From: Kosher Wine Society
Newsletter August, 2010
Stay Tuned for August Events
:: The Kosher Wine Society Teams with Glenmoranie Distillery
:: Tabor - Wines from the Galilee
:: Wine of the Month - Pinot Gris
After a quiet and very hot July with weeks of record setting temperatures, the "dog days" of summer are upon us. It's August, and now that thankfully, the weather has cooled down a bit, we are excited to bring you some great events as we get ready for the New Year.
On Wednesday, August 18th, join other young professionals at the Eden Gallery when American Friends of Beit Issie Shapiro Generation Next presents "A Taste of Israel." Experience the exciting flavors that wines and liquors from Israel have to offer us. "
Click Here to Sign up
On August 26th, come sail on the CORNUCOPIA MAJESTY with the Kosher Wine Society and the Whisky Guild for "WHISKY ON THE HUDSON" and enjoy the opportunity to sample from more than 150 rare and exclusive whiskies
Meet us at Pier 59, on West 23rd Street
New York, NY.
VIP Boarding Time: 6:00
Boarding Time: 7:00-7:30
Sail Time: 7:30-10:30
Special pricing will be available for all Kosher Wine Society Members. Please email me at Events@kosherWineSociety.com to reserve a seat on Board.
SAVE THE DATE!! - September 1st, for our annual "New Wines for the New Year" celebration. We have had so much success with this event in past 2 years that we are doing it again! Stay tuned for details! Sign up before August 15th and save Click Here to sign up. (After August 15th the price goes up to $30.)
Speaking of the wines of Israel, on June 3rd in the Penthouse of the Roger Smith Hotel, our guests enjoyed a talk by Tal Cohen, who spoke about winemaking in the Galilee and guided participants through tasting three truly intriguing series of wines from the Tabor Winery. The evening was a really valuable opportunity for wine enthusiasts to learn how different soils affect the taste, texture, color, and aroma of fine wines. See below for the full story.
The Kosher Wine Society is proud to announce its association with the famous Glenmorangie distillery in Scotland. For details, see the full story below.
Looking forward to tasting with you soon!
Aron
KWS President
646-484-(Wine)9463
The Kosher Wine Society
Teams Up with Glenmorangie Distillery
by: Rhonda Weiss
The Kosher Wine Society is pairing up with Scotland's famous Glenmorangie Distillery. Through shelf talkers at liquor stores, discount coupons for members and website advertisement, the Kosher Wine Society will be working to bring Glenmorangie's exceptional single malt whiskeys to the attention of the American Jewish Community. Glenmorangie's long history and the quality of its traditional manufacturing process along with pure waters, extraordinary stills, fine casks, continued innovation and attention to detail make it a distillery whose products we are proud to endorse.
Glenmorangie, located in Tain, Ross-shire, Scotland, is one of the first licensed distilleries in the Highlands. In 1843, founder William Matheison along with a team of experts known as "the sixteen men of Tain," began producing a high-quality range of single-malt whiskey. The tradition continues today. With a staff of just 16, Glenmorangie has been producing the best selling single malt in the UK.
The key ingredient in any malt whisky is the water that goes into it. Glenmorangie's water comes from the Tarlogie Springs, located about a mile above the distillery. Waters that fall as rain on the Hill of Tain filter down through lime and sandstone rocks, gathering minerals on the way, and rise again at Tarlogie, taking up to a hundred years to emerge. This precious water was in recent years threatened by the possibility of land development. To insure the quantity and quality of water needed for the distillation process Glenmorangie purchased Tarlogie Springs and some 650 acres surrounding it.
The Glenmorangie stills have the tallest columns of any in Scotland, standing 26 ft 3 in, with 10 feet 1.25 inch necks. This is especially significant because this mean only the lightest and purest vapors can ascend and condense into spirit. Glenmorangie's distilling methods retain less than a third of the second distillate for maturation. The rest is returned to the still for further refinement.
