So many enchanting wines. So much delicious food. The 10th annual Kosher Food & Wine Experience sponsored by Royal Wine on Monday, February 29, will bring together wines from around the world with food prepared by restaurants, caterers and specialty shops from the New York area under one very large roof at Chelsea Piers in Manhattan, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $125 and only available in advance, online, at www.kwfe2016.com. The special VIP lounge is already sold out.
The event draws a wide cross section of the Jewish community, said Jay Buchsbaum, vice president of marketing and director of wine education for the Royal Wine Corporation, a division of Kedem. “We see the non-observant to Chassidish. There are couples celebrating an anniversary and couples shidduch dating. Really an amazing amalgam of people coming.”
How do you navigate a room with over 300 wines beckoning to be tasted? Where do you start when you can nibble on sushi, barbecue, gourmet specialties and creative desserts from 28 of the top venues in New York, including Wandering Que/Gemstone Catering, Le Marais, Abigail’s, Pomegranate, Basil, T Fusion Steakhouse and Wolf and Lamb?
Have a game plan, suggests Buchsbaum. “Too often, I see people come in and get overwhelmed by the amount of food and wine and the enormity of the crowd. First, pick up the book and take a few minutes to look at it. It gives you every single winery with the table number and order.” Buchsbaum suggests browsing the list winery by winery, wine by wine and checking off, by priority, what you would like to taste. Next, do the same with food. The food vendors are listed but not by table. Buchsbaum advises people to browse the tables, make notes about who is where, and prioritize. Then follow the plan.
Of course, deciding how to prioritize depends on what kind of wine you prefer, and what you are thinking of purchasing for the upcoming holidays. With Purim and Pesach around the corner, wine will be playing a starring role in Jewish homes. Gone are the days when sweet, heavy Malaga you could cut with a knife was the only kosher option available. Today, kosher wine is a $28 million industry and growing. Buchsbaum said the momentum gained strength with the creation of the Herzog winery in California in the 1980s, the rise of great wines from Israel, and partnerships with great, well-known French chateaus such as Rothschild, Drappier, Leoville and Grand Puy Ducasse.
So whether you are going to the show, or tasting elsewhere, here are a few guidelines. Buchsbaum says consumers looking for wines that have a good flavor profile and are not too expensive, say $12-$30 a bottle, should consider Baron Herzog, Barkan classics, Teperberg, Carmel and Bartenura. The next level wine is generally more expensive and complex, with more than one type of grape to add flavor and interest. With blends, you have to read the label to know what the wine contains; you won’t know from the name. Blends to look for include French Bordeaux wines, Shiloh’s Mosaic, Flam’s Noble and Terra di Seta from Italy. However, Buchsbaum says there are several single vineyard wines that are fabulous, like Herzog’s Chalk Hill Limited Cabernet Sauvignon and Italy’s Sangiovese.
Veteran KFWE attendees have several new wines, and a few new wineries, to discover. Israel’s Matar is new to the U.S. and to the Kosher Wine & Food Experience. An experienced non-kosher winery (under their Pelter family name), Matar has begun using its expertise in varietals to introduce a kosher product.
The new wines are a big draw for retailers, who are invited to participate in a tasting for the trade only in the afternoon. Scott Maybaum, owner of Wine Country in Bergenfield, said he’s looking forward to trying the Matar and several other new offerings he researched that will be at the show. His focus is on discovering new wines that his customers will enjoy.
The Herzog Limited Edition Camouflage 30th Anniversary California has piqued his interest. “My experience is that limited editions are generally more costly. From what I understand, this wine offers tremendous value.”
Maybaum agreed with Buchsbaum that blends, in general, are “hot” this year. He’s interested in the new Psagot Sinai Mevushal, a mix of cabernet sauvignon and shiraz, also a good value at about $20 a bottle. He said Teperberg has been hard to get, but now has some new labels so availability should improve. For something different, he’s looking forward to trying Tzafona, an ice wine from Canada. He’s very interested in trying the new Baron de Rothschild Champagne that will sell for $100 a bottle; it may find a place on his shelves with the most exclusive wines.
Aside from the obvious reminder to drink safely, Buchsbaum has this advice for those attending the show: “Have a fun, enjoyable evening. Learn as well as taste. And take a moment to smell the roses.” And the enticing aromas of food and wine.
By Bracha Schwartz
