A Napa County Kosher Wine

Some time ago we reviewed a Kosher Sauvignon Blanc from the famous Sonoma County, California. Its producer, Weinstock Cellars, seemed to have no web site. Now we are reviewing a Kosher for Passover Cabernet Sauvignon from right next door, the even more famous Napa County. Same producer, same absence of a web site. Their distributor, Royal Wines, had very little to say about this Winery. Of course that isn’t what really counts. Our companion wine is another Kosher for Passover Cabernet Sauvignon. At half the price it comes from southern France.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed
Weinstock Cellar Select Cabernet Sauvignon Kosher for Passover Mevushal 2008 13.5 % alcohol about $20.

Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. “Tasting Note: The nose here offers up suggestions of redcurrant, cassis, ripe raspberry, cinnamon, toast and touches of mocha. The palate is dry, ripe and sunny, with excellent fruit and a backbone of fine ripe tannins. Both red and black fruit notes emerge, along with roasted red pepper and more spice and chocolate. This will drink well for the next 3-5 years and will make an excellent pairing for braised meats, or even a meaty pasta dish or pizza. (VINTAGES panel, Dec. 2011).” And now for my review.

At the first sips this wine was long, round, and mouth-filling but its fruit was light. Since I tasted this wine before Passover Japanese rice crackers were on the menu. They served to render the drink multilayered and brought out the plums. Slow-cooked meatballs rendered the libation even more forceful. When paired with the potatoes, the drink presented lots of chocolate (but not Passover chocolate). The salad composed of broccoli sprouts, cucumbers, orange and yellow peppers, tomato, cilantro, and Portabello mushrooms imparted the taste of chocolate and black cherries.

My next meal cleared our freezer of packaged Baked Ziti Siciliano that I doused with grated Parmesan cheese. Now our southern France friend was oaky in a positive sense offering refreshing acidity and melt-in-your-mouth tannins. Fresh cantaloupe richened the taste of dark cherries. When paired with nut cake this Cab was very dark with some chocolate.

The closing meal’s centerpiece was a baked chicken leg in cardamom, cilantro, black pepper, and garlic. This drink was long and chewy. It was powerful and offered refreshing acidity that cut the dish’s grease. The side dish consisted of okra in tomato and onion sauce over white rice. Now the liquid’s acidity was muted but its chocolate and fruit remained strong. When our boy met fruit juice candy he softened but was still very present and very pleasant.

Final verdict. I would definitely buy this wine again. I have the feeling that it might be even better after cellaring for a few years.

Levi Reiss authored or co-authored ten computer and Internet books, but prefers drinking fine wine with the right foods and people. He teaches computers at an Ontario French-language community college. His global wine website www.theworldwidewine.com features a weekly review of $10 wines. Visit his Italian travel website www.travelitalytravel.com.

A Wine Lover’s Review Of Upscale Wine – A Red Chateauneuf Du Pape

Today’s wine is a Chateauneuf-du-Pape coming from the southern Rhone Valley of France. Unlike many of its competitors, physical bottle has no distinguishing characteristics but I won’t that against it. This vineyard has been in the family hands since 1905 and the average vine is 60 years old. The winemaker used no fertilizer or chemicals and has started to use biodynamic techniques. The grapes were harvested by hand. This wine is a blend of Grenache (60%), Syrah (15%), Mourvedre (10%), Counoise (10%), and Cinsault (5%). Chateauneuf-du-Pape vineyards are known for their large stones that retain heat and hasten ripening. Our companion wine is also organic and comes from the nearby Languedoc region. It’s a Marselan, a cross between Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Chateauneuf-du-Pape Domaine de la Vieille Julienne 2005 15 % alcohol about $55.

