Passover is my favorite Jewish holiday because it is celebrated at home, and the tradition is to drink four glasses of wine.
As the biblical story of Exodus is recounted before the Passover meal on the first night of the eight-day holiday, we eat flat matzoh crackers to commemorate the hasty escape from Pharaoh, and we toast our heritage and our freedom multiple times.
This year we raised our glasses with Carmel Black Cabernet Sauvignon, a new kosher wine from Carmel winery’s Signature series. Worldwide, about 40 percent of kosher wine is sold during the Passover holiday. Kosher wine follows the centuries-old guideline that winemaking is done by Sabbath-observing Jews. Like Carmel Black, many kosher wines follow more rigorous production guidelines so they are also approved for Passover use.
The largest Israeli winery, Carmel was founded in 1882 by Baron Edmond de Rothschild, a philanthropic visionary for the Israeli wine industry. Today, this pioneering winery boasts modern facilities and historic wine cellars.
Made from grapes harvested in the Galilee region of northern Israel, Carmel Black showed deep red color and a cassis nose. The blackberry flavors were tempered by spice notes from 14 months of ageing in French oak barrels. This wine is full-bodied, yet thankfully its alcohol content is only 14 percent. The wine paired well with many courses in our festive dinner, most notably with brisket and red wine gravy. I’ll drink it with any hearty meal.
WHO: Carmel Winery
WHAT: 100% cabernet sauvignon
WHERE: Galilee, Israel
HOW MUCH: $30 (media sample)
RATING: 91
