This was my first experience with the Alexander winery (a new import to the US), and I can easily foresee this winery operating on the same level as Domaine du Castel and Yatir, if it isn't already. (This is one of two wines I've sampled from Alexander). The style of the wine, as is Castel and Yatir, is decidedly French, meaning that the fruity qualities of the wine are secondary and the more earthy and vegetal qualities of the wine are more dominant.
Be forewarned! If you're used to the style of wine from Baron Herzog, Teal Lake, Golan, Gamla, etc. this is a very different type of wine! Aside from the switch from fruity to earthy-dominant flavors, there's also the oak issue. While this wine is indeed oak aged, there's little, if any, new oak used to age the wine. If you use new oak, the oak influence is going to be stronger.
Some would say "if you're going to do it, you may as well really do it!" But let's put things in perspective. At the seder, you're supposed to have a "bitter herb," which many have interpreted to be a horseradish-based mixture (with some vinegar, etc.), but you can have too much at once and it'll blow out your palate for the rest of the seder (or at least the Hillel sandwich!). The same with the oak influence on wine. I appreciate the extra layers of complexity and tannin that oak can lend to a wine, but if you use too much oak (especially new oak) or let the wine age too long in the barrels, you end up masking the true flavors of the wine. So oak is good--in moderation.
Strong oak influences are popular among novice wine drinkers because the heavily-oaked wines tend to be easier to drink and more palate-friendly and straight-forward. By using older oak barrels and using just a small amount of aging, the grapes' natural characteristics come out and often these qualities are not as popular among those who are new to the wine world, or are used to the California/Australia style of wine. It's not a judgment of taste but rather the reality of the development of the wine drinker's palate.
To put it in another perspective, as we develop our tastes for food, from babies to children to young adults to mature adults, certain foods fall in and out of favor with our palates. Good luck trying to tell a 5 year old that artichokes are a delicious food, and you'll have just as much luck convincing someone in their 30's that Wacky Mac (TM) is the epitome of gastronomy!
Now that I've finished my aside, let's get back to the wine itself. It's a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (the two classic dominant grapes of Bordeaux). When I sampled this wine, it had been opened the night before, so approximately 18 hours had transpired between opening the bottle and my tasting of the wine. So you could open this wine the first night of Passover and serve it for the 2nd seder and be in good shape!
On the nose, truffle mushrooms and green pepper were immediately apparent. On further inspection I also found aromas of old tanned leather and dried tobacco. There were some dried cherry notes but they were very much secondary; I had to work hard to find the fruit on the nose.
The fruity flavors were more easily found on the palate but still not the primary characteristics. The truffle followed through on the taste as the dominant flavor with some vanilla and butterscotch (classic signs of oak aging!). The tannin was certainly there but it was well-integrated, showing a wine that has aged well and is in its prime for consumption. The acid was there but very subtly weaved throughout.
This wine BEGS for food. From a classic grilled steak to a beef with mushroom sauce, pair this wine with red meat, please. You don't do this wine justice just drinking on its own. If there ever were a wine that would go well with a cigar, this is the one. If you had to drink this wine on its own, I would approach it the same way I would a good single malt: have small sips over an extended period of time. This is the wine to ruminate over. But so worth it.
So how much does this wine cost, you ask? $31 at your local wine shop. In case you hadn't noticed it already, I kinda like this wine a little. And by a little, I mean a lot. Get this wine. There isn't much of it out there.
The other wine I tried from Alexander is one that is not even available on the American market, and definitely worthy of its own post, if for no other reason than to understand the way this wine is produced (it's a truly mind boggling process!).
L'Chayim!
Tastings, reviews, advice and anything else relating to the joy of kosher wine.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Teperberg "White" Chardonnay/Sauvignon Blanc, Israel
This offering comes from one of my favorite Israeli wineries producing good quality, moderately-priced wines, both mevushal and non-mevushal. Now, while we are on this topic, let's digress a bit to talk about mevushal issues.
First, let's address the purpose of having mevushal wine. Historically, going back to the days when all of Israel's neighbors were making sacrifices and libations to the goat god and whatnot, the pagans would refuse to use boiled wine for their libations because the wine was "inferior" by their definition. So, to ensure that any Israelite wine that could potentially be used for libations at the Temple, they would boil the wine to ensure that no pagan "defilement" would occur.
