Due to the crazy circumstances this year, all trips were cancelled and therefore it was impossible to taste what was not local. While Royal made an effort to reach out to consumers with a Virtual KFWE, those of us in Israel were out of luck. Some of my colleagues have received samples from Royal – … Continue reading Some of Royal’s 2018 Reds and 2020 Whites and Rosés
Hagafen
RCC Israel #37 – Iyar 5781
I was beginning to fear that RCC’s were a thing of the past, but thankfully we were able to finally get back to business this month with RCC Iyar. Everyone at the RCC has already been fully vaccinated, but we decided to return to Eucalyptus as the evening needed to be put together quickly with … Continue reading RCC Israel #37 – Iyar 5781
RCC Israel # 35 – Shevat 5780
This month we had the opportunity to work with a chef whom I have been wanting to try for a long time - Amrom Pitterman. Each time I would try, he was busy or abroad, and so other arrangements were always made. But the stars aligned this month, and we were beneficiaries of five excellent … Continue reading RCC Israel # 35 – Shevat 5780
RCC Israel # 34 – Tevet 5780
This month we scheduled RCC to be New Year's Eve and took the opportunity to ring in 2020 with an appropriate 20 wines. Chef on duty was Avi Katz, who did a nice job overall with the food. A couple of highlights there were the potato soup with crispy lamb bacon, which was excellent - … Continue reading RCC Israel # 34 – Tevet 5780
In America – Something Old, Something New
I recently finished a lightning quick trip to the US primarily to visit family and attend my grandmother’s unveiling (before rushing off for an even quicker trip to France to taste this year’s releases from Royal, Koenig, and Taieb – more on that soon). It’s hard to believe it’s been almost a year since her … Continue reading In America – Something Old, Something New
RCC Israel # 29 – Adar Bet 5779
It's nice to get back to some sort of normalcy after the crazy KFWE tour and posts. Cool to get back in the saddle with our annual V'Nhafoch RCC. Each year during Adar we prohibit Israeli wines - not as a commentary on the state of Israeli wine, but rather because we naturally sample Israeli … Continue reading RCC Israel # 29 – Adar Bet 5779
Rosé Season is here – and is promising!
Each year as Pesach and spring approach, people start talking about Rosé. This makes sense especially in Israel where we have already seen the mercury hit above 34 °C (93 °F) a couple of times. I am not really going to go on about the various ways that Rosé is made - I think it is not … Continue reading Rosé Season is here – and is promising!
The Jewish Week Grand Wine Tasting at City Winery
It's been a while since my last post as I was in NY for a Bar Mitzvah last week. My trip happened to coincide with the annual Jewish Week Grand Wine Tasting at City Winery which was a real treat as I rarely get to experience shows out of Israel. It was even more special this … Continue reading The Jewish Week Grand Wine Tasting at City Winery
RCC Israel #17
Well here we are again. After last month's all Israeli RCC in honor of Tu Bishvat, this month the theme was VeNahafoch - and so other than a bonus bottle that I wanted everyone to taste blind, the requirement this month was that the wines be anything other than Israeli. As our wonderful chefs were … Continue reading RCC Israel #17
RCC Israel #8
For Rosh Chodesh Adar we decide to embrace the spirit of VeNahafoch Hu and changed our guidelines accordingly. First - all wines had to be imported - no Israeli wines allowed - and second, the wines needed to be quality, but the 6 years past vintage rule was not enforced. This led to a wonderful … Continue reading RCC Israel #8