Glenmorangie controls the quality of its casks as well. All of its products are matured in white oak casks that are manufactured from trees grown in Glenmorangie's own forest in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. After being left to air for 2 years, the new casks are leased for 4 years to distilleries for use in maturing bourbon. Glenmorangie then reclaims the casks and uses them to mature their single-malt whiskeys.
Glenmorangie distills a wide selection of products, all with their own singular flavors and character. Which of these can be qualified as kosher is a matter of opinion. Glenmorangie's "Original" range of whiskeys is matured entirely in casks that were first used for bourbon and are therefore indisputably kosher. The "Extra Matured" range is transferred into casks that were previously used for other spirits such as wine, port or sherry in a process called finishing.
Whiskey that has been matured or finished in casks that formerly contained sherry or other wine products has been a subject of debate among rabbis. Because grape juice and wine are traditionally sacramental items, Jewish law requires that they be made in a controlled kosher fashion. All kosher wine and grape juice manufacturing requires the direct involvement of trained rabbis. The question is whether sherry in the wood of the cask, not having been produced as a kosher wine, retains enough of its character as wine that its presence in the cask will render the whisky not acceptable by kosher standards.
On this issue there exists more than one school of thought and more than one answer. Consult your local rabbi if you have questions regarding the kosher status of any scotch.
After investigating the opinion of many organizations that issue kosher certificates, the Kosher Wine Society has added their endorsement to Glenmorangie Original, 10 years old, Glenmorangie Astar and Glenmorangie 18 years old. For a list of local liquor stores that carry these products please visit: the Kosher Wine Society at www.kosherwinesociety.com.
WINE AND SOIL
EXCITING TASTES FROM THE GALILEE
An Evening With Tal Cohen - Tabor Winery
by Rhonda Weiss
On June 3, 2010 - in the Penthouse of the Roger Smith Hotel - guests of the Kosher Wine Society welcomed Tal Cohen, United States' representative of Israel's Tabor Winery located near the historic vineyards of Kfar Tabor in the lower Galilee. Tabor Winery produces an innovative and ever evolving collection of the highest quality wines made from grapes grown in four different soil types occurring side by side in the landscape; Terra Rosa, Chalk, Clay and Volcanic.
For more than 120 years, the vineyards of Kfar Tabor have been supplying grapes for Israel's leading wineries. In 1997 four families, Sela, Korman, Pelag and Ben Tanhum set up a boutique winery with each family overseeing a different facet of administration. Together they contribute four hundred years of accumulated agricultural experience, endowing the young winery with qualities rooted in longstanding tradition and know-how.
Chief winemaker Arye Nesher, a Russian wine expert who immigrated to Israel in 1990, holds to a Terroire world-view. He invests the better part of his time creating the most advantageous environment for the vineyard - personally taking charge of growing methods. He believes that while ninety percent of a wine's quality is determined by the vine's growing time and location in the vineyard, a mere ten percent by the production process. The astute choice of grape varieties and soils, the close proximity of the vineyards to the winery and carefully controlled conditions of winemaking combine to give Tabor wines their unique and refined taste.
Kosher Wine Society guests sampled wines from three of Tabor's series:
Galil
Tabor's youngest wines, made from a combination of grapes grown in all soils. The winemaker calls these "happy" wines. Easy drinking, fresh and crisp, slightly bubbly on the tongue, Galil wines make excellent choices for those who are new to the world of wine. The Galil series is not oaked, but rather aged for four months in stainless steel, and should be chilled before drinking. Guests tasted four varieties: Tabor Galil Chardonnay 2009, Galil Sauvignon Blanc 2009, Galil Merlot 2007 and Galil Cabernet Sauvignon 2007.
