Bayonne, NJ – There’s little time to catch your breath between summer and the High Holiday season this year. With Labor Day and Rosh Hashana sharing the same date on the calendar, it’s not too soon to start thinking about festive meals, gatherings with loved ones, and other traditions that go hand-in-hand with the fall Jewish holidays.
Fortunately, we’ve had another exceptional year for kosher wine production. That means there’s an excellent selection of exciting releases to choose from – and one less thing to worry about. They’re ready to serve now, so whether you’re planning to host a crowd or be a guest, you’re sure to find something deliciously suitable for the holiday table.
Wine expert Gabriel Geller, Director of PR and Manager of Wine Education for Kedem/Royal Wine, has recommendations for wines that offer quality and value across all price points.
Herzog Wine Cellars celebrates the new Jewish year with its first release of the Herzog Limited Edition Chalk Hill Chardonnay 2020 (MSRP: $60). This rich and complex white wine is the result of careful harvest planning and skillful winemaking, led by Head Winemaker Joe Hurliman. The 2020 harvest in California was marked by some of the worst wildfires the Golden State has ever known. However, thanks to Divine Providence the harvest for the Chalk Hill Chardonnay took place before the fires, and yielded fruit of the highest quality.
Geller is also enthusiastic about Herzog Special Reserve Méthode Champenoise Russian River NV (MSRP $60), Herzog’s first-ever high-end Champagne method sparkling wine, is made from 100% Chardonnay grapes grown in Sonoma’s Russian River area.
He also points to Château Malartic Lagravière Blanc 2019 (MSRP $100), the first kosher cuvée release by the Bordeaux estate. Malartic received elite Grand Cru Classé status for both its red and white wines in the 1959 Classification of Vins de Graves. Now owned by the Bonnie family, Malartic has produced several kosher cuvées of its red Grand Vin in collaboration with Royal Wine since 2003. Its sister property, Château Gazin Rocquencourt, started making kosher runs in 2015.
Another exciting release is Razi’el Syrah-Carignan 2018 (MSRP $65), says Geller. Razi’el wines scored 97 points by acclaimed wine critic James Suckling – the highest rating ever for Israeli wines. Meanwhile, Europe’s first fully kosher winery, Terra di Seta in Italy, received an unprecedented 97 points and a platinum medal from Decanter magazine for the Terra di Seta Chianti Classico Riserva 2016 (MSRP $35).
While many of this year’s newcomers are produced by classic, old-world methods, some intriguing surprises are in the mix. They include Nana Estate wines (MSRP $30-$50), grown and produced in Israel’s scorching, nutrient-poor Negev Desert. Nana earned widespread buzz even before their wines were available in the U.S.; with their innovative viticulture techniques, they’ve not only beaten the odds, but they’ve crafted a collection of distinctive and popular kosher wines.
Baron Herzog, the entry-level line of value wines from Herzog Wine Cellars retailing between $10-13, are now available with fresh, new labels. Baron Herzog wines were first launched in 1986, following the winery’s establishment in California in 1985. The elegant and classy packaging further emphasizes the care and attention the Herzog family crafts each and every wine they produce from top to bottom. The Baron Herzog line includes an award-winning Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, a Rosé, White Zinfandel, Pinot Grigio, Old Vines Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a red blend called Aleph. Several of the wines are grown in the Herzog’s estate Prince Vineyard in Clarksburg CA, as well as from Paso Robles AVA.
Then there’s Bartenura Froscato cocktail pops (MSRP $25 per package of 12). Bartenura is no stranger to bending the rules. After introducing the wildly popular Moscato in blue cans last year, the Italian kosher producer has now released refreshing Moscato frozen wine cocktail pops. Perfect for the warmer high holiday season.
About Royal Wine/Kedem
Founded in 1848, Royal Wine Corp. is owned and operated in the United States by the Herzog family, whose winemaking roots go back eight generations to its origin in Czechoslovakia.
Today, Royal Wine’s portfolio of domestic and international wines range from traditional wine producing regions of France, Italy and Spain, as well as Israel, New Zealand and Argentina.
Additionally, Royal Wine Corp.’s spirit and liqueur portfolio offers some of the most sought-after scotches, bourbons, tequilas and vodkas as well as hard to find specialty items such as flavored brandies and liqueurs.
The company owns and operates the Kedem Winery in upstate New York, as well as Herzog Wine Cellars in Oxnard, California, a state-of-the-art-facility featuring guided wine tours, a fully staffed modern tasting room, gift shop and catering facilities. Additionally, the winery houses the award-winning restaurant Tierra Sur, serving the finest, Mediterranean-inspired, contemporary Californian Cuisine. Follow Royal Wine Corp at @royalwinecorp and on FB https://www.facebook.com/RoyalWineCorp
Among the curriculum, Le Cordon Bleu will also propose a programme dedicated to Saudi Arabian Cuisine, to highlight the local ingredients, flavours and gastronomy. Present in the biggest gastronomic capitals, Le Cordon Bleu aims to support the Cuisines of the World and has developed many diplomas and certificates to celebrate Peruvian, Brazilian, Mexican, Spanish, Japanese, Thai cuisines. Among these courses, some are accredited by the local education ministry, guaranteeing authenticity and respect for the principles taught.
“New company de Négoce, the brainchild of well-known negociant Cameron Hughes, is deserving of major kudos for delivering amazing value in bottlings from up and down the American West Coast and featuring famed appellations like Atlas Peak, Diamond Mountain District, Carneros and others,” said Rich Cook, director of Critics Challenge.
The predicted average score for the best red wines of the Bordeaux vintage 2020 was 93.7 points, which is almost the same as in the top vintages like 2018, 2016, 2009 and 2005.
This was Runquist’s third year in a row winning “Winery of the Year” at Berger’s competition and the fourth time in the last five years he has received this distinction. Runquist earned the David Stevens Memorial Trophy at the competition, awarded to him for the feat of earning 10 awards of gold or above from his 35 entries. Jeff Runquist Wines was also their Red Sweepstakes Winner, with the 2017 “R” Petite Sirah, Enver Salman Vineyard, Clarksburg garnering Best of Class Triple Gold.
The year’s relatively mild and dry winter was met with an early spring, ensuring a normal budding period for the vines, and late spring rain resulted in water reserves useful for maintaining plant health throughout the summer heat. May and the very beginning of June saw cool, humid conditions slightly delaying the growing cycle of the vines — a turn of events paralleling, in fact, the seasonal shifts that created the great vintages of the 1980’s. Summer was hot and largely typical, with no extreme changes in heat or rainfall, and September was marked by good weather and notable diurnal shifts allowing for both perfect phenolic ripening and an amplification of the grapes’ natural aromatic profile. Sangiovese was largely harvested between September 20th and mid-October, with fruit arriving at wineries showing full health, vitality, and quality.
First launched in 2014 as a certification superseding the already-stringent requirements for the designations of Riserva and Annata, the Gran Selezione wines of Chianti Classico represent the pinnacle of the region’s production. A Chianti Classico wine may earn the Gran Selezione distinction if its grapes are grown and bottled on the estate, produced from a single vineyard or selected from only the estate’s best grapes, aged for a minimum of thirty months with three months mandatory aging in bottle, and show outstanding organoleptic characteristics. Starting in 2014 with 33 producers, the number of estates producing Gran Selezione wines has grown to 136, with a total of 155 labels in the market, which now represents 6% of Chianti Classico’s overall production.