There are no marketing materials and the front and back labels are essentially silent. So let me quote one of my favorite wine writers, Tom Stevenson, on red CdPs. “Due to the variation of terroir (roughly surroundings, my addition) and almost limitless permutations of encepagement (roughly grape blends, my addition), it is impossible to describe a typical Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but there are two categories – the traditional, full, dark, spicy, long-lived style and the modern, easy-drinking Chateauneuf-du-Pape, the best of which are unashamedly upfront and brimming with lip-smacking, juicy-jammy fruit… (In The Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia).” And now for my review.

At the first sips this wine was very rich and multi-layered. But it did taste sour. The first meal centered on a first-cut veal chop coated with parsley flakes and thyme and fried alongside brown mushrooms and garlic. The wine was long and mouth filling. It tasted of chocolate but its sour acidity remained. Shaking the wine vigorously seemed to reduce its sour aspect. With the mushroom and garlic mixture the Chateauneuf-du-Pape deepened and chocolate remained predominant. The wine’s acidity dealt well with the grease in the accompanying side of potatoes roasted in chicken fat. Hopefully the sourness is a thing of the past. Dessert was fruit juice candy that somewhat muted the wine. But it was still powerful.

My next meal was a broiled Atlantic Salmon perked up by Cajun spices and fresh lemon. The wine presented liquidy tannins and had good length and black fruit. The microwaved redskin potatoes gave the wine harsh, not sour, acidity and took away most of its fruit. Cold beets weakened this Rhone Valley native but it had pleasant tobacco and was balanced.

The final meal was a lamb blade chop coated with a mixture of black pepper, onion powder, and ground basil leaves and fried alongside brown mushrooms and garlic. The wine was long, very long and balanced. It dealt well with the fatty meat. When paired with the mushroom and garlic mixture this Chateauneuf-du-Pape was long and mouth filling. In the presence of a moderately spicy tomato-based Turkish salad the wine remained powerful. Its tannins were soft and it was really omnipresent.

The first cheese was a rather bland provolone. In response the wine was very long, powerful, and multi-layered. It tasted great but was perhaps wasted with a pedestrian cheese. Things were about the same when the CdP faced a yellow cheddar which managed to add a taste of tobacco to the mix.

Final verdict. I don’t intend to buy this wine again. While some of the pairings were fine I was often disappointed. I want a Chateauneuf-du-Pape that meets Stevenson’s description but perhaps $55 just won’t do it. Needless to say, I won’t be repeating this experience every week. By the way, the producer recommends aging this bottle for 8 to 15 years so perhaps I hit it a bit too soon.

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten computer and Internet books, but drinking fine Iwine with good company. He loves teaching computer classes at an Ontario French-language community college. His global wine website www.theworldwidewine.com features a weekly review of $10 wines. His European travel website is http://www.traveleuropetravel.com .

I Love Fine Wine – A Kosher Tishbi Estate Israeli Cabernet Sauvignon

I was frankly attracted by the bottle’s label that featured a small photo of the winery’s founding couple and the founding date, 1882. The label didn’t say so but Michael Chamiletzi was chosen by Baron Edmund de Rothschild to plant and develop wines in late Nineteenth Century Palestine. Now this family winery is run by a member of the fourth generation. All their wines are Kosher for Passover and vegan as well. This particular Cabernet Sauvignon comes from three different Israeli vineyards. The companion wine is a sweet (or perhaps semi-sweet) kosher California Cabernet Sauvignon that comes in at about $10.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Tishbi Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 13.6% alcohol about $20

Because there were no marketing materials (no I didn’t lose them, I bought this wine a month ago) I’ll quote the back label. The grapes for this wine were hand-picked. The wine was produced from the free-run juice of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc grapes. It was aged for 12 months in French and American oak barrels. A balanced blend of elegant flavors of plums, raspberry, cassis, and black forest berries together with gentle hints of mocha, vanilla, and honey derived from the barrel aging. It has a velvety texture and sweet finish. Deep and intense in color. The wine was neither filtered nor clarified. Good for drinking now or further aging in a dark, cool place. And now for my review.

At the first sips I was really pleased with the great combination of fruits, light tannins, and acidity. The first meal was a slow-cooked London Broil with potatoes and chick peas. The wine became a bit more acidic generating tobacco and plums. A little sip went a long, long way and stayed around for quite a while. I have been tasting some expensive wines recently and rarely get this much power. The chick peas didn’t change things for this wine; it rolled right over them. When accompanying the potatoes the tobacco intensified; this wine has it. With the final component a tomato, onion, green pepper, and lime salsa the predominant taste was chocolate.

The next meal centered on barbecued chicken thighs, both honey and garlic, and tomato based. With the first thighs the Cab was dark and mouth filling; I noted tobacco, light tannins, and fine acidity. With the tomatoey thighs the wine was slightly more acidic and the tobacco was more prominent. The side dish of potatoes roasted in chicken fat was quite greasy. The wine overwhelmed the grease and the dominant flavor was dark plums. The meal’s final component was Moroccan-style carrots in cumin (the sliced green olives were gone). I got chocolate as well. The wine was slightly weakened but was still powerful.

My final meal was a boxed vegetarian baked Ziti Sicilian style. The wine was light but very powerful. The tastes included plums, raspberries, and chocolate. There were light tannins and balanced acidity. Fresh strawberries definitely muted the wine. With fruit juice candy the Cab partially regained its strength.

Before going to the traditional cheeses I’d like to quote my wife who usually does not care for wine. “Slow motion, explodes in the mouth. It gets better and better. It’s not bitter. It soaks so deep in the mouth. It has an even stronger taste when you swallow.”

Prior to the traditional two cheeses I paired this Cabernet Sauvignon with schmaltz herring in oil. The strong tasting herring disappeared into the wine. This wine was clearly dominant with dark plums, and balanced acidity and tannins. The mild brick cheese actually brought down the wine a notch. When paired with a better tasting Muenster cheese the Cab came back but not completely. I guess this isn’t a wine for cheese. Frankly, outside of these tests, why would I want to pair a fine wine with a middling cheese?

Final verdict. This is one of the best wines that I have tasted in a long time. I have seen it for sale on the Internet at $20 a bottle and would not hesitate to pick up a case at that price or even more. I will be actively looking for more wines from this producer in all price ranges.

Levi Reiss authored or co-authored ten computer and Internet books, but prefers drinking fine wine with the right foods and people. He teaches computers at an Ontario French-language community college. His global wine website www.theworldwidewine.com features a weekly review of $10 wines. Visit his Italian travel website www.travelitalytravel.com.

I Love Italian Wine And Food – A Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano From Tuscany

I think that this wine’s name, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, is quite exciting, but perhaps it’s just a case of marketing hype. The Lodola Nuova estate property has records going back to the mid Thirteenth Century. It has been producing wine since at least 1452. Its major vineyard is 87 hectares (about 215 acres) near the medieval village of Valiano. The property was purchased by the major Tuscany Ruffino winery some twenty years ago. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a well-known Tuscan red produced from the Prugnolo Gentile version of the Sangiovese grape. It is one of the Tuscany Big Three, Chianti Classico, Vino Nobile, and Brunello de Montalcino. Some say that it’s a neglected middle child. Let’s see if that accusation holds.

Before reviewing this middle child, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Acciughe sotto Pesto (Anchovies with Pesto). As the second course try Stracotto nel Brunello (Braised Beef cooked with Beans in Brunello wine). For dessert indulge yourself with Cavallucci (Biscuits with caramelized sugar, nuts, candied oranges, and anise). I don’t think that I have to tell you about all the tourist attractions in this part of Tuscany. Why not compare the towns of Montepulciano and Montalcino as well as comparing their wines?

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review have been purchased at the full retail price.

A Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is one of the top Tuscan reds… Ludola Nuova Vineyards Ludola Nuova vineyards in Italian red wine

I think that this wine’s name, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, is exciting in itself, but perhaps it’s just a case of marketing hype. The Lodola Nuova estate property has records going back to the mid Thirteenth Century. It has been producing wine since at least 1452. Its major vineyard is 87 hectares (about 215 acres) near the medieval village of Valiano. The property was purchased by the major Tuscany Ruffino winery about twenty years ago. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a well-known Tuscan red produced from the Prugnolo Gentile version of the Sangiovese grape. It is one of the Tuscany Big Three, Chianti Classico, Vino Nobile, and Brunello de Montalcino. Some people say that it’s a neglected middle child.

Before reviewing this middle child, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Acciughe sotto Pesto (Anchovies with Pesto). As the second course try Stracotto nel Brunello (Braised Beef cooked with Beans in Brunello wine). For dessert indulge yourself with Cavallucci (Biscuits with caramelized sugar, nuts, candied oranges, and anise). I don’t think that I have to tell you about all the tourist attractions in this part of Tuscany. Why not compare the towns of Montepulciano and Montalcino as well as comparing their wines? OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review have been purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Ruffino Lodola Nuova Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2006 13.5% alcohol about $22

Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. Tasting Note : You can’t beat the value of this wine: you simply won’t find a better wine for the money. Juicy, round and ripe with aromas of black plums, black raspberry and vanilla smoke. Food matches: spicy black bean dishes, steak-and-cheese enchiladas. Score – 89. (Natalie MacLean, at her web site, June 6, 2009)And now for my review.

If you are in the market for fine Italian wine and food, consider A Vino Nobile di Montepulciano of northern Italy. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you’ll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour.

At the first sips this wine’s acidity was well balanced between its acidity and tannins. It was woody, but on the downside was somewhat grapey. The first meal was a cheeseless lasagna made with a moderately spicy salsa. I tasted dark chocolate. This wine was powerful. The more I drank the more I liked it. It was very round. A generous dollop of Louisiana cayenne pepper sauce brought out the red berries.

The next meal was a slow cooked London Broil steak with potato patties and green beans, all cooked together. This Vino Nobile was very long and had lots of stuff in it. The wine was almost chewy and tasted of chocolate and leather. Once again I noted the great balance between the tannins and the acidity. This time adding Louisiana cayenne pepper sauce seemed to have no effect. With a palm heart, green pimento, olive, canned corn, and chickpeas salad the wine had chocolate and a good length.

My final meal consisted of meatballs and rice with a side of cooked zucchini and chickpeas in a ground tomato sauce. Even with the plebian meatballs the wine was subtle and multilayered. Once again I noticed the balance and chocolate. With the veggies the predominant characteristic was its great length.

With a Swiss cheese this Prugnolo Gentile was long and balanced. When paired with whipped cream cheese, it was somewhat muted, but still had good length. I added some smoked salmon and things remained the same.

Final verdict. There is no question about it. I would buy this wine again and again. I think that it competes well with other wines costing quite a bit more. This middle child has succeeded in my book.

Levi Reiss authored or co-authored ten computer and Internet books, but prefers drinking fine wine. He teaches computers at an Ontario French-language community college. His global wine website www.theworldwidewine.com features a weekly review of $10 wines and a whole lot more. Visit his Italian travel website www.travelitalytravel.com.

A Wine Lover’s Nearly Weekly Review Of $15 Wines – A Bordeaux, France Merlot

At the most recent meeting of our wine tasting club the host strongly recommended this wine. Only after I bought the bottle did I realize that I tasted and reviewed a previous vintage of this same wine which I relished about two years ago. Things can change so I decided to review this wine instead of exchanging it for an unfamiliar wine. I’ll be reviewing two unfamiliar wines next week. In the meantime let’s see if this 2005 meets the promise of the 2003.

Christian Moueix is a Bordeaux winemaker who also practices his art of producing fine Bordeaux wines in Yountville, Napa Valley, California. Those wines, as many of his others such as the world-famous Chateau Petrus are much too expensive to review in this column. By the way, Chateau Petrus is quite close to being pure Merlot, and according to those in the know, is as good as it gets. Moueix was named Man of the Year by Decanter Magazine in 2008.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price. Wine Reviewed

Moueix Merlot 2008 12.3% alcohol about $15 (Much less on the Internet) Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. Description : No one knows Merlot better than Christian Moueix, owner of the world famous (and Merlot-based) Chateau Petrus. Year after year, the Moueix Merlot defines the grape. It’s medium-bodied with flavors of sour plum and blackberry, and notes of cedar and earth. The fruit is focused and firm, with bright acidity, and a medium-long finish. It’s pure magic with veal medallions and sauteed mushrooms, or baked pasta. And now for my review.

At the first sips this wine was quite round. It had light tannins but was earthy. I first paired it with a Middle-Eastern specialty called kubbe (or kibbe), ground beef in crushed bulghar jackets in a tomato sauce accompanied by sliced potatoes. The wine was dark tasting but could have used some more acidity. I tasted chocolate but the acidity was definitely missing.

The next meal consisted of barbecued chicken breast in a soy and garlic sauce with the skin on. The Merlot was woody and powerful, and I tasted tobacco. While I’m not a smoker or an ex-smoker I do like tobacco in my wine. When it met the potatoes roasted in chicken fat this wine tasted of black cherries. It was long and mouth filling. In the face of a bean salad in vinegar the wine was muted but remained long.

My final meal was a slow cooked beef stew with chickpeas. This Merlot tasted of black cherries and chocolate and had lovely tannins. It was slightly short in acidity, but was almost there. In the presence of a tomato-based, moderately spicy Turkish salad (more of a salsa) the wine seemed balanced. Given the salad’s acidity I didn’t notice any acidity shortfall in the wine.

Before going to the cheeses I tried this wine with some schmaltz herring packed in oil. Finally the Merlot showed some good acidity with dark cherries in the background. The first cheese was a yellow cheddar that rendered the wine light and oaky. It had moderate length and was not very flavorful. With a Swiss cheese this wine became more assertive. It tasted of chocolate but was thin.

Final verdict. This was a disappointment. I would not buy this wine again. On the other hand, I remain willing to taste a Chateau Petrus at any time.

Levi Reiss authored or co-authored ten computer and Internet books, but prefers drinking fine wine with the right foods and people. He teaches computers at an Ontario French-language community college. His global wine website www.theworldwidewine.com features a weekly review of $10 wines and new sections writing about and tasting organic and kosher wines. Visit his Italian travel website www.travelitalytravel.com.

Give A Gift Hamper For Easter

Easter is a favorite time of year for many people. It’s an opportunity to indulge and pig out on sweet goodies and spoil your friends and family. Once you have your list of who is getting an Easter gift this year, you can start thinking about what to buy. You probably gave them the same old boring eggs last year that you did the year before, so this year, try something different. Easter hampers are a great way to steer clear of the stock standard gifts people get at Easter and are guaranteed to be enjoyed by everyone.

Perfect for those near and far. -

The main advantage of choosing hampers as presents is that they can be sent to anywhere around the country. So if you have friends or family who live interstate and you would like to send them a gift for Easter, gift hampers are the perfect solution. The hamper of your choice will arrive to their door beautifully presented and full of the goodies you expect them to receive. Even if you do have family or friends close by you can still take advantage of having the hamper delivered to them to save you time if you didn’t have plans to visit for Easter. This way they will know you are thinking of them even if you can’t be together and they will appreciate the thought of sending them such a wonderful gift.

Easter is not all about chocolate. -

With such a fantastic range of hampers to choose from, you don’t have to stick to the standard gift of chocolate for Easter if you don’t want to. Hampers are designed to suit every taste. The receiver of your gift may be a lover of fine wine, red or white or prefer a bottle of spirits. These can be accompanied by treats such as James Road Chocolate Fudge Cookies and Ashmores Chocolate Coated Strawberries found in the ‘simply addicted’ hamper. The Celebrate Champagne & Chocolate Gift Box will be a delight to anyone; with a bottle of bubbly they can enjoy Zentveld’s Chocolate Coated Espresso Beans and Paton’s Macadamia Royals. These are just a few of the ‘to die for’ treats that can be found in the hampers. There are other great hampers too containing nibbles, candy, chocolate and some even have gifts to keep and use.

Whatever your choice of gift hampers may be, your recipient will be more than pleased that you thought of them for Easter. And making someone smile is what Easter should be all about.

Hamper Me http://www.hamperme.com.au/ have a great range of gift hampers Brisbane and gift hampers Sydney. This Easter, gift something better than a chocolate Easter egg and spoil someone with a Hamper Me hamper.

A Wine Lover’s Nearly Weekly Review Of $15 Wine – An Israeli Red Made From (Italian Grapes

Barbera is one of the most widely found red Italian grapes. Nut this Barbera wine comes from Israel where the Recanati family settled about one hundred years ago. You might guess from the name that they came from Italy. The winery has only been in business since 2000 but is now the sixth largest in Israel. I don’t know where that would put them in the Italian lineup but one guesses much further down the list. On the other hand, they are proud to be exporting wine to Italy. The grapes come from the upper Galilee which has a climate similar to Napa Valley, California. The days are warm, the nights are cool, and there’s not much rainfall. In addition, the soil is chalky and gravelly. All these factors may mean a fine wine. But we can’t be sure until we taste it.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review have been purchased at the full retail price. Wine Reviewed

Barbera KP (Recanati) 2006 13.5% alcohol about $15 In the absence of marketing materials I’ll quote the back label. Leonardo Recanati’s Italian heritage lies at the root of his passion for quality winemaking. The ancient soils and Mediterranean climate of the upper Galilee are suited to the cultivation of fine Barbera grapes. This elegant red aged eight months in French barriques expresses varietal aromas and flavors of plum, black cherries, wild berries and spice. Its firm acidity and soft, subtle tannins make it an outstanding accompaniment to a variety of dishes including appetizers, grilled meats and Italian cuisine. And now for my review.

At the first sips this wine had slightly sour acidity. It was somewhat thin but fruity. Its first pairing was with slow cooked beef ribs with potatoes in a savory sauce. Its sourness was reduced but not gone. I tasted red cherries and some tobacco. It was light with round tannins. I also enjoyed a salad composed of carrots, palm hearts, chickpeas, Lebanese cucumbers, red peppers, and canned corn. With this fine salad the Barbera seemed somewhat raw. There was chocolate in the background.

The next meal was a boxed eggplant parmiagana which I slathered with grated parmesan cheese. The wine was long with chocolate and refreshing acidity and black cherries. The tannins were present and pleasant.

My final meal was beef stew cooked with chickpeas. The wine was quite long with chocolate and dark cherries. It was mouth filling and a little bit went a long way.

Prior to the traditional two cheeses I enjoyed some schmaltz herring in oil instead of the more common vinegar preparation. The wine was rich and full bodied. It was lightly acidic and presented black cherries. When paired with a local Provolone, this wine had dark cherries and no tannins. It was light but pleasurable. With a tastier Swiss, the wine wasn’t very present.

Final verdict. This wine is borderline. I can’t help but think that an Italian Barbera would be better. The truth is, some would be better, and others not. I am tempted to try more of their wines.

Levi Reiss authored or co-authored ten computer
and Internet books, but prefers drinking fine wine. He teaches computers at an Ontario French-language community college.
His global wine website www.theworldwidewine.com
features a weekly review of $10 wines and a whole lot more. Visit his Italian travel website www.travelitalytravel.com.