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Jewish World Review / May 27, 1998 / 2 Sivan, 5758
By Avi Z. Fertig
THEY SAY THAT FEELINGS which are most personal are most universal. If
so, then to admit that some of the real reasons I especially love
Shavuos include blintzes, lasagna, and pickled salmon, I'd be far from
alone. However, something not quite universal about Shavuos is the
understanding that wine is perhaps the most delicious complement to the
entire experience.
Year round, we enjoy opportunities to sample and develop an appeal for
red wine. Formal dining, which generally occurs on Shabbes or Yom Tov,
often entails a delicious meat meal. Meat meals when paired with wine
are simple: Light meats go with light red wines such as Gamay or Merlot
and heavier meats beg for Cabernet or Red Zinfandel. A delicious
Bordeaux is always welcome while the white wines are reserved for
dessert or served before the meal. Shavuos changes everything when dairy
meals translate into a worried, "What Do I Do?" The answer in two words:
White Wine!
The foods we traditionally enjoy for Shavuos are the perfect venue to
display the brilliance found in today's kosher white wines. Over the
past several years, the kosher wine industry has evolved to allow for a
marvelous selection. But it is my feeling that the
variety of white wines for Shavuos 1998 is the most complete to date.
Before diving into a list of the best wines, allow me to briefly explain
why white wines are what they are. Generally, white wines are white
because the crushed grape juice is not allowed to soak together with the
grape skins (which generally contributes to the red color of red wines).
However, many white wines are white simply because they are made from
white (actually green) grapes. White wines across the board are lighter
in body and more delicate in taste compared to red wines.
Tannin, which
contributes to the dry, mouth-puckering sensation experienced when
drinking many red wines, comes from grape skins. Since white wines spend
much less time in contact with the skins than red wines, this sensation
is largely absent when drinking white wines. Tannins are also much of
the reason that wines mellow or improve with age. The younger the
tannins, the more edge the wine has. White wines have little tannin, and
therefore do not greatly improve with age. Lastly, white wines taste
better chilled. Placing the bottle in the refrigerator forty-five
minutes to an hour before serving is generally more than enough.
White wines, like red wines, vary in taste from sweet to very dry. Some
of the classic sweet white wines are already well-known. Everyone knows
that by specifically asking for a bottle of Rashi Moscato D'Asti, or
Herzog Late Harvest Johannisberg Riesling, you're getting a high quality
sweet wine certain tos meet your expectations. Allow me to provide a few
more sure-wins with which you may not be familiar.
Just prior to Passover 1998, a wine tasting at Sherry-Lehman (an
prominent wine store in Manhattan) indicated that a wine called Premier
Cru Chablis was difficult to keep on the shelves. While this name might
be familiar to those who have enjoyed Kedem Chablis for years, there is
little comparison between these two wines.
The Premier Cru Chablis is an
elegant white wine from the Chablis region of France with a subtle, yet
remarkably rewarding burst of fruit flavor and aromatic floral notes.
Every swallow reveals the range of complexity this well regarded wine
possesses. Best served with popular Shavuos entrées such as Blue Fish,
Cod, thick hearty soups or Gespacho, the Chablis has the ability to
match up to these foods by masterfully interlacing the flavor families
present with the subtleties of the wine.
Another welcome addition to your Shavuos table will be the Alphonse
Mellot Sancerre. The product of a distinguished wine making family in
France, offered for the first time as kosher, Sancerre is a delicate yet
flavorful white wine with the perfect balance of smoothness, body and
aroma. The wine responds and enhances one's enjoyment of spicy lasagna,
any heavily sauced pasta or a nicely seasoned salmon filet.
On Shavuos, sweet flavors predominate when blintzes, noodle kugels or
anything with fruit or cinnamon is served. Fortunately, there is a
dazzling variety of sweet or semi-dry kosher white wines from which to
choose. Herzog Selection Chateneuf from the Bordeaux region of France is
perfect. A finely balanced wine that goes marvelously with a remarkable
range of foods Chateneuf is prone to being used up quickly. Also, the
ever-reliable Kedem Estates Blush Chablis pairs brilliantly with sweet
foods and offers a wonderful flavor of its own.
Quiche, widely enjoyed these days by real men everywhere, is still
traditionally a side dish. Yet, it takes on a life of its own when
paired with the delicious Gamla Semi-Dry White from the Golan Heights
Winery in Israel. Other suggestions which pair superbly with a variety
of foods ranging from spinach salad to pasta salad, seasoned potatoes or
fruit salads are Gamla Muscat or Baron Herzog Chenin Blanc.
I'm running out of foods to mention, but my list of wines is going
strong. For example, I recommend you try Gan Eden Gewurtzraminer and
Black Muscat. Both of these wines have crisp yet sweet characteristics
which may have you inventing foods to try them with. For a drier, crisp
wine that you'll enjoy sampling is the Baron Herzog Chardonnay. The New
York Times did an entire segment on this wine earlier in the year and
they were very accurate in portraying it as a moderately-priced wine of
exceptional quality, which is another way of saying the stuff is good
and doesn't cost much.
If you're looking for an unusual dessert wine to sample, pick up a
bottle of the Yarden Muscat. This wine used to be called Port Blanc, but
for marketing reasons was repackaged in an elegant new bottle and
renamed Muscat. On the other hand, if you're looking for a simple,
inexpensive wine which always comes through, pick up a bottle or six of
Baron Herzog White Zinfandel. It's always a winner.
Last but not least is a selection which just won a gold medal in the
prestigious Florida Tasters Guild wine competition. Joseph Zakon
Muscatini-White was a new release this past Passover. It certainly has
taken off. However, Joseph Zakon has informed me his stock is running
thin. I recommend securing at least a case before the supply is
depleted. The Muscatini is really an all-around perfect Shavuos wine.
It's light, sweet and very flavorful. I know you'll enjoy it.
Hope you have a happy, healthy and spiritually rewarding Shavuos. Until
next time,
It's Shavous, so pass the ... wine
New JWR contributor Avi Z. Fertig is the director of the Kosher Wine Institute and frequently authors articles on the topic of kosher wine.
