HaKerem: The Israeli Wine Blog

Posted at 10:35h in Kosher, Wines by David Rhodes 1 Comment When you have family or friends over for Passover so its easy to have a dozen or a few dozen people at the table.  Why not make it more interesting and serve several wines as you fill your required four glasses (and for some of us several more). Serve them in the order listed to pair well with traditional Passover dishes. 2009 Tishbi Brut (85 NIS) Sparkling wines are one of the best food pairing choices. Brut (dry) sparkling wines are best with salty dishes and a sweeter and less alcoholic Moscato style which spicier dishes. This will bottle fermented bubbly will pair well with chicken matzo ball soup or gefilte fish as well as being a good wine to serve until dessert. 2010 Gush Etzion Sauvignon Blanc (64 NIS) Sauvignon Blanc is one of the best food pairing white wines. It’s crisp acidity and citric aromas is like squeezing a lemon on your dish and it stands up to vinegar based salad dressings. Pairs well with chicken, white fish, salad, sashimi sushi, asparagus and artichokes. 2010 Recanati Cabernet Franc (98 NIS) Cabernet Franc is one of the most food friendly reds. With notes of raspberries and violets, it can be quite floral for a red and it too has ample acidity to complement may dishes with dynamic sauces. With new winemakers at Recanati it’s even more food friendlier than earlier vintages. 2010 Domaine Castel Petite Castel (120 NIS) This Bordeaux style blend is one of Israel’s best value wines. At about half the price of their flagship Gran Vin its a better buy than most wines at about the same price It’s a smooth but full flavored red that will match well with beef and lamb dishes. 2008 Carmel Single Vineyard Gewurztraminer Sha’al Dessert Wine (375 ml) (86 NIS) A sweet white dessert wine like this would be a great match with cheeses if you’re having a dairy seder or with white fruit based dishes featuring bananas, peaches, melon and especially lychee. Even by itself this sipping wine is a nice way to end a meal on a sweet note. 2011 Odem Mountain Cherry Fruit WIne (500 ml)   65 NIS A nice match for chocolate and red or black fruit based desserts. This is one of Israel’s best fruit wines and is made from  50 %  small red sour cherries and 50 % larger black sweet cherries and is more complex and expressive than most other fruit wines. David Rhodes is an Israeli based wine writer, educator and sommelier specializing in Israeli wines. He can be reached at [email protected]