Adama - The "Soil" Series
To create this series the winemaker separated grapes grown in the different soils to create wines whose aromas, flavors and finish strongly reflect the qualities of each particular soil. Wines from grapes grown in chalk soil are earthy and minerally. Wines from grapes grown in volcanic soil have a very strong nose with vanilla and fruit flavors. Volcanic soil is very hard and rocky, so the roots of the grapevines must grow very far down in search of water. Because of this, the grapes produce wines that are very complex and with a strong presence. Terra Rosa soil is soft and dark red in color, and the Terra Rosa wines all carry this depth of color.
Adama wines are more sophisticated than the Galil and should be consumed at room temperature. Aged for twelve months in French or American Oak, they are richer with more body and complexity and appeal to the more experienced wine drinker. Because they are very unique in palette and nose, many "only Merlot" drinkers enjoy the Adama Cabernet, and many Cabernet drinkers enjoy the Adama Merlot. Sommeliers in a blind sampling could not determine which kind of wine they had tasted.
Participants tasted Tabor Adama Chalk Soil Sauvignon Blanc 2009, Adama Chalk Soil Merlot 2006, Adama Volcanic Soil Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 and Adama Terra Rosa Cabernet Sauvignon 2006.
Mes'cha
This is Tabor's top-of-the-line label and the winemaker's most personal creation. He uses a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz grapes grown in each of the soils and ages the wine for eighteen months in French Oak. Due to selective hand harvesting and exacting standards of perfection, only a small quantity of this wine is produced yearly. In fact, at the discretion of the winemaker, there are some years in which this wine is not released for sale at all. The vintage guests tasted this evening was Tabor Mes'cha Cab-Merlot-Shiraz 2005.
As an added treat, Tal Cohen introduced samples from Tabor's new Plinim "Pearls" line, currently being sold only in Israel. These are delicate sparking wines that are lovely to drink on their own and make wonderfully refreshing Sangria.
The highly distinctive qualities of each wine and wine series sparked lively interest and discussion. Guests spontaneously compared their findings among themselves and directed many questions to Tal Cohen. The event, structured as a formal sit-down wine tasting and lecture, went beyond any "educational formula for polite listening."
In the most positive sense, the guests broke the boundaries of this both pleasurable and informative wine tasting, and took on learning for themselves with laughter, commentary and enthusiastic participation. The evening gave guests much to think about in terms of soil types, winemaking techniques and the beautiful landscape of the Galilee. It also opened the door for them to explore a wide range of aromas, tastes and textures.
WINE OF THE MONTH PINOT GRIS
Our choice for August is Pinot Gris, a potentially richer and more complex white to go with the rich late summer colors and the rusts and golds of autumn.
Pino Gris is a white wine grape of the species Vitis vinifera and is thought to be a mutant clone of the Pinot noir grape. It's name "gris" meaning grey in French refers to its normally grayish-blue fruit. Often however, even within the same cluster, the ripe grapes can vary in color from black to deep golden yellow and copper to light shades of pink and even white.
The traditional base of Pino Gris is Alsace, France where it is called tokay d'Alsace. The grapes are also grown in Hungary, New Zealand, and Tasmania. Growers in northeastern Italy call the same grape Pino Grigio. Pino Gris is also are now being grown quite successfully in Oregon where many wineries are moving steadily away from making Chardonnay while increasing production of Pinot Gris.
Depending on the attention to ripeness at harvest and techniques of vinification, Pinot Gris can create very different wines, from tangy and light and even bland and vapid, to rich, round and full-bodied. Pinot Gris is usually delicately fragrant and mildly floral with lightly lemon-citrus flavors along with melon, apple and pear. It can also show components of vanilla, sweet wood, almond, spice and honey on the palate. Its color is a pale yellow with hints of gold and its texture is notably silky and smooth.
Food Pairings
Pinot Grigio pairs nicely with light pastas, goat cheese and cheese/cracker combinations. It also matches well with vegetable salads, salmon or Arctic Char, fried fish, white fish, chicken and turkey. Because this wine is fairly acidic, avoid pairing it with foods that have high acid contents such as citrus fruits or tomato-based dishes.
