Check Out These Excellent Holiday Wine Recommendations from Top Wine Expert Gabe Geller
With the holidays approaching, this is the perfect time to broaden your horizons and discover the wine gems that Israel, California, Italy, and France have to offer. It’s not too soon to start thinking about festive meals, gatherings with loved ones, and other traditions that go hand-in-hand with the fall and winter holidays.
Fortunately, these notable wine producing regions have had another exceptional year for wine production. That means there’s an excellent selection of exciting releases to choose from – and one less thing to worry about. They’re ready to serve now, so whether you’re planning to host a crowd or be a guest, you’re sure to find something deliciously suitable for the holiday table.
Wine expert Gabriel Geller, Director of PR for Royal Wine Corp, the largest producer, exporter and importer of kosher wines and spirits, has recommendations for holiday wines that offer quality and value across all price points. Here’s the rundown:
Toast in the New Year Rosh with a refreshing glass of Herzog Lineage Momentus (19.99) or enjoy organic-certified-no-sulfites-added Herzog Variations Be-leaf Cabernet Sauvignon (24.99) – both pair well with beef and other traditional holiday meats.
Terra di Seta from Tuscany, the first fully kosher winery in Europe (since 2008) which offers world-class and competitive Chianti Classico wines, is about to release for the first time a Super Tuscan called Guiduccio, SRP $75.
This past year Terra di Seta won some of the highest accolades from the Wine Spectator, James Suckling, and Decanter, with multiple top ratings as high as 97 points.
Connoisseurs of wines from Italy can look forward to Ovadia Estates’s Vermentino and the Lovatelli Barbera d’Asti. Villa Mangiacane, a renowned Italian producer, is also releasing its first kosher wine: Magnificus, a Super Tuscan SRP $60.
Barkan Winery, one of the largest producers in Israel, recently sent its star head winemaker Ido Lewinsohn MW to tour the US market ahead of the High Holidays.
Among the impressive wines he presented, the Barkan Classic Argaman at only SRP $12 has won industry-wide recognition and high ratings. Segal Winery, also overseen by Lewinsohn, released the Segal Native Marawi at SRP $25. Marawi is an ancient grape variety indigenous to the Holy Land, which was used for winemaking and the sacred services in the Jewish Temple of Jerusalem over 1,900 years ago.
Carmel Winery, the veteran Israeli winery founded by Château Lafite’s Baron Edmond de Rothschild in 1882, released Buzz, a line of fruit flavored Moscato wines. These fun, low-alcohol, sweet, fruity wines target Generation Z, and are meant for casual drinking, parties, etc. SRP $11. Three different flavors are available: peach, mango, and pineapple.
On the French side, Royal is proud to introduce the J. de Villebois Sancerre Silex, SRP $50. Sancerre wines, from the Loire Valley, have been trending for a few years already, and the kosher market is no exception. This high-quality, complex Sauvignon Blanc features the terroir’s characteristics, with crunchy, juicy citrus flavors, earthy mineral and saline notes, and hints of flint. Château Les Riganes from Bordeaux, which already offers a red blend, a Sauvignon Blanc, and a rosé, just introduced two new varietal wines, a Malbec, and a Cabernet Franc, which like the other wines from this producer also retail for only $12.
Royal is also looking forward to the release this fall of the first kosher Châteaueuf-du-Pape from the prestigious Domaine Raymond Usseglio & Fils in the Rhône Valley. SRP $100
“While we have had continued success working with prominent Bordeaux and Burgundy producers, it was time for us to add some great Rhône wines to our portfolio”, says Gabriel Geller, PR Director at Royal Wine Corp. “And with the upcoming additions of some great Italian wines, our portfolio continues to expand with an increasingly comprehensive selection of superb wines from around the world. Most importantly, I am excited for our customers who are eager to discover regions and wines that until now have been hard to come by in the kosher market”.
About Royal Wine/Kedem
Founded in 1848, Royal Wine Corp.’s mission is to be the premier manufacturer, importer and distributor of specialty wines, spirits, and liqueurs from around the world. The commitment to perfection and family tradition spans over eight generations and has experienced growth since its beginning. Royal’s portfolio of domestic and international wines ranges from traditional wine producing regions of France, Italy, and Spain to up and coming ones like Israel, New Zealand, and Argentina. Additionally, Royal Wine Corp.’s spirit and liqueur portfolio offer some of the most sought-after scotches, bourbons, tequilas, and vodkas as well as hard to find specialty items such as flavored brandies and liqueurs.
The company owns and operates the Kedem Winery in upstate New York, as well as Herzog Wine Cellars in Oxnard, California, a state-of-the-art-facility featuring guided wine tours, a fully staffed modern tasting room, gift shop and catering facilities. Additionally, the winery houses the award-winning restaurant Tierra Sur, serving the finest, Mediterranean-inspired, contemporary Californian Cuisine. Follow Royal Wine Corp on social media – https://www.facebook.com/RoyalWineCorp; @royalwinecorp
About Royal Wine Corp
Founded in 1848, NJ- based Royal Wine Corp. (www.royalwinecorp.) has been owned and operated in the United States by the Herzog family, whose winemaking origins go back more than 200 years in Czechoslovakia.
Today, Royal Wine’s portfolio of domestic and international wines range from traditional wine producing regions of France, Italy, and Spain, as well as Israel, New Zealand, and Argentina.
Additionally, Royal Wine Corp.’s spirit and liqueur portfolio offer some of the most sought-after scotches, bourbons, tequilas and vodkas as well as hard to find specialty items such as flavored brandies and liqueurs.
The company owns and operates the Kedem Winery in upstate New York, as well as Herzog Wine Cellars in Oxnard, California, a state-of-the-art-facility featuring guided wine tours, a fully staffed modern tasting room, gift shop and catering facilities. Additionally, the winery houses the award-winning restaurant Tierra Sur, serving the finest, Mediterranean-inspired, contemporary Californian Cuisine.
Follow them at: @royalwinecorp @kosherwine_gg, https://www.facebook.com/herzogwine