Fast forward to today, what mevushal means for us is the following: regarding when someone who is not Jewish (some would go as far as to say a Jew who is not shomer Shabbos) handling an open bottle of wine. If the wine is mevushal, then the wine is still kosher even after the person in question has handled the bottle. If the wine is not mevushal then the wine is no longer kosher when the non-Jew/non-Shomer Shabbos Jew handles it.
Now, I hate to say it, but the pagans did get something right. For most of its history, mevushal wine has been an inferior product because it would always have a distinct "cooked" quality, both in the nose and on the palate. However, modern technology has allowed us to make wines that are halachically mevushal, but not "cooked."
In fact many of the world's top wineries use the same process to flash pasteurize their wines, including Chateau Latour in Bordeaux and Beaucastel in the Rhone valley of France (on a "bad" year, both of these estates' wines will sell in the HUNDREDS of dollars. For example a 1997 Latour, horrible year in Bordeaux, sold for around $300 wholesale. Just to give you some perspective). So basically, the quality of wine and mevushal are non-issues, assuming the process is done right.
So today's example IS a mevushal wine, and a blend of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. It retails for around $18 and is delightful. Very aromatic on the nose with some vanilla aromas from the oak aging and floral qualities (surprising, given that neither grape is known for strong floral notes). On the palate, it is smooth and creamy, with some more of the oak coming through and well-balanced acidity to play off the tropical fruit flavors.
This is a wine that I intend to keep around the house on a regular basis. It's great to have on its own or could do well with a creamy alfredo-style pasta. I was very surprised by this wine, in a pleasant way, and everyone I've recommended this wine to has come back to say it was so good. Give it a shot, you won't be disappointed.
First, let's address the purpose of having mevushal wine. Historically, going back to the days when all of Israel's neighbors were making sacrifices and libations to the goat god and whatnot, the pagans would refuse to use boiled wine for their libations because the wine was "inferior" by their definition. So, to ensure that any Israelite wine that could potentially be used for libations at the Temple, they would boil the wine to ensure that no pagan "defilement" would occur.
Fast forward to today, what mevushal means for us is the following: regarding when someone who is not Jewish (some would go as far as to say a Jew who is not shomer Shabbos) handling an open bottle of wine. If the wine is mevushal, then the wine is still kosher even after the person in question has handled the bottle. If the wine is not mevushal then the wine is no longer kosher when the non-Jew/non-Shomer Shabbos Jew handles it.
Now, I hate to say it, but the pagans did get something right. For most of its history, mevushal wine has been an inferior product because it would always have a distinct "cooked" quality, both in the nose and on the palate. However, modern technology has allowed us to make wines that are halachically mevushal, but not "cooked."
In fact many of the world's top wineries use the same process to flash pasteurize their wines, including Chateau Latour in Bordeaux and Beaucastel in the Rhone valley of France (on a "bad" year, both of these estates' wines will sell in the HUNDREDS of dollars. For example a 1997 Latour, horrible year in Bordeaux, sold for around $300 wholesale. Just to give you some perspective). So basically, the quality of wine and mevushal are non-issues, assuming the process is done right.
So today's example IS a mevushal wine, and a blend of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. It retails for around $18 and is delightful. Very aromatic on the nose with some vanilla aromas from the oak aging and floral qualities (surprising, given that neither grape is known for strong floral notes). On the palate, it is smooth and creamy, with some more of the oak coming through and well-balanced acidity to play off the tropical fruit flavors.
This is a wine that I intend to keep around the house on a regular basis. It's great to have on its own or could do well with a creamy alfredo-style pasta. I was very surprised by this wine, in a pleasant way, and everyone I've recommended this wine to has come back to say it was so good. Give it a shot, you won't be disappointed.
Gamla Moscato, Israel, 2009
Ok, so Moscato has a bad reputation of being nothing more than sweet fizzy wine. While there is plenty of that out there, sweet and fiz and not much else, Moscato has the potential to be just as interesting and enjoyable as any other "serious" wine out there. Today's specimen is one of them.
Moscato has a reputation of being one of the more aromatic grapes on the market, with notes of peach blossom, orange peel and herbs, and the Gamla Moscato doesn't disappoint.
The palate continues the floral and herbaceous qualities with sage becoming the dominant herb flavor. It is not as sweet as some other Moscatos out there such as the ubiquitous Bartenura offering, but I think that is a good thing: it allows some of the wine's other characteristics come out.