Kosher Wine Society | 333 E 102nd # 833 | New York | NY | 10029
Stay Tuned for August Events
:: The Kosher Wine Society Teams with Glenmoranie Distillery
:: Tabor - Wines from the Galilee
:: Wine of the Month - Pinot Gris
After a quiet and very hot July with weeks of record setting temperatures, the "dog days" of summer are upon us. It's August, and now that thankfully, the weather has cooled down a bit, we are excited to bring you some great events as we get ready for the New Year.
On Wednesday, August 18th, join other young professionals at the Eden Gallery when American Friends of Beit Issie Shapiro Generation Next presents "A Taste of Israel." Experience the exciting flavors that wines and liquors from Israel have to offer us. "
Click Here to Sign up
On August 26th, come sail on the CORNUCOPIA MAJESTY with the Kosher Wine Society and the Whisky Guild for "WHISKY ON THE HUDSON" and enjoy the opportunity to sample from more than 150 rare and exclusive whiskies
Meet us at Pier 59, on West 23rd Street
New York, NY.
VIP Boarding Time: 6:00
Boarding Time: 7:00-7:30
Sail Time: 7:30-10:30
Special pricing will be available for all Kosher Wine Society Members. Please email me at Events@kosherWineSociety.com to reserve a seat on Board.
SAVE THE DATE!! - September 1st, for our annual "New Wines for the New Year" celebration. We have had so much success with this event in past 2 years that we are doing it again! Stay tuned for details! Sign up before August 15th and save Click Here to sign up. (After August 15th the price goes up to $30.)
Speaking of the wines of Israel, on June 3rd in the Penthouse of the Roger Smith Hotel, our guests enjoyed a talk by Tal Cohen, who spoke about winemaking in the Galilee and guided participants through tasting three truly intriguing series of wines from the Tabor Winery. The evening was a really valuable opportunity for wine enthusiasts to learn how different soils affect the taste, texture, color, and aroma of fine wines. See below for the full story.
The Kosher Wine Society is proud to announce its association with the famous Glenmorangie distillery in Scotland. For details, see the full story below.
Looking forward to tasting with you soon!
Aron
KWS President
646-484-(Wine)9463
The Kosher Wine Society
Teams Up with Glenmorangie Distillery
by: Rhonda Weiss
The Kosher Wine Society is pairing up with Scotland's famous Glenmorangie Distillery. Through shelf talkers at liquor stores, discount coupons for members and website advertisement, the Kosher Wine Society will be working to bring Glenmorangie's exceptional single malt whiskeys to the attention of the American Jewish Community. Glenmorangie's long history and the quality of its traditional manufacturing process along with pure waters, extraordinary stills, fine casks, continued innovation and attention to detail make it a distillery whose products we are proud to endorse.
Glenmorangie, located in Tain, Ross-shire, Scotland, is one of the first licensed distilleries in the Highlands. In 1843, founder William Matheison along with a team of experts known as "the sixteen men of Tain," began producing a high-quality range of single-malt whiskey. The tradition continues today. With a staff of just 16, Glenmorangie has been producing the best selling single malt in the UK.
The key ingredient in any malt whisky is the water that goes into it. Glenmorangie's water comes from the Tarlogie Springs, located about a mile above the distillery. Waters that fall as rain on the Hill of Tain filter down through lime and sandstone rocks, gathering minerals on the way, and rise again at Tarlogie, taking up to a hundred years to emerge. This precious water was in recent years threatened by the possibility of land development. To insure the quantity and quality of water needed for the distillation process Glenmorangie purchased Tarlogie Springs and some 650 acres surrounding it.
The Glenmorangie stills have the tallest columns of any in Scotland, standing 26 ft 3 in, with 10 feet 1.25 inch necks. This is especially significant because this mean only the lightest and purest vapors can ascend and condense into spirit. Glenmorangie's distilling methods retain less than a third of the second distillate for maturation. The rest is returned to the still for further refinement.
Glenmorangie controls the quality of its casks as well. All of its products are matured in white oak casks that are manufactured from trees grown in Glenmorangie's own forest in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. After being left to air for 2 years, the new casks are leased for 4 years to distilleries for use in maturing bourbon. Glenmorangie then reclaims the casks and uses them to mature their single-malt whiskeys.
Glenmorangie distills a wide selection of products, all with their own singular flavors and character. Which of these can be qualified as kosher is a matter of opinion. Glenmorangie's "Original" range of whiskeys is matured entirely in casks that were first used for bourbon and are therefore indisputably kosher. The "Extra Matured" range is transferred into casks that were previously used for other spirits such as wine, port or sherry in a process called finishing.
Whiskey that has been matured or finished in casks that formerly contained sherry or other wine products has been a subject of debate among rabbis. Because grape juice and wine are traditionally sacramental items, Jewish law requires that they be made in a controlled kosher fashion. All kosher wine and grape juice manufacturing requires the direct involvement of trained rabbis. The question is whether sherry in the wood of the cask, not having been produced as a kosher wine, retains enough of its character as wine that its presence in the cask will render the whisky not acceptable by kosher standards.
On this issue there exists more than one school of thought and more than one answer. Consult your local rabbi if you have questions regarding the kosher status of any scotch.
After investigating the opinion of many organizations that issue kosher certificates, the Kosher Wine Society has added their endorsement to Glenmorangie Original, 10 years old, Glenmorangie Astar and Glenmorangie 18 years old. For a list of local liquor stores that carry these products please visit: the Kosher Wine Society at www.kosherwinesociety.com.
WINE AND SOIL
EXCITING TASTES FROM THE GALILEE
An Evening With Tal Cohen - Tabor Winery
by Rhonda Weiss
On June 3, 2010 - in the Penthouse of the Roger Smith Hotel - guests of the Kosher Wine Society welcomed Tal Cohen, United States' representative of Israel's Tabor Winery located near the historic vineyards of Kfar Tabor in the lower Galilee. Tabor Winery produces an innovative and ever evolving collection of the highest quality wines made from grapes grown in four different soil types occurring side by side in the landscape; Terra Rosa, Chalk, Clay and Volcanic.
For more than 120 years, the vineyards of Kfar Tabor have been supplying grapes for Israel's leading wineries. In 1997 four families, Sela, Korman, Pelag and Ben Tanhum set up a boutique winery with each family overseeing a different facet of administration. Together they contribute four hundred years of accumulated agricultural experience, endowing the young winery with qualities rooted in longstanding tradition and know-how.
Chief winemaker Arye Nesher, a Russian wine expert who immigrated to Israel in 1990, holds to a Terroire world-view. He invests the better part of his time creating the most advantageous environment for the vineyard - personally taking charge of growing methods. He believes that while ninety percent of a wine's quality is determined by the vine's growing time and location in the vineyard, a mere ten percent by the production process. The astute choice of grape varieties and soils, the close proximity of the vineyards to the winery and carefully controlled conditions of winemaking combine to give Tabor wines their unique and refined taste.
Kosher Wine Society guests sampled wines from three of Tabor's series:
Galil
Tabor's youngest wines, made from a combination of grapes grown in all soils. The winemaker calls these "happy" wines. Easy drinking, fresh and crisp, slightly bubbly on the tongue, Galil wines make excellent choices for those who are new to the world of wine. The Galil series is not oaked, but rather aged for four months in stainless steel, and should be chilled before drinking. Guests tasted four varieties: Tabor Galil Chardonnay 2009, Galil Sauvignon Blanc 2009, Galil Merlot 2007 and Galil Cabernet Sauvignon 2007.
Adama - The "Soil" Series
To create this series the winemaker separated grapes grown in the different soils to create wines whose aromas, flavors and finish strongly reflect the qualities of each particular soil. Wines from grapes grown in chalk soil are earthy and minerally. Wines from grapes grown in volcanic soil have a very strong nose with vanilla and fruit flavors. Volcanic soil is very hard and rocky, so the roots of the grapevines must grow very far down in search of water. Because of this, the grapes produce wines that are very complex and with a strong presence. Terra Rosa soil is soft and dark red in color, and the Terra Rosa wines all carry this depth of color.
Adama wines are more sophisticated than the Galil and should be consumed at room temperature. Aged for twelve months in French or American Oak, they are richer with more body and complexity and appeal to the more experienced wine drinker. Because they are very unique in palette and nose, many "only Merlot" drinkers enjoy the Adama Cabernet, and many Cabernet drinkers enjoy the Adama Merlot. Sommeliers in a blind sampling could not determine which kind of wine they had tasted.
Participants tasted Tabor Adama Chalk Soil Sauvignon Blanc 2009, Adama Chalk Soil Merlot 2006, Adama Volcanic Soil Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 and Adama Terra Rosa Cabernet Sauvignon 2006.
Mes'cha
This is Tabor's top-of-the-line label and the winemaker's most personal creation. He uses a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz grapes grown in each of the soils and ages the wine for eighteen months in French Oak. Due to selective hand harvesting and exacting standards of perfection, only a small quantity of this wine is produced yearly. In fact, at the discretion of the winemaker, there are some years in which this wine is not released for sale at all. The vintage guests tasted this evening was Tabor Mes'cha Cab-Merlot-Shiraz 2005.
As an added treat, Tal Cohen introduced samples from Tabor's new Plinim "Pearls" line, currently being sold only in Israel. These are delicate sparking wines that are lovely to drink on their own and make wonderfully refreshing Sangria.
The highly distinctive qualities of each wine and wine series sparked lively interest and discussion. Guests spontaneously compared their findings among themselves and directed many questions to Tal Cohen. The event, structured as a formal sit-down wine tasting and lecture, went beyond any "educational formula for polite listening."
In the most positive sense, the guests broke the boundaries of this both pleasurable and informative wine tasting, and took on learning for themselves with laughter, commentary and enthusiastic participation. The evening gave guests much to think about in terms of soil types, winemaking techniques and the beautiful landscape of the Galilee. It also opened the door for them to explore a wide range of aromas, tastes and textures.
WINE OF THE MONTH PINOT GRIS
Our choice for August is Pinot Gris, a potentially richer and more complex white to go with the rich late summer colors and the rusts and golds of autumn.
Pino Gris is a white wine grape of the species Vitis vinifera and is thought to be a mutant clone of the Pinot noir grape. It's name "gris" meaning grey in French refers to its normally grayish-blue fruit. Often however, even within the same cluster, the ripe grapes can vary in color from black to deep golden yellow and copper to light shades of pink and even white.
The traditional base of Pino Gris is Alsace, France where it is called tokay d'Alsace. The grapes are also grown in Hungary, New Zealand, and Tasmania. Growers in northeastern Italy call the same grape Pino Grigio. Pino Gris is also are now being grown quite successfully in Oregon where many wineries are moving steadily away from making Chardonnay while increasing production of Pinot Gris.
Depending on the attention to ripeness at harvest and techniques of vinification, Pinot Gris can create very different wines, from tangy and light and even bland and vapid, to rich, round and full-bodied. Pinot Gris is usually delicately fragrant and mildly floral with lightly lemon-citrus flavors along with melon, apple and pear. It can also show components of vanilla, sweet wood, almond, spice and honey on the palate. Its color is a pale yellow with hints of gold and its texture is notably silky and smooth.
Food Pairings
Pinot Grigio pairs nicely with light pastas, goat cheese and cheese/cracker combinations. It also matches well with vegetable salads, salmon or Arctic Char, fried fish, white fish, chicken and turkey. Because this wine is fairly acidic, avoid pairing it with foods that have high acid contents such as citrus fruits or tomato-based dishes.
Kosher Wine Society | 333 E 102nd # 833 | New York | NY | 10029
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment