7 Wines to Help You Celebrate The New Year

We all know the Jewish holidays are never on time, they are either early or late.  This year they are early, very early and don’t even get me started about celebrating Hanukkah on Thanksgiving %@#$!

First, I have to get through cooking for Rosh Hashanah with three kids running around the house, bouncing off the walls and suffering from withdrawal from summer camp and my feeble attempts to limit digital time to a mere 3 hours a day… Did I hear a “good luck with that”?

But enough about me, I will stop pouring out my frustrations and start pouring out some wonderful new wines this year.  The best part of my August is being able to taste new kosher wines for the New Year from some of the top winemakers in the world.

This year at our Rosh Hashanah table we’re going to taste the fruit of the vine from the farthest reaches of the continental United States (Washington State) to the mountains of Mendoza in Argentina with a sampling of some of our latest favorites from the Holy Land.  Let’s raise a glass to some of the best kosher wines to add to your table for the New Year.

2009 Dalton Alma Shiraz-Mourvedre-Viognier (Israel); $27.  A classic Rhone-style blend that is another unique contribution to the Israel wine scene, this is a full-bodied wine showing rich earthy characteristics of leather and licorice with underlying floral notes and wild raspberries. The wine is medium bodied with a rich silky finish.

2011 Flechas De Los Andes Cabernet Sauvignon Syrah (Argentina); $24.  Deep purple colors reflecting a highly concentrated full-bodied wine, with plum and spice on the nose.  Delicate vanilla and smoky notes to follow.

French oak enhances this distinctive wine with touches of vanilla, mocha, cinnamon and chocolate.

2011 Pacifica Evan’s Collection Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot (Washington); $28.   Flavors and aromas of blackberry, dark chocolate and hints of vanilla. A layered wine that is luscious and soft.

Scroll to continue

2009 Psagot Merlot (Israel); $25.  Aged 13 months in French oak, this fruit-forward wine is packed with plum and cherry aromas, soft tannins and a nice spicy finish.

2010 Saslove Marriage (Israel); $29.  A blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Nebbiolo. This unique combination creates a powerful wine with wild fruit flavors of cherry, raspberry and blueberry. The wine’s 6-month ageing in American and

2010 Teperberg Terra Malbec (Israel); $29.  Malbec is the grape of choice for the finest Argentinean wines.  This full bodied wine is characterized by its intense deep color infused with the flavors of forest fruit. The maturing of the wine in French oak barrels for 12 months enriches the complexity of the wine.

2010 Yogev Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot (Israel); $15.  Deep color and black fruit flavors and hints of desert spices, results in a wine with an interesting balance between fruitiness and oak influences, generous complexity and a pleasant finish.