Galilee

Inky purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is tight at first but opens to show cassis, slight spice and a nice earthiness.  Medium bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is very smooth with some complexity.  Flavors of cassis with some forest floor and earthiness.  Good finish.  This is nice on its own but probably better with food.  Beef ribs would be a nice choice.  Drink over the next three to five years.  A very good value.

At a recent tasting of Kosher wines from Israel, this was the runaway first place wine.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black cherries, coffee, cherries and spice.  Full bodied.  Lovely texture.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, there is plenty of depth.  Flavors of cherries, black cherries and spice.  Good finish.  This should drink well for another five to eight years.  It is nice on its own and will work well with food.  It would go well with roasted chicken.  

This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Carignan and Marselan from northern Israel.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with attic dust, cassis, black cherries, char and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, this is drinking well.  Lots of black cherry fruit with some spice and char.  Good finish.  This should drink well over the next three to five years.  It is nice on its own but would be better with food.  It will work well with braised meat dishes.  

Very pale slivery/clear/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with yellow grapefruits, salinity, and slight green herbal notes.  Light bodied.  Slightly creamy texture.  Moderate acidity.  On the palate, this has some fruit but not sweet nor ripe.  Grapefruits with a bit of green.  Good finish.  This is easy drinking but is better with food.  It would work well with gefilte fish and did go well with "vegetarian gefilte".  Drink over the next couple of years.  

This is a sparkling wine from Israel.  It is a blend of 73% Chardonnay and 27% Pinot Noir.  Pale pink with some orange hues in color.  A nice mousse with a fair amount of very small bubbles.  Clear and bright.  The nose is nice with strawberries, toast, and slight red apple notes.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is dry. Flavors of strawberries with some apple and char.  Nice finish.  This is lovely on its own and worked well with "Mock" Liver and Roasted Nuts.  It was a great way to start a Passover Seder.  

This is a kosher wine from Israel.  It is an 80/20 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon to Merlot for this vintage.  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black cherries, some black raspberries, cherries, and slight milk chocolate.  Full bodied.  Light to medium tannins.  Moderate acidity.  On the palate, this drinks easy.  Cherries and black cherries.  OK Finish.  This drinks easy and will work well on its own, for the Seder, or with Chicken or Brisket.  Drink now.  

This is an inexpensive Certified Kosher (OU) wine from Israel.  It is a 60/40 blend of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  On the nose, there is a bit of gooseberry and slight alfalfa.  Light bodied.  Easy drinking.  Slight acidity.  On the palate, this is refreshing.  Nice as an aperitif or with fish (Gefilte?).  Drink now.   

This is a blend of 40% Petite Sirah, 30% Grenache, 10% Shiraz, 10% Petite Verdot, and 10% Carignan.  Kosher for Passover.  Inky purple/blue in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with boysenberries, black cherries, blueberries, spice and slight smoke.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this has some depth.  Plenty of fruit; black cherries, black raspberries and some blueberries.  Good finish.  This drinks well on its own and will pair well with meat dishes.  A nice wine for a Seder meal.  Drink over the next five to ten years.  

This is made in the style of a Ruby Port.  Made from Touriga Nacional and Tempranillo grapes.  Ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is nice with cherries, cherry candy, and slight raisins.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is slightly sweet.  Cherries and Craisins.  Balance.  Moderate finish.  It was a nice way to end our Passover Seder.  It needs plenty of air at this stage but then drank well.  Nice on its own, this worked nicely with chocolate Macaroons.