Am I the only one that finds it a tad ironic that the term kosher is a derivative of the Hebrew term kasher which means â??properâ? and â??pureâ?? Iâ??ve had two kosher wines in my life and neither were an experience I ever want to relive.

And BIG UPS to GV for calling out the 69 point bottle. Not all bottles of wine are worthy of scores in the 80â??s. Bravo GV.

QOTD â?? Anything is possible, but no, not yet.

Am I the only one that finds it a tad ironic that the term kosher is a derivative of the Hebrew term kasher which means â??properâ? and â??pureâ?? Iâ??ve had two kosher wines in my life and neither were an experience I ever want to relive.

And BIG UPS to GV for calling out the 69 point bottle. Not all bottles of wine are worthy of scores in the 80â??s. Bravo GV.

QOTD â?? Anything is possible, but no, not yet.

GV, great ep. Will have to drop my preconceived notions about the Kosher wines. Never a bad opportunity to expand the palate.

maybe not, my preconceived notions may be correct. Shalom.

maybe not, my preconceived notions may be correct. Shalom.

To Mr. Cabernet:
My recommendation would be the 2004 Baron Herzog Zinfandel from Lodi. It’s about $11 but out of this world. It’s not as full-bodied as other Zinfandels from Lodi that cost more (Seven Deadly Zins, Truckee River) but compares very favorably.

QOTD
As for the question of the day: I’ve had lots of kosher wines that cost above $25 (I used to keep kosher). But one of my favorite kosher wines, at least in terms of bang for the buck, is the Galil Mountain Yiron, available for around $20 – a true steal.

70 clams for that wine? Fe!

Could this be the not-so-uncommon phenomenon where Parker points are magically converted into increasing price points?….

qotd: Never had a kosher wine but I do like Kosher Dill Pickles. I think I’ll stick with the pickles.

I’ve had some good Israeli juice before (Gamla Cab-Sauv from the Golan is nice), but no idea if it was Kosher – I doubt it.

Definately not a newbie, NTTAWWT.

Looks like those 3 wines are a major pazzzzzzzzzz for me.

QOTD: Only manischewitz.

Gary, glad to see you are looking at kosher wines. I think a focus on Israeli wines would be more interesting. I’m kosher, but the regional differentiation would be more relavent than the religious one. Castel Grand Vin ($50), Golan Heights Winery Yarden Cabernet 2003 ($25) and GHW Yarden Katzrin Red ($100) are all much better than what you just tasted, at three different price points. Yatir Forest ($50), Galil Mountain Cabernet ($14) . . . Great wines from Israel that have a regional distinction as great new world wines in a distinct climate.

Thanks for the focus though

Great episode, and nice to see you in shock for the very first time.
Wine is all about emotions. It has happened to me, too.

I never had a kosher wine, and I honestly think it is irrelevant except
for religious reasons. If you look at the rules how kosher wines have got
to be made, it’s really nothing special.
Bio-dynamic farming methods are much more far out in this regard.

So in the end I think it’s a marketing thing and nothing worth looking into.

Great episode, and nice to see you in shock for the very first time.
Wine is all about emotions. It has happened to me, too.

I never had a kosher wine, and I honestly think it is irrelevant except
for religious reasons. If you look at the rules how kosher wines have got
to be made, it’s really nothing special.
Bio-dynamic farming methods are much more far out in this regard.

So in the end I think it’s a marketing thing and nothing worth looking into.

I’ve had quite a bit of Kosher Wine, some are hit, some are miss like anything else. I havn’t had much luck with Israeli wines, though. I forget the producers, but i’ve had a Malbec from Argentia, and a Barolo that were both great. I’ve got some 03 Kosher Bordeaux i’m looking forward to trying as well.

GV – you missed the Bartenura Moscato again!

enlightening episode gary. are you going to be ok?
qotd: never have, and now im not necesarilly all that inspired to. lahiem

I can’t see me drinking a wine, that when I watched you sniffy snif I found myself cringing!!!!! That just ain’t right! PAZZZZ! 🙁

Gary
Thanks for the episode, was greatly appreciated
QOTD: yes many times

By the way kosher wine got nothing to do with a blessing of a Rabbi
All kosher wine means is
1. it was at all times handled by Jews
2. it contains no non kosher ingredients
3. the above 2 items are certified by a rabbi or kashrus organization like the OU

Well, as somebody Gary so generously hooked up with some great wineries in Israel… I have to say that I’m quite puzzled by a few things…

1) Why Gary didn’t reference the very nice high-value low-price NZ Kosher Goose Bay Sauv blanc that he reviewed in ep. 200 (IIRC), as a further example of how Kosher no longer means ”undrinkable swill”.

