GrapeLines

Reviews of the kosher Louis de Sacy Brut Champagne and the Lagavulin 16 Year Old and Distiller’s Edition 1996 Islay Single Malt Scotch Whiskies.

New Year’s Eve is traditionally celebrated with a Champagne toast. This is likely because the bubbles are considered festive, or perhaps in the belief that drinking something expensive will bring good fortune for the coming year. Whatever the reason, more Champagne will be consumed during the hours after midnight on Jan 1 than during any other time of the year.

Read more>>

Sparkling Wine Recommendations To Celebrate The New Year

A consequence of the current economic doldrums is the savvy wine consumer’s greater willingness to explore less-familiar wines and regions that offer both quality and value. This is especially true for those who wish to toast the holidays with something bubbly but do not want to shell out hundreds of dollars for a bottle of vintage Champagne.Thankfully, there are some terrific sparkling wines being made in many other locations including Italy, Spain and California.

Read more>>

A review of the Martins Malbec 2010 and Laphroaig Cairdeas Origin 2012 Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

Week after week, we write about some of the many worthwhile kosher wines being produced all over the world. For many months we made a point of indicating where the wines we reviewed could be purchased locally, but as some of our regular readers have occasionally pointed out to us, we have done so a lot less frequently of late. Partly this is because it can be difficult for us to stay on top of who carries what, and partly because of the reality that those in Maryland and Virginia have different access than Washingtonians.

Read more>>

A review of the Shiloh Winery Mosaic 2007 and Talisker 10 year old Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

Blending, as we’ve noted before, is one of the essential tools in the winemaker’s bag of tricks. Often winemakers find that many of their single varietals need a bit of help in becoming more balanced, fragrant or interesting. So they will add some other grapes to create a blend that is more expressive and appealing to consumers.

Read more>>

Our Chanukah wish list including some kosher wines and a bunch of the great spirits we’ve recently enjoyed.

Chanukah gift-giving is really just an American transmogrification mimicking Xmas of the actual Jewish custom of giving Chanukah gelt (money). Still, we have nonetheless given in to modern convention and have compiled a list of a few things that we wouldn’t mind being given.

Read more>>

Reviews of the Borgo Reale Chianti Vespertino 2009 and several Glen Grant Single Malt Scotch Whiskies.

There have been Jews in Italy since Judah Maccabee sent ambassadors to the Roman Senate in 161 BCE. Conditions have varied during the subsequent centuries depending upon the dispensation of various pontiffs and secular rulers. The ravages of World War II severely diminished Italian Jewish life but there still remains evidence of its vibrant culture including the magnificent Moorish-styled Great Synagogue of Florence and a smaller one in Siena. Like Jews everywhere, the Jews of Italy were influenced by the local conditions, customs and agricultural products. So it is interesting to speculate what types of grapes Italian Jews utilized to create their kosher wines.

Read more>>

Reviews of the Covenant Solomon Lot 70 Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 and several SMWS single cask Scotch whiskies.

While wine has a pivotal role in Jewish life, whisky and other spirits, especially single malt Scotch whisky, have become quite the rage in shuls all across the country. Rare is the kiddush these days that does not offer at least a cheap single malt. (There are, of course, synagogues that are completely dry – but such institutions are wholly foreign to us – we mean, come on, “dry”? Really, why bother?) Reflecting this trend is the newly formed “Jewish Whisky Company,” an independent bottler that offers single cask whiskies under its “Single Cask Nation” label (www.singlecasknation.com; the first of these whiskies will soon be released, and likely reviewed here).

Read more>>

Some recently published books that would be perfect gifts for the wine-lovers on your list.

A veritable feast of new publications are this year’s recommendations for holiday gifts for wine lovers, beginning with “Iconic Spirits — An Intoxicating History,” by Mark Spivak, the former host of NPR’s “Uncorked” and a prolific writer on food, wine and spirits.

Read more>>

A review of the Herzog Late Harvest Orange Muscat 2011 and a look at the Martini.

We are often asked how and why kosher wine in the United States began as sweet, syrupy drek. The simplest answer is that the Jewish immigrants who settled in the northeastern United States way back when discovered that the only locally available grapes suitable for wine production were American varietals like the Concord grape. The only way to make the wine both palatable and easy to produce, however, was to add a huge amount of sugar to the grape juice – it aided fermentation and improved the taste of the product.

Read more>>