Gabriel Geller, the well-known wine consultant for Royal Wines, recently offered to answer any questions we had about wine, as a fun change from the traditional wine columns he writes for us around this time of year. We enjoyed hearing his off-the-cuff responses and we hope you will enjoy the top four questions and answers we picked in honor of the season.
- What are some higher-priced/fancier (over $40) stunner Seder wines?
I love wines from Europe, the “Old World,” such as Château Giscours, a great growth from the Margaux appellation in Bordeaux. Flam Reserve Merlot, while hailing from Israel, is a fantastic Old World-style wine, with notes of earth, wet forest floor and strawberries.
There are also great New World wines. An oldie but goodie is the Herzog Special Edition Chalk Hill. Some vintages can age for over 20 years under proper storage conditions, meaning in a dark, cool space that is free of vibration and with a rather stable temperature between 50-60 F.
- What are some more rare or offbeat choices for the Sedarim?
This an interesting question. Most people stick with red wines for the four cups; I would say that some people have the custom to use white wines only. A great white wine, for instance, is the Hagafen Dry Riesling. It’s crisp, with great yet well-balanced acidity, and features notes of green apple peels, fresh flowers and stone fruits. Another favorite white wine would be the Matar Chardonnay; it’s not as heavy and buttery as many Chards tend to be and has delicious flavors of pears, citrus and almonds. As far as red wines go, the Weinstock Cellar Select Alicante Bouchet is also an unusual wine, lighter than Cabernet Sauvignon with notes of blackberries, licorice and tobacco.
- What are some new, exciting wines coming out of Israel right now?
Vitkin is one of the best boutique Israeli wineries with interesting wines. My favorite is their rosé, a blend of grape varieties that do very well in Israel’s hot, dry climate. There are very few rosé wines that I would describe as being scrumptious; this is one of them. I also like the Levanim from Jezreel Valley winery—an interesting blend as well.
- What’s the deal with Pinot Noir? There are so many types, yet made from the same grape: some are thin and some are plummy; some are ready to drink right out of the bottle and some need to age.
It is just like any other grape variety. Depending on the quality of the grapes and winemaking methods, a wine can be either enjoyable and easy to drink on release, while some need years of cellaring to reach their full potential. Pinot Noir is no different, but it is a difficult variety to grow as it is very sensitive to the climate and soil it grows in. All those factors have an impact on the flavors and aromas of the wine as well. The Pacifica Pinot Noir is a more complex example of this variety and is not thin at all. While not as concentrated as a big Bordeaux or Napa Valley Cab, it shows some fleshy body with notes of savory mushrooms and tart, red forest fruit.
