I find that picking wine for the Seder is a particularly hard task given the conflicting desire to have light wines contrasted against the custom observed by many to drink red wine for all four cups. Additionally, I have never felt it proper to use wine, that by its own label may not actually be wine, but rather fermented grape must. Therefore I often find myself mired in a conundrum, mostly focused on whether I should indulge in white wines or simply stick to heavy reds, and pay the price the next day.
However, over the last number of years, with the increased production of kosher rose now making its way to the United States (courtesy mostly of Gabriel Geller and his friends at Royal Wine Corp.), a new solution has emerged. Therefore this year I intend to drink light refreshing, fruity, low alcohol rose for all four cups this year, with a glass of red mixed in for the meal. For me at least, rose has become my ideal Seder wine, as it ticks all the boxes.
For some however, this may not be the case, therefore I have chosen to include two roses, two refreshing whites, and two light weight reds in this post, and allow readers to either spread out their drinking over the various types of wines, or simply load up on one wine in particular. These selections should be taken as my top picks for wines to be consumed in quantity on the Seder night, which will hopefully not leave you hung over, and represent good quality without breaking the bank!
Top Roses
Tabor Winery, Adama, Barbera Rose, 2016 $17.99
This rose smells amazing; it opens with a powerful burst of fresh red fruit on the nose that will wake up your senses even on a long Seder night. The wine smells of, ripe sweet strawberries, red peaches, and some hints of pineapple and mango in the background. At this stage, the taste of the wine is less fruity than the nose would indicate, as the fresh acidic backbone, and some floral notes dominate the mouth. As the wine warms off the chill, the tropical fruit starts to come out on the palate, with strong notes of peach and mango. This is an easy drinking, refreshing, low alcohol option (11.5%) that should fulfill most people’s Seder requirements.
Score: A
Value Score: A-
Contessa Annalisa Rose 2016 $13.99:
This rose is a bit less fruity, and bit more mineral and acidic, which lends to its extremely refreshing flavor. The wine has a beautiful pale salmon color, and smells of crisp under ripe strawberries, raspberries, and peaches. In addition, the wine has notes of saline and rose petals as well. The mouth is tart with gripping acid, and notes of tart strawberry, and raspberry as well as some sour cherry. This wine would go well with a variety of foods including light poultry and fish, as well as fresh garden salads. Wonderful rose, wonderful value.
Score: A-
Value Score: A-
Note: This wine was also tasted with a panel of young value wine drinkers, and their scores are below. This wine was liked pretty much across the board.
Consensus Overall Score: B+
Consensus Value Score: A-
Top Whites
Flam Blanc 2016 $29.99 (60% Sauvignon Blanc 40% Chardonnay)
This wine has a beautiful nose of granny smith apples, freshly cut grass, wet stones, minerals, and a hint of crisp white peaches. The mouth is a lemony citrusy explosion, with fresh grapefruit, lemon pith, a streak of fresh minerality, saline, and a hint of spice on the finish that is lent to the wine from the Chardonnay component. The wine is extremely fresh, as it is un-oaked blend, and in my humble opinion is best-enjoyed young. This wine is a perennial favorite for me, and this year is no different. I think this is one of the strongest whites on the kosher market from Israel in the price category.
Score: A-
Value Score: B+
Cantina Giuliano Costa Toscana Vermentino 2016 $15:
This wine is also extremely fresh, but much less fruity than the Flam. This is an old world, elegant, and less bombastic white wine, that displays heavy minerality, sea-breeze, and other coastal elements. The nose of the wine, smells like the sea, there is some lemon and some spice hanging out in the background, but the majority of the smell is dominated by mineral saline elements as opposed to the fruit. On initial tasting the wine was a bit muted on the palate, but as the wine warmed a bit in the glass, freshly cut red apples, grapefruit pith, and freshly squeezed orange juice notes started to emerge. This wine is different from most kosher white wines. It is not buttery or full-bodied by any stretch; rather it is racy and steely, with some deep minerals and muted fruit. Perfect for drinking by itself or with light meals.
Score: A-
Value Score: A
Consensus Score: B+
Consensus Value Score: B+
The winemaker was interviewed on Facebook Live by Yehoshua Werth of the Grapevine Wines and Spirits, although I cant post a link the video itself, a link to Yehoshua’s profile is here, and you can seek out the video, as well as his others. They are entertaining.
Top Reds
Baron Herzog Pinot Noir California 2015 $13
This is a really well made expression of pinot noir, which is one of the hardest grapes to grow in the world. The climate needed for good pinot is extremely rare, and can be found in very select areas only. The fact that we have a pinot of this quality on the kosher market at this price is a miracle, and a debt of gratitude is owed to the good people at the Herzog Winery and Royal Wines for producing it. Bravo.
The wine has a nose of dried cherry, wet earth, tree bark, black pepper, baker’s chocolate, blood orange, and grapefruit. The wine is extremely smooth on the palate, making it ideal to drink in large quantities at the Seder. The flavor on this medium bodied wine is all cherry and earthy flavors. The wine is extremely well balanced with nice crisp acidity and low tannins. As California wines go it has relatively low alcohol as well at 13%.
Score: A-
Value Score: A+
Louis Blanc Cote de Brouilly, La Ferrage 2013 $23
This wine is a made from 100% Gamay and comes from the Beaujolais region in France. Beaujolais is the region directly to the south of Burgundy, and is dominated by Gamay, the cousin of its noble neighbor to the north, Pinot Noir. This wine has a complex nose of slate, mineral, mud, cherry, red apple, blueberry, and smoke. Restrained red berries, black pepper, and under-ripe cherries dominate the mouth. This wine is very low in tannins and is relatively light bodied. The freshness of this wine expresses itself best when it is slightly chilled. This is a wonderful, easy drinking yet well made wine that certainly is worthy of consumption at the Seder.
Score: A-
Value Score: A-
Note: I tasted this wine at a class conducted at Taste Wine Co. run by Gary Landsman. He is an excellent resource for anyone looking to learn a lot about the world of wine.
Moadim L’Simcha!