While drinking this on its own is always a good idea (Kiddush anyone?), the Gamla Moscato also has the acidity and sugar content to stand up to some fairlly rich dishes. Try a bottle the next time you have liver (trust me on this one) or a rich cheese like Brie or Camembert. Blue cheeses can be a bit strong for the delicate flavors of Moscato but if you come across a mild blue cheese then it could work. On the other hand, it could also work with a fruit salad composed of berries with a touch of sugar for maceration and some lemon zest.
The Gamla Moscato retails for $13 in many wine stores. L'chayim
Moscato has a reputation of being one of the more aromatic grapes on the market, with notes of peach blossom, orange peel and herbs, and the Gamla Moscato doesn't disappoint.
The palate continues the floral and herbaceous qualities with sage becoming the dominant herb flavor. It is not as sweet as some other Moscatos out there such as the ubiquitous Bartenura offering, but I think that is a good thing: it allows some of the wine's other characteristics come out.
While drinking this on its own is always a good idea (Kiddush anyone?), the Gamla Moscato also has the acidity and sugar content to stand up to some fairlly rich dishes. Try a bottle the next time you have liver (trust me on this one) or a rich cheese like Brie or Camembert. Blue cheeses can be a bit strong for the delicate flavors of Moscato but if you come across a mild blue cheese then it could work. On the other hand, it could also work with a fruit salad composed of berries with a touch of sugar for maceration and some lemon zest.
The Gamla Moscato retails for $13 in many wine stores. L'chayim
Monday, March 28, 2011
Joseph River Cabernet-Merlot-Shiraz, Australia, 2009
This was a recent acquisition at my store and was a real pleasant surprise. I've had 2 bottles of it over the last couple of weeks, if that gives you any indication of my overall thoughts on this wine. But let's get down to brass tacks.
We've covered Australia before, and each of the grapes contained in the wine, so I'm going to forego my usual background spiel and discuss the wine itself.
Even though it's a relatively inexpensive wine at $15, there's a surprising level of acidity in the wine, which it needs. Australian Cabernet and Shiraz, when young, are so rich and decadent that they need some sort of acid to keep everything in balance, or else you have this fat round wine that is unable to do much for your palate because of its lack of balance.
The bouquet is inviting with notes of chocolate, raspberries and both green and black pepper. The palate showed that acidity on the forefront (perhaps they added some acidic element during the wine production?); while it wasn't as well integrated as one would like, for a $15 wine, we can't have everything. But beyond the acid there are lots of fresh berries a little of the tell-tale Shiraz spicy quality and an addictive oaky quality that many Australian wines are becoming known for.
This is becoming my go-to for an everyday wine that one could have on its own or with a rich fish (think salmon or tuna) that has a really strong sauce.
We've covered Australia before, and each of the grapes contained in the wine, so I'm going to forego my usual background spiel and discuss the wine itself.
Even though it's a relatively inexpensive wine at $15, there's a surprising level of acidity in the wine, which it needs. Australian Cabernet and Shiraz, when young, are so rich and decadent that they need some sort of acid to keep everything in balance, or else you have this fat round wine that is unable to do much for your palate because of its lack of balance.
The bouquet is inviting with notes of chocolate, raspberries and both green and black pepper. The palate showed that acidity on the forefront (perhaps they added some acidic element during the wine production?); while it wasn't as well integrated as one would like, for a $15 wine, we can't have everything. But beyond the acid there are lots of fresh berries a little of the tell-tale Shiraz spicy quality and an addictive oaky quality that many Australian wines are becoming known for.
This is becoming my go-to for an everyday wine that one could have on its own or with a rich fish (think salmon or tuna) that has a really strong sauce.
Moses Vodka
The second post in a series I am doing on kosher for Passover spirits is on Moses Vodka. Now, this is unusual because it is also based on sugar cane (anyone noticing a trend here?). Moses is actually produced in Finland, and is overseen by, among other authorities, the chief rabbi of Finland and is cross-certified by the OU for Passover consumption, as per the website www.mosesvodka.com (Note: the bottle does not have the OU-P on it, only the local rabbi's stamp!)
