Now that you’ve slaved long enough during the past few weeks in order to prepare for the Pesach holiday, the time has come to enjoy the Festival of Freedom with family and friends around the seder table.

Of course, serving the very best during the course of the long evening means reveling with premium wines and savoring every sip from the first cup to the last. Even the Talmudic sages encouraged the consumption of various wines during the course of the Seder festivities. “A person in whose house wine does not flow like water has not reached the ultimate stage of blessedness!” (Talmud Eruvin 65a)

With this in mind, here are some palate-pleasing selections from Israel that are bound to remind everyone as to why we unshackled ourselves from the ills of slavery, so we could enjoy the bounty of the Promised Land…

First Cup—Kiddush: Hermon Indigo

This light red wine will bring Spring to your table and put everyone in a mood for celebration for the whole seder. The Syrah grapes in Hermon Indigo wine create extremely harmonious fruit flavors that make this wine very “friendly” and enjoyable, with a unique deep purple color. It is recommended to drink on the young side and up to three or four years from vintage. It’s so eminently drinkable, Hermon Indigo could easily be used for all types of wine drinkers.

Second Cup—Maggid: Galil Mountain Avivim Upper Galilee

Galil Mountain Winery’s emblematic Avivim wine elegantly encompasses smells and flavors of nature in springtime. Full of life, with an impressive richness of flavor, you can almost taste the rolling green hills of the Galil region where the grapes were grown. An exquisite blend of Chardonnay and Viognier grapes’ varieties, Galil Avivim will pleasantly surprise your palate. Close your eyes to give you full concentration as you pick out the flavors of peach, green apple, pear and tropical fruit. You should also be able to catch the shades of vanilla.

Third Cup—Korech: Gamla Cabernet Merlot

The Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot is always a crowd pleaser. It combines two of the most popular varieties of grape and is aged for a year in oak barrels to add complexity and flavor. This wine will enhance your most gastronomic Pesach dishes. You’ll enjoy the burst of flavor and still stand a good chance of being awake to eat the afikoman. It is a terrific wine for the bountiful seder meal, whether one is feasting on lamb or beef.

Fourth Cup—Hallel: Yarden T2

A perfect wine to wrap up the long evening, Yarden T2 is produced from two different varieties of Portuguese grapes—Touriga Nacional and Tinta. This Porto-style rich wine was fortified with brandy to stop its fermentation and increase its alcohol content while preserving the grapes’ natural sweetness. It offers an aromatic blend of ripe cherries and plums in the scent. Sweet and sophisticated, this wine does not feel heavy and will leave you a taste of freshness in the palate. Yarden T2 will even ease the digestion of your seder meal. It is sure to put a smile on everyone’s faces…that is, if they are still awake.

Pesach kasher ve sameach! L’Chaim!