2) The choice of wineries. Now of course Gary has a preference in wines he carries, he chooses wildly disparate wines, and 2 from the same produer. Hevron Heights is generally not well regarded at all (a ”one star” — or ”hard to recommend” in his 2007 edtion of the israeli wine guide), though Rogov doesn’t review either of those wines in particular. Rogov also notes that Hevron Heights is marketed towards the particularly religiously observant Jews abroad, so it’s primarily a religious market, and flavor can be subpar and still have an market advantage. There are many better Kosher wineries in Israel,

Similarly, other than that you carry it, I don’t see what other than parker’s rating makes covenant a better choice than any others, including the south american kosher wineries.

CotD: Yes Gary, I’ve had a few, and they’re wines and from a winery I recommended to you — Hagafen Cellars, which makes some wonderful (and award-winning) napa cabs and syrahs (and an actually drinkable ‘chardonneaux’), particularly the 2001-3 Cab Sauvs. Just wonderful stuff.

Also, thanks to you, all sorts of varieties of Domain du Castel (5 stars from rogov, also known as consistently producing world-class wines), all of which are fabulous, even the chardonneaux. Even the petite castel, the second label, is a delight. In fact, you could definitely do worse than to have Arnon Geva on the show next time he’s in the states (though his wine has no shortage of customers), just because he’s the single most Gallic person I’ve ever met, which is particularly amazing when you realize that he’s haifa-born and of russian and hungarian ancestry. I’m sure he’d love to come on the show.

Other non-kosher israeli wineries that are good:
– Sea Horse (especially the Elul and the Munch petite sirah, which rogov called the best ever made in israel) — 4 stars from rogov
– Flam — one of the 3 best in Israel, along with Margalit and Castel — 5 stars from rogov
– Margalit — california-trained physical chemist and winemaker moves to israel. Hilarity and deliciousness ensue, as do bringing the miracle of PETIT SIRAH to Israel, and using it in small quantities to provide backbone to majority-cab blends. — 5 stars from rogov
– Chateau Golan — 5 stars on rogov
– Chillag — 4 stars on rogov
– Clos de Gat — 5 stars on rogov
– saslov, especially the adom and reserved series.
– Zauberman — 4 stars rogov

Other kosher israeli wineries that you need to drink:
– Recanati (especially their higher-end stuff, but even their

Other kosher israeli wineries that you need to drink:
– Recanati (especially their higher-end stuff, but even their

Other kosher israeli wineries that you need to drink:
– Recanati (especially their higher-end stuff, but even their lower-end sauv blanc is a nice balance between minerals and gooseberres) — 4 stars from rogov
– Domain du Castel, obviously
– Bustan (mostly kosher in recent years)
– Carmel (particularly the single vineyard and limited releases) — 4 stars rogov
– Ella valley, especially the cab franc — 4 stars rogov
– Golan Heights Winery — 5 stars rogov, especially the katzrin and yarden series, not so much the gamla or golan.
– Segal — 4 stars rogov, especially the single vineyard, unfiltered, and rehasim series.
– Tzora (some kosher, some not, — 4 stars rogov)
– yatir — 4 stars rogov

Other kosher israeli wineries that you need to drink:
– Recanati (especially their higher-end stuff, but even their lower-end sauv blanc is a nice balance between minerals and gooseberres) — 4 stars from rogov
– Domain du Castel, obviously
– Bustan (mostly kosher in recent years)
– Carmel (particularly the single vineyard and limited releases) — 4 stars rogov
– Ella valley, especially the cab franc — 4 stars rogov
– Golan Heights Winery — 5 stars rogov, especially the katzrin and yarden series, not so much the gamla or golan.
– Segal — 4 stars rogov, especially the single vineyard, unfiltered, and rehasim series.
– Tzora (some kosher, some not, — 4 stars rogov)
– yatir — 4 stars rogov

QOTD: Perhaps. Had some at a friend’s house once that wasn’t bad (was tasted with an Algerian wine that also actually wasn’t too bad…I’m guessing that one wasn’t halal). Wish I could remember the brand. Other than that, though, Nope. As a good old fashioned completely lapsed Catholic, I can’t say I’m in any particular rush to start keeping a Kosher diet. I’ve never looked good in black hats anyway.

QOTD: It has been quite a while since I have had a Kosher wine, and I don’t think I’ve ever had one over $20. However, I take your point that in confusion there is opportunity. This may be an area worth exploring.

Wondering why you didn’t change glasses, or swish with still or mineral water.

Maybe get that Giants fan to do it for you, or better yet, 3 clean glasses.

Let me know when you try the standards of kosher wine: Yarden Cab, Hagafen Cab, Recanati Cab, and please clean with water or USE SEPARATE GLASSES

I do find your humor entertaining though, Thunder, Thunder, Thundercats.

Get your own stadium! Sorry, had to say it…

QOTD: Nope