Week Kosher Wine Competition judges, from left, Joshua London, Aron Ritter, Yossi Horwitz, Allison Nathan, Gamliel Kronemer, Raphael Sutton and Miriam Morgenstern. Adam Teeter is at top right. The judges spent four days last month at The Jewish Week offices tasting 416 wines.

PHOTOS BY MICHAEL DATIKASH / JW

JEWISH WEEK’S TOP 18 KOSHER WINES COMPETITON

The judges used a 100-point scoring system; tallies were made after each of four rounds of tastings. The tastings took place over a four-day period in February and were held at The Jewish Week.

*MEVUSHAL WINES www.thejewishweek.com

35 The Jewish Week

TOP

The Jewish Week’s

PLACE

PLACE PLACE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 tie 7 tie

8 9 10 11 12 13 tie 13 tie 13 tie 14 tie 14 tie

TOP WHITE WINES

Tzuba, Chardonnay, 2014 Hagafen, White Riesling, Lake County, 2015 Covenant, The Tribe, Chardonnay, 2014 In, Chenin Blanc, 2014 Shirah, Grüner Veltliner, 2014 Segal, Special Reserve, Chardonnay, 2013 Baron Herzog, Viognier-Chenin Blanc, 2014 Golan Heights Winery, Yarden, Single Vineyard, Chardonnay, Odem, 2013 Dalton, Estate, Pinot Gris, 2014 Recanati, Diamond, Chardonnay, 2013 Baron Herzog, Clarksburg, Chenin Blanc, 2014 Teperberg, Impression, Chardonnay, 2014 Bat Shlomo, Sauvignon Blanc, 2014 Hagafen, Don Ernesto, Collage, Lodi, 2014 Psagot, Chardonnay, M Series, 2014 Matar, Chardonnay, 2013 Twin Suns, Chardonnay, 2014 Abarbanel, Chardonnay (Unoaked), Batch 30, 2014

MEV*

N Y Y Y N Y Y N N N Y Y N Y N N Y Y

Shiloh, Shor, Barbera, 2013 Recanati, Mediterranean, Reserve, Carignan, 2013 Carmel, Mediterranean, 2010 Elvi, Herenza, Rioja, 2009 Golan Heights Winery, Yarden, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2012 Golan Heights Winery, Yarden, Merlot, 2011 Recanati, Mediterranean, Reserve, Marselan, 2013 Shirah, Har Hamoriah, Mourvedre, 2013 Tura, Merlot, 2013 Chateau Marquisat de Binet, Cuvet Abel, 2012 Gvaot, Merlot, 2012 Barkan, Special Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2011 Recanati, Reserve, Merlot, 2012 Shiloh, Mosaic, 2012 Bat Shlomo, Betty’s Cuvee, 2013 Covenant, Red C, Red, 2014 Le Grand Soreq, Bordeaux, 2014 Bazelet HaGolan, Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2011 Agua Dulce, Zinfandel, 2010

ALL TOP WINES

Y N N N N N N N N N N Y N N N N Y N N

MEV*

1

Hagafen, Late Harvest, Sauvignon Blanc, 2009

2

Hagafen, Prix Reserve, Late Harvest, Chardonnay, 2006 Y

3

Shiloh, Shor, Barbera, 2013

Y

4

Recanati, Mediterranean, Reserve, Carignan, 2013

N

5

Carmel, Mediterranean, 2010

N

6

Elvi, Herenza, Rioja, 2009

N

7

Golan Heights Winery, Yarden, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2012

N

8

Golan Heights Winery, Yarden, Merlot, 2011

N

9

Recanati, Mediterranean, Reserve, Marselan, 2013

N

10 tie

Shirah, Har Hamoriah, Mourvedre, 2013

N

10 tie

Tura, Merlot, 2013

N

11

Chateau Marquisat de Binet, Cuvet Abel, 2012

N

12

Gvaot, Merlot, 2012

N

13 tie

Barkan, Special Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2011

Y

13 tie

Recanati, Reserve, Merlot, 2012

N

14

Shiloh, Mosaic, 2012

N

15 tie

Tzuba, Chardonnay, 2014

N

15 tie

Bat Shlomo, Betty’s Cuvee, 2013

N

JEWISH WEEK’S TOP 18 KOSHER WINES COMPETITON

The judges used a 100-point scoring system; tallies were made after each of four rounds of tastings. The tastings took place over a four-day period in February and were held at The Jewish Week.

*MEVUSHAL WINES www.thejewishweek.com

MEV*

Y

March 25, 2016

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 tie 8 tie 9 10 11 tie 11 tie 12 13 14 15 tie 15 tie 15 tie

TOP RED WINES

KOSHER WINE GUIDE

18

The Jewish Week

KOSHER WINE GUIDE

March 25, 2016

36

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