Busy Times The weeks leading up to Pesach are the US kosher wine industry’s busiest, with more kosher wine purchased during this period than the rest of the year combined. In Israel, Rosh Hashana is nearly as busy a buying season as Pesach and wine buying is also more liberally spread out through the year. […]
This week includes my annual list of the best wines I tasted during the 2017 calendar year. As is my annual custom, I also list the most exciting and/or interesting wines I tasted throughout the year, many of which give more pleasure than some of their “near-perfect” brethren who are included in the former, more […]
#351 -November 30, 2017 Chanukah & the Art of Gift-Giving Long before sanctifying Rosh Chodesh Kislev with the serious wines of RCC (check out the Jewish Week’s recent article on RCC), my desk was cluttered with multiple lists outlining in great detail and colorful ink (not to mention varying degrees of legible penmanship) the different […]
#350 – November 22, 2017 As a wine writer and full-fledged oenophile, the chagim and seasonal weather changes are harbingers not only of wardrobe changes and an onslaught of meat-heavy grocery shopping but also curated wine and drinking adjustments. With good wine playing a primary role in the positive vibe of any social gathering or […]
#349 – November 5, 2017 It has been more than five years ago since Shiloh Winery was profiled on this newsletter and things have certainly changed since 2012 when it was still a relative newcomer to the scene. As can be seen in my interview of the principal owner in 2014, much has changed over […]
#347 – October, 11, 2017 Over the years of writing this newsletter there have been a few instances where my use of a certain word, turn of phrase or even one of my protologisms or neologisms have come back to haunt me. Attaching the adjective gregarious to Asaf Paz in my Binyamina newsletter back […]
May 4, 2017 As you know, Covenant’s wines have been continuously showcased on these pages for nearly ten years; however, the last time a full blown newsletter was dedicated to this magnificent winery was in 2011! Back then, the winery only produced four wines, three under the Covenant label (the eponymous Cabernet Sauvignon along with […]
March 10, 2017 (Purim Satire) While I don’t subscribe to the near-hysterics expressed by individuals of certain political leanings with respect to the perceived exclusionary policies threatening our very lives, liberty and happiness; I do believe that this newsletter’s focus on specific types of wine could be perceived by some as exclusionary. As that would […]
The coming Chagim present a perfect opportunity to dig deep into our cellars and bring out some of those Moshiach Wines. While RCC has (and continues to) provide its hundreds of participants around the globe with monthly “excuses” to open and share some of our better wines, the Jewish Holiday “season” of Rosh Hashana, Succot […]
#333 – June 22, 2017 With the mercury continuing to climb and New York succumbing to ever-increasing levels of wilting humidity, the search for relief is on. As any self-respecting oenophile knows, wine is the best way to combat summer’s discomfort with rosé the poster-child for such vinous relief. While Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio […]