More Passover wines plus a note on reviews

Received a nice email from Gail asking where she could find the wines for Passover recommended last week. Due to the abundance of wine shoppes advertising in Cape Gazette, I decided early on not to recommend specific shops to patronize. It is far more important to shop around, find a shop that will accommodate your requests, and suggest comparable products to my recommendations. There is a wide array of palates in this readership. Occasionally I receive mail questioning my recommendations and in rare cases my sanity. I do respond to the senders, by email, in most cases. It is usually best for those who don't have the time or inclination to do extensive reading and tasting to find some gurus whose suggested wines they consistently find enjoyable. Next, locate a wine shoppe pal who will help. If you plan ahead and are patient, these pals will order wine for you. Naturally there may be a modest upcharge for these services in some cases. I have found these fees economical when looking for a quantity.

This column's value is several folds. Due to many contacts and acquaintances plus Trish and Berni's quick editing-to-print handling, I can provide up-to-date news and predict possible buys before some of the major outlets. This allows you to front-run price increases. I also keep up to date on pricing anomalies due to vintage changes. My “hold your fire” recommendations in 2009 saved cautious readers a ton of cash. By sampling a few thousand wines each vintage, those I consider poorly made or poor value can be screened. The downside is that a few may evaluate wine differently. Some may prefer sugar in coffee with no cream, or place lemon on every seafood dish; some don't. Consumers usually fit into a loose profile. My gurus’ taste profiles most closely illuminate mine. You know one is Jancis Robinson, the ne plus ultra wino of our day. She is the only critic whose advice I follow who has never disappointed me. The only fault I have with JR is the critiques by restaurant reviewer Nick Lander. Reads like a bit of a twit on occasion. Stephen Tanzer (IWC) knows cool climate wines and is a Cali expert. Also check out Tony Gallons (Antonio Galloni) on Vinous for Bordeaux, Italian and Cali Central Coast, and Josh Raynolds for Aussie and NZ. Although I read all these, in addition to most of the other likely suspects, only wines personally sampled are reviewed here.

Got a little long winded there. Following are three more Passover wines that can be found in Delaware. Let's start off with an 88-point, $31, 2009 Yarden Blanc de Blancs from Golan Heights Winery. This pretty sparkler is made using the traditional Methode Champenoise. Did you know a sparkler must be 100 percent Chard to be labeled Blanc de Blancs? After tirage and dosage, this Golan Heights Yarden is corked and kept sur lie for at least four years. Sur lie aging provides toast notes to a nicely fruit/acidity balanced, clean, dry sparkler. Will age at least 10 years. Serve colder than 45 degrees F. My family agreed the Yarden Gewurztraminer was an excellent aperitif wine. It complements any spicy fish dish, and the gentiles would love it with steamed shrimp or crab with Old Bay. Anything Thai, Mexican or Indo French fish works also. Although the nose is spicy, it did not have that aroma package many find unappetizing for Gewurz. We took the producer’s advice and served the wine at 45 degrees F. I let mine warm in the glass and learned the extra chill suppressed the floral, kiwi/lichee nose. Nice round mouthfeel, appropriate fruit/acidity balance; finishes clean and dry with fruit-sweet aftertaste.

I will be providing more next week. Keep in mind these all will hold a year at least. Buying a case will get you through the entire "Happy" Rosh Hashanah and Hanukah holidays, and you’ll likely get a 10 percent discount for your effort. Golan's Gilgal Cab is very nice, and priced around $15 for the 2012-13 rated 88-points. Best recent vintage was 2011; I had it at 91 points. Should be perfect if you can find some. It is definitely available around $25 plus freight. Christians will also enjoy these. After all, the Last Supper was Passover, dontcha know.