Yarden in the Press: 2022 - 2024

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10 Best Passover Wines for Your Holiday Seder

Kara Zauberman

January 31, 2024

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The Jewish holiday of Passover is known for many things (including tasty matzo ball soup and coconut macaroons), but one thing it's not necessarily known for is good wine. That's not to say that wine isn't consumed on Passover. In fact, one of the many religious rituals at the Passover Seder is that each adult is supposed to drink four cups of wine! Whether or not you drink the whole glass or just take a sip, having a good bottle of kosher wine for Passover is clearly important. But we know what you're thinking: kosher wine often brings about memories of sugary-sweet bottles from the days of yore. Not to worry! These Passover wines have come a long way, and they're actually wines that you'll enjoy drinking.

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How Has War Impacted Israel’s Wine Harvest? A

Kristen Biele

When members of Hamas crossed the border of Gaza and launched attacks against Israelis on the morning of Oct. 7, winemaker Victor Schoenfeld quickly learned that a number of his employees at Golan Heights Winery were being called back to military service immediately. That included his son, Shai, who is currently serving his mandatory military service at an Air Force base but had been home for a weekend visit. “He’s been working 16-hour shifts every day since he returned to the base,” said Schoenfeld. “This will be remembered as the harvest of the war.”

Across Israel, many wineries were mid-harvest when Hamas’s attacks and Israel’s counterstrikes began. Red grapes were hanging on the vine and the most labor-intensive cellar work was unfinished. Now there are not enough employees to do it. Many wineries employ both Israelis and Palestinians and are worried for their staff on both sides of the conflict.

Additionally, many winemakers are feeling the pain of losing someone they knew in the attacks. Some know hostages being held by Hamas. And while the country remains both at war and in mourning, restaurants are shuttered and no one is celebrating with wine.

While established regions of Upper Galilee and Golan Heights are located farther north, they are close to the border of Lebanon, where Hezbollah has significant forces. Many people there have been evacuated due to rising tensions. At Recanati Winery in the Hefer Valley in Upper Galilee, owner Lenny Recanati reported that five of his production staff have been called back to military service, while three others have been instructed to leave their homes due to proximity to the Lebanese border.

Hoping for the Future

At Golan Heights Winery, Schoenfeld sees some solace in the routine of filling barrels, pressing wines and cleaning tanks. “I think many people are thankful to come to work and keep busy. Even as we learned of the horrific details of our country’s darkest moment, we rose every morning and evening, for those on night shift to fulfill our responsibilities. The general consensus at the winery is that what we do is important.”

He looks forward to the day when his team can “raise a glass from this vintage” to celebrate the future and honor those who have been lost. “At these times, growing and making wine may feel trivial,” Schoenfeld told his team. “But it continues to be our responsibility to make great Israeli wine and bring a bit of culture, joy and light into the world. Culture is our shield against darkness.”

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Yarden appoints Walter Whyte as VP of

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The wholly owned US subsidiary of Golan Heights Winery and Galil Mountain Winery from Israel said Whyte has become the lead executive for the Yarden Wines team in the US. He will oversee all sales, promotion, and marketing efforts as a key liaison with the company’s national distributor and retail network. Whyte brings more than 20 years of wine and spirits industry experience to Yarden. A New Jersey native, he studied business at the University of Maryland and served in the United State Air Force in Germany, discovering a passion for wine through extensive travel to the top European regions.

Experienced in distributor relations, Whyte spent his early years at Allied Beverage Group overseeing the Diageo portfolio. He has also worked extensively on the supplier side developing domestic brands such as Peachy Canyon Winery, Gordon Estate Winery and Whistlepig Whiskey.

Internationally, he is a former regional sales director for Vino del Sol, a family-owned importer of South American wines, and Broken Shed Imports from New Zealand. Prior to his appointment at Yarden Wines, Whyte ran an independent consulting practice assisting high-end, international wineries. Yarden’s award-winning portfolio includes five labels with a range of varieties and styles from the Galilee in northern Israel: Yarden, Hermon, Golan and Galil Mountain.

Assaf Ben Dov, CEO of the Golan Heights Winery, said: “This year marks the 40th Anniversary of Golan Heights Winery and we are delighted to welcome Walter Whyte to head up our US business operations during this exciting chapter of our history.

“Walter brings profound experience in all aspects of distributor management, personnel development and brand building to support our team. We’re deeply impressed by Walter’s commitment to introduce new trade and consumer audiences to the depth and quality of our portfolio and overall, to broaden awareness of the top wines of Israel.”

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Fill Your Winter with These 10 Fantastic Red Wines Under $35

Larry Rubin

December 28, 2023

Circulation: 383,722

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Tasting Highlights' wine reviews are fresh out of the tasting room, offering a sneak peek of our editors' most recent ratings including scores and full tasting notes to WineSpectator.com members.

The winter chill is a fantastic excuse to stay inside and open a comforting bottle of red wine. Our latest edition of Tasting Highlights features fabulous examples from around the globe, from France to Spain to California and beyond. Even better, all of these reds offer great value (almost all are priced $25 or less), with scores up to 91 points.

Winter is the season for wines with generous fruit foundations and accents of spices and herbs. Tempranillos from Spain fit the bill deliciously. While these wines can be full-flavored and powerful in their youth, some may be released later, after a longer period of aging. These reserva and gran reserva bottlings can display additional complexity, with savory and oaky notes. Beyond Spain, look to red wines such as La Valentina’s Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and Casas del Bosque’s Carmenère, which display rich fruit flavors and herbal details.

Fans of Cabernet Sauvignon should keep an eye out for the Hermon bottling from Israel's Golan Heights Winery. From the Galilee region, it's an example of a widely available and affordably priced Cabernet of excellent quality. And that's not to mention Cabernet's other impressive footholds around the world. Don't miss the 90-point version from Washington state in this selection: Gorman's spice-laced The Devil Makes Three bottling. Meanwhile, for a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, look to a Bordeaux such as Clos de l'Oratoire's 2021 St.-Emilion. At just $32, it represents a strong effort from a difficult vintage.

GOLAN HEIGHTS WINERY

Cabernet Sauvignon Galilee Hermon 2022

Score: 89 | $15

WS review: Upfront and extroverted, with a juicy mélange of blueberry fruit, cherry and lifted ganache. For fans of the lush style, this tasty, ripe version offers notes of graphite and dried lavender that add intrigue. Drink now. 27,571 cases made, 1,008 cases imported. From Israel. K.B.

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You know the one I’m talking about - the one filled with take-out menus, instruction manuals, birthday cards, mystery keys and anything else you happen to put in there and forget about for a few weeks, months or often many years.

This week, I thought would open a similar drawer and dust off a few wines I have been meaning to write about for a while but which somehow slipped through the cracks.

All six wines are red wines. But other than that, they don’t have a lot else in common. Many of them are not from the same country or the same wine region. They’re not the same grape or vintage in most cases. They’re just simply great wines that I have been meaning to write about for some time. So without further ado, here they are - six random red wines perfect for fall or frankly anytime of the year.

Hope you enjoy.

2019 Yarden Galilee Syrah ($95.99 SRP)

Region: Galilee, Israel

Grape: 100% syrah

Tasting notes: I first tasted this wine a few months ago. Like many great syrahs, this one has a wide array of wonderful, subtle flavors and aromas. From soft hints of cherry and raspberry to understated notes of plum and blackberry, this inky, dark-colored wine has a concentrated, earthy finish that’s perfect for heartier fall foods and cold winter nights.

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October 9, 2023

Circulation: 4,329,696

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Yes, You ARE Drinking Merlot and Here Are 8 Magnificent Bottles to Get You Started

Ken Ross

Hailing from Bordeaux, where it is the most widely grown grape and the star of the Right Bank, Merlot takes its name from the old French word for blackbird. It is still not certain whether it received the name because of its tiny, almost-black berries or because blackbirds love to eat them straight off the vine. Either way, it is now one of the most extensively grown grapes in the world, even if it is not the most popular. Merlot is produced around the world in the U.S.A., Chile, France, and Italy, and just about everywhere else that wine grapes are grown. It is often used as a blending grape, but many well-known wine makers make 100 percent Merlot wines. Merlot has milder acidity than Cabernet Sauvignon or Malbec and it generally has more of a fruit forward taste profile. You can often find flavors of red and black fruits including cherry, raspberry, and plum. It also has softer and smoother tannins than other red wines, making it a good match for slightly spicy foods. Merlots are also a great match for chicken, duck, and pasta, and of course a perfectly grilled steak. Here are eight Merlots we’re drinking this week, five from California, one from Israel, two from France, and one from Washington state. Enjoy!

Yarden Golan Heights Winery 2019 Yarden Allone Habashan Vineyard