It is a medium-bodied vodka with a very clean taste to it. It is a pretty unique product, as most vodkas are made from some form of grain (ie, Grey Goose, Stoli, Smirnoff, Absolut, etc.) or potato (ie, Luksusowa, Chopin, Karlsson's Gold--my favorite). That being said, it is NOT a cheap, throwaway product like the vodka many of us have consumed for years on Passover (its name shall remain off this blog for professional considerations). This is high-quality, top shelf vodka that could be consumed (and should be consumed!) throughout the year, but is also acceptable for Passover consumption. It retails for around $30.
It is a medium-bodied vodka with a very clean taste to it. It is a pretty unique product, as most vodkas are made from some form of grain (ie, Grey Goose, Stoli, Smirnoff, Absolut, etc.) or potato (ie, Luksusowa, Chopin, Karlsson's Gold--my favorite). That being said, it is NOT a cheap, throwaway product like the vodka many of us have consumed for years on Passover (its name shall remain off this blog for professional considerations). This is high-quality, top shelf vodka that could be consumed (and should be consumed!) throughout the year, but is also acceptable for Passover consumption. It retails for around $30.
209 Gin, Kosher for Passover edition
Greetings sports fans! Trying to get back on the ball here with regular blogging so here's a new post for y'all, and since it's Passover season in the wine and spirits world, I'm kicking it off with a post about a relatively new gin on the market that is OU certified for Passover consumption.
It's from distillery No. 209 in San Fancisco. So how did they make a gin that was kosher for Passover? Simple, instead of using a grain-based spirits for the gin (details below), they used a sugar cane base.
So how is gin made? You start with a spirit base (usually it's a "grain neutral"--think vodka--base) and then this spirits is infused with one or more botanicals. By law, one of the botanicals must be juniper berries, but you could add to that any number of botanicals, from bergamot to citrus peels, coriander seeds. Basically, any sort of spice that you could use for cooking, you can add to a spirit base to make into a gin, along with juniper berry.
So back to the main story: No. 209 gin. Because the base is sugar cane, it is a bit sweeter than your typical London Dry gins (the different styles of gin is a different story for a different post), but that being said, that doesn't mean that it's an inferior product. Quite the opposite, actually.
They chose to de-emphasize the juniper in the gin, much to everyone's enjoyment. One of my general criticisms of many gins is that there is too much juniper in the mix to the point where sometimes it feels like I'm drinking soap. But 209 chose to emphasize other botanicals in its makeup, including coriander, bergamot and citrus peel.
While I'm a purist and like to drink many spirits neat, 209 would make a nice spin on the typical martini (throw in a dash of dry vermoth. Kedem makes the only kosher vermouth on the American market.), or put in some tonic for your G&T. But because the brighter citrusy notes are so dominant in this gin you could treat it like you would, say, a citron/lemon flavored vodka and the other botanicals would bring new dimensions to the standard citrus-vodka-based cocktails.
It's not that expensive for a gin, either, at around $30 a bottle.
It's from distillery No. 209 in San Fancisco. So how did they make a gin that was kosher for Passover? Simple, instead of using a grain-based spirits for the gin (details below), they used a sugar cane base.
So how is gin made? You start with a spirit base (usually it's a "grain neutral"--think vodka--base) and then this spirits is infused with one or more botanicals. By law, one of the botanicals must be juniper berries, but you could add to that any number of botanicals, from bergamot to citrus peels, coriander seeds. Basically, any sort of spice that you could use for cooking, you can add to a spirit base to make into a gin, along with juniper berry.
So back to the main story: No. 209 gin. Because the base is sugar cane, it is a bit sweeter than your typical London Dry gins (the different styles of gin is a different story for a different post), but that being said, that doesn't mean that it's an inferior product. Quite the opposite, actually.
They chose to de-emphasize the juniper in the gin, much to everyone's enjoyment. One of my general criticisms of many gins is that there is too much juniper in the mix to the point where sometimes it feels like I'm drinking soap. But 209 chose to emphasize other botanicals in its makeup, including coriander, bergamot and citrus peel.
While I'm a purist and like to drink many spirits neat, 209 would make a nice spin on the typical martini (throw in a dash of dry vermoth. Kedem makes the only kosher vermouth on the American market.), or put in some tonic for your G&T. But because the brighter citrusy notes are so dominant in this gin you could treat it like you would, say, a citron/lemon flavored vodka and the other botanicals would bring new dimensions to the standard citrus-vodka-based cocktails.
It's not that expensive for a gin, either, at around $30 a bottle.
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