GKC loves chatting with friends at Royal Wines. We get all of our best wine suggestions, like last week’s Top “low alcohol” wines to help choose the perfect wines for the seder. Now this week we are focusing on what to drink on the Yom Tov meals. As we mentioned, we like to stick to low alcohol wines during the seders to stay focused and save the finer drinking wines for Yom Tov meals.

If you are looking for great value, try these…

Top “great value” wines
1. Gamla Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (SRP: $22.99)
2. Baron Herzog “old vine” Zinfandel (SRP: $14.99)
3. Weinstock “Red by W” (SRP: $9.99)
4. Binyamina Reserve Shiraz (SRP: $24.99)
5. Ben Ami Cabernet Sauvignon (SRP: $11.99)
6. Chateau Le Petit Chaban (SRP: $19.99)
7. Barken Classic Pinot Noir (SRP: $11.99)
8. Segal’s Fusion Red (SRP: $14.99)
9. Ramon Cardova Rioja (SRP: $15.99)
10. Baron Herzog Chardonnay (SRP: $14.99)

These special wines will enhance your Yom Tov. Our must try Yom Tov wine menu includes any or all of the following. They make great gifts too!

Top “Trophy” Wines
1. Yatir Forest (91 points)
2. Castel Grand Vin (92 points)
3. Capcanes Peraj Ha’abib (95 points)
4. Chateau Leoville Poyferre (93 points)
5. Elvi “EL 26” (92 points)
6. Psagot “Edom” (91 points)
7. Gamla Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (90 points)
8. Barkan Superieur Pinotage (90 points)
9. Carmel Limited Edition (91 points)
10. The CAVE (90 points)

What wine should I be drinking at my Seder? It’s a common question, but one that is impossible to answer. It depends on people’s personal preference, their budget, whether they are seeking low alcohol wines or not, if they want to try something new to market, or even if a person is seeking that “trophy” wine to proudly display alongside the Cup of Eliyahu (Elijah). This Passover we will cover all of those subjects.

First, are wines for the seder. And yes, we do drink low alcohol wines when it comes to the Arba cosot (4 cups)…it keeps us awake, aware and looking forward to that special wine served at the meal!

GKC friends at Royal Wine helped us choose the, drum roll please…

Top “low alcohol” wines
1. Bartenura Moscato (5% abv – alcohol by volume) SRP -$14.99
2. Bartenura Malvasia (5%) SRP – $14.99
3. Kedem Concord Kal (3.5%) SRP – $5.99
4. Zakon Muscatini Red (6.5%) SRP – $12.99
5. Zion Winery Kalil (4%) SRP – $9.99
6. Kesser NY Cabernet Sauvignon (12%) SRP – $7.99
7. Barkan Classic Petite Syrah (12%) SRP – $11.99
8. Weinstock “Red by W” (12%) SRP – $9.99
9. Goose Bay Pinot Noir (12%) SRP – $27.99
10. Baron Rothschild Bordeaux (12.5%) SRP – $37.99

Finding new wines for the wine lover is challenge number one. Finding new wines that taste great and are priced for every-day consumption is an even greater challenge. The Yogev line of Israeli wines has been providing wine lovers with quality wines that are priced for weeknight meals and not only special occasions. New from Yogev is their first single varietal wine – the Yogev Cabernet Sauvignon. The Yogev Cab is a medium bodied wine that is versatile enough to go well with pizza, a burger or even just for every day sipping.

An exciting development in Israeli wine is the introduction of a Reserve line for Gamla wines. Gamla wines have long stood for quality and the addition of a new Reserve line, under the supervision of Israeli wine pioneer Peter Stern is sure to put a smile on Israeli wine lover’s faces. The first two wines to be released from the Gamla Reserve series are the Gamla Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon & Gamla Reserve Merlot. Each of these wines is full-bodied and fruity, with the Cabernet showing slightly more black fruit characteristics while the merlot is a bit softer, showing red fruit characteristics.

Not to be left out of the New Wine Party, California wineries are also constantly looking to keep Cali wine lovers happy with new and exciting products. A recently released special is the Herzog Reserve “Oak Knoll” Cabernet Sauvignon, another in the line of single vineyard wines from Herzog Wine Cellars. This small batch wine was tasted and positively reviewed by Daniel Rogov in an online video – a great endorsement!

Whatever the country and no matter the grape, this Yom Tov season make sure to take advantage of the bounty of new wines available on the market. Your taste buds won’t be disappointed!

Gary Landsman, AKA the “Wine Tasting Guy”, makes, sells, writes about and of course tastes wine. Presently doing PR/Marketing work for Royal Wines, you can contact Gary with any wine related questions at gary@winetastingguy.com.

Several new wines have arrived stateside for Passover meals & every day enjoyment!

There are so many wonderful things about wine. People have different palates and therefore prefer different wines. Each year brings a new vintage of wines, giving the wine lover an opportunity to taste the latest version of their favorite wine. But to many a wine lover, it is a brand new wine that they most look forward to tasting.

Australia is famous for their Shiraz (elsewhere often known as Syrah). Yet for many years the kosher Shiraz available in the US have typically been “value” wines, those that are nice table wines but do not quite qualify as premium and rarely garner high scores from the critics. Harkham winery is looking to change that with their Harkham Shiraz, new to the US market. Densely colored with rich fruit flavors and spice, keep your eye out for this bottle with the slick black and silver label.

Italy has a long history of making great wines, especially wines that go well with food. Despite this history, only a few of the best kosher Italian wines have ever found their way stateside. For the first time on record there is an all kosher winery in Italy producing wines called Terra di Seta. The Terra di Seta Chianti Classico recently received a 90 rating and is a phenomenal wine to pair with all kinds of foods including salmon & lean cuts of meat.

Israel has been a prime player in the quality kosher wine revolution. But most of the best Israeli wines have been Cabernet Sauvignon based wines. While “Cab is king”, a little variety is always nice. Domaine Netofa is a new winery founded by the traveling kosher winemaker Pierre Miodownick. Following the successful release of his first wine, Domaine Netofa Red, Miodownick recently released a Domaine Netofa White, a complex wine made from Chenin Blanc as well as a flagship wine, Latour Netofa, a blend of Syrah and Mourvedre that received 90 points.

For more Israeli and other new wines for your Passover seders, tune in next week…

Gary Landsman, AKA the “Wine Tasting Guy”, makes, sells, writes about and of course tastes wine. Presently doing PR/Marketing work for Royal Wines, you can contact Gary with any wine related questions at gary@winetastingguy.com.