Kosher wines for Rosh Hashanah offer variety and value

Here’s wishing all a wonderful Labor Day weekend! Sensorium, Tweed’s music festival, was a smashing success, with 20 bands and DJs, and all the normal festival trappings. Great boardwalk food, face painting, artists, CBD info-babes, tie-died hippy clothes and the sweet smell of verbena sent me back to my long-haired hippy days. Can you picture it? A small version of Woodstock, including the dress code.

Barb and I were overdressed in our beach casual duds. As the millennials phrase, “Most def!” Just breathing got ya high.

After a great day of entertainment, I took the family to dinner at Royal Boucherie, a fairly priced great eatery on S. Second Street in Philly. In addition to a bistro menu, they feature homemade charcuterie and an eclectic, properly aged, wide selection of fine wine. I could write the entire column extolling the virtues of the food, wine and service, but I prefer to just write 95 McD. Royal Boucherie is a must-visit spot. Their Champagne-braised Escargot in a hazelnut butter is killer. Royal Boucherie could be an inexpensive dinner provided you weren’t breathing at the festival. Something in the air made us ravenous.

Rosh Hashanah, Jewish New Year, occurs Sept. 29-Oct. 1 this year. Here are some kosher labels that have been getting good press. Herzog produces a nice Cali sparkler, Lineage Momentus, $20, and Jeunesse Belle Rouge, $15, a slightly sweet red. Herzog is a competent producer with a full line. The RRV Reserve Chard is 87 McD but a bit pricey at $30+. The Napa Cab Special Reserve 2016 is a solid 90 under $50. The Chalk Hill Cab is 89 points, and you will pay around $150. I’d buy three of the Napa. They also produce Chenin Blanc, Muscat, a bunch of various labeled Cabs, Petite Sirah, Sauv Blanc, Pinot Grigio and White Zin. The Generation VIII Cab 2014 selling around $200 is an OK wine, but I’d buy a case of Tabor Adama from the Galilee at this 89-point level or under $20/bottle. 

Chateau Guiraud is back in the Kosher biz with the 2017 premier Classé Sauternes. They discontinued the line in 2001. Another French name, Chateau Gazin Rocquencourt Pessac-Leognan, has a 2017, 100 percent SB and a red, both of which are kosher. I’m unsure if their entire line is pareve, but I’m guessing yes. They are consistent around 89-90 points and open at $30 with price appreciation to mid-$40s. Remember, their Bordeaux blend white, SB and Semillon all age well. You can grab a 90-point 2013 for $40. The Bordeaux blend is where the value lies. The 2012 just entered its window and is selling under $40, 89 points. The better choice would be a 2005 around $55.The reviews on this at a blind tasting were all over the place. Julia Harding rated it 18 (high 90s); I called it 92 points. She was correct. It has proven its mettle by rising in price to $310, if you can find any.

Netofa Winery produces a white Roussanne, Netofa Tel Qasser 2017 and Netofa Dor 2015 Tempranillo. Sadly, the promoter, Royal Wine/Kedem, which represents 11 wineries, did not produce any samples. They are having a tasting in NYC Sept. 10. I’ll be busily slinging biscuits at Grove Market. Our season runs until the weather breaks. The puff piece was informative and I had sampled some of their wares previously. Regulars may remember the column on Pessac-Leognan several weeks ago.

High-test craft beers are losing some of their panache among the weight-conscious set. The new trend is hard seltzer. These have low carb profiles with an ABV of light beer. Press, the best seller, comes in several flavors, 110 cal, 5 g sugar, ABV 4 percent, about a buck per can. Truly has only 1 g sugar. From a casual observation and a bit of chat, it seems that White Claw is the second-best seller among the festival attendees, 110 cal, 3g sugar, 5 percent ABV, comes in a variety 12/pak for $13.97. I think the top two may be due to the product mix, lime, grapefruit and black cherry. The others sell watermelon sun, Fugu Cucumber Vodka, strawberry passionfruit, raspberry rose, grapefruit cardamom. Oddly, most brands include grapefruit, which reminds me of those Sauvignon Blancs so in vogue.