By Joel Magalnick, Editor, JTNews
With our second annual Passover wine tasting, we have once again proven that our choices of fine wine don’t have to be relegated to the maple syrup alternatives. As taster Scott Michelson said, “To me, it’s amazing how far kosher wines have come, if you think about five years ago.”
He’s right. The selection of nine wines and — believe it or not — a dry sherry we tasted were, overall, quite good. The bottles of Manischewitz —once a mainstay of the Passover seder — were given the job of flower vases to decorate our lovely tasting table.
Dave Muttillo, wine steward for Albertson’s supermarket, says, “It’s nice to know the kosher market can hold itself alongside the non-kosher.”
As you plan your seder, think about pairing the wines. If you go to the right place, you can find rows and rows of kosher-for-Passover wines on the shelves. The best selections can be found at Albertson’s on Mercer Island, QFC’s University Village and Rainier Beach locations, Ballard Market, Central Market, Larry’s Market in Oak Tree, and Tree of Life Books & Judaica. The Albertson’s on Mercer Island also carries some of the higher-end wines that won’t be available at other stores.
The tasters this year were:
Dave Muttillo, wine steward from Albertson’s
Karen Chachkes
Nancy Geiger
Ksenya Harmelin
Ronald Holden
Joel Magalnick
Scott Michelson
Emily Moore
Esther Friend, representative from Royal Wine Distributors, deserves special thanks for supplying and pouring the wines, as does Ksenya for allowing use of her space among the beautiful artwork at FenomenA Gallery, 2100 Fifth Ave. in Seattle.
Here, in order of tasting, are the wines:
Tio Pepe Palomino Fino Extra Dry Sherry
Teal Lake Chardonnay, 2002
Gamla Chardonnay, 2000
Herzog Special Reserve Chardonnay, 2001
Thummerer Langer Reserve Egri Bikaver, 1998
Barkan Reserve Galil Merlot, 1999
Baron Herzog Cabernet Sauvignon, 2001
Herzog Special Reserve Syrah, 2001
Herzog Special Reserve Cab. Sauvignon, 2000
Bartenura Moscato D’Asti, 2003
If the Bartenura looks familiar, that’s because so many tasters requested we bring last year’s blue-bottled champion back. All the others were new to most of the tasters’ palates.
Before we offer our results, it should be noted that though the wines are kosher for Passover, not all are mevushal. This designation means that the wine is heated in a flash pasteurization process. When a wine is considered mevushal, it can be used and poured in an event-type of setting while remaining kosher. Typical home-hosted seders should not worry about the mevushal marking.
So here are the tasters’ thoughts:
Tio Pepe Dry Sherry
Nancy said it “has the nose and mouth feel of a typical sherry, but without the cloying sweetness of most. Very delicious.”
Karen found it to be delicious and aromatic with a strong finish, while Ksenya wrote that it “has a sharp bite on the tongue, but has a nice pleasant aftertaste on the palette.”
Ronald, who tastes and writes about wines for a living, knows Tio Pepe. The sherry, he wrote, has “all of Tio Pepe’s charm and grace, elegance and finesse. A way underappreciated wine — kosher or not.”
The Chardonnays
Of the three, each tasted like it came from a different grape. As such, the quality varied as well.
Teal Lake Chardonnay
(Mevushal)
Dave thought the wine hit him like a freight train.
“There’s no nuance anywhere around this,” he said.
Karen found the nose to be a bit sulfurous. It was floral and fruity, “not a hint of oak,” and simple. Nancy didn’t particularly care for it. “Feels slightly carbonated — not pleasantly so,” she wrote, though she did find it to be “inoffensive.” Emily thought of it as citrusy and flowery, with a light body.
Gamla Chardonnay
From the Golan in Israel, Esther says these grapes are grown at the same latitude as Chardonnay grapes in France. Scott found it had a nice flavor, though it was a little acidic. It was fuller than the Teal Lake, he said, with “more Chardonnay taste.”
I preferred this to the Teal Lake as well, especially upon comparing the dryness between the two.
“It has obvious oak to it. The weight is a whole lot lighter,” said Dave. “There isn’t that glycerin.”
Herzog Special Reserve Chardonnay
(Mevushal)
This Chardonnay just goes to show that the flash pasteurization doesn’t hurt the wine. We almost unanimously considered it the best of the three.
“Lots of varied flavor with vanilla and light wood,” wrote Emily. “Yum.”
Nancy found it to be outstanding and complex. Ronald liked the oaky and buttery flavor, while I found the creaminess most to my liking.
The Reds
Thummerer Langer Reserve Egri Bikaver
The most common word used for this heavy Hungarian wine, also known as “Bull’s Blood,” was “astringent.” The wine hit full-on, and opinions were mixed. Though I enjoyed the hint of anise at the back, it was a bit too tannic — the pucker factor coming into play — for my taste. Ksenya said it “sends shivers down the taste buds.”
Barkan Reserve Merlot
Dave wasn’t impressed. “Leafy aroma,” he wrote. “Not too much fun.”
Scott thought it to be slightly acidic, while Ronald didn’t appreciate “the vegetative quality of the Merlot that’s not its best side.”
Emily found the finish to be “without distinction.”
Baron Herzog Cabernet Sauvignon
(Mevushal)
Esther called this wine an old standby. It has won awards, and it’s a very solid wine.
“Very good,” wrote Scott. “Nice Cabernet flavor.”
I found it to be very tannic, but I did enjoy the fruitiness of the wine, especially the berry flavor at the back. Ksenya thought she could find better, but she liked how it “hits the end of the tongue, and goes all the way across.”
Dave liked the “jammy” fruit nose, and called it “a pleasant surprise.”
The Herzog Special Reserves that came to this tasting are only available at the Albertson’s on Mercer Island but may be worth the trip.
Herzog Special Reserve Syrah
“It’s subtle, it’s pleasant,” says Ronald, who commented about the flavor from “the low-to-the-ground flowers like violets.” It was his favorite.
Emily liked the berry nose and nice balance of acid. “Warms in the middle, then acid and tannins with some berry and tannins in the end,” she wrote.
“Lots of depth and balance,” wrote Dave, who found pepper and red fruit with a lingering finish in his glass.
Herzog Special Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
This Cabernet came in miles above the Baron Herzog Cab that preceded it. It was my favorite wine, with the smoothness and highly tannic finish.
“Floral, well-balanced, dark fruit, superb,” wrote Dave.
Ronald found it to be heavy and sweet, but Emily noted it was her favorite as well.
“Lovely plum nose, acidity and berry fruit in the middle, earthiness in the finish,” she wrote. Scott said, simply, said it was very good.
Bartenura Moscato D’Asti — The grand finale
This very light, low-alcohol (5 percent) dessert wine was the favorite last year, and it pleased us to no end once again. Scott liked the lightness and how tasty it was.
Ron called it a “viscous little Moscato,” while Dave wisely noted “you’re not going to be cranky under the table after the seder.”
Emily enjoyed the lavender and apricot nose.
“Sweet and yummy, with lots of sparkling fruit,” she wrote. “This is my most fun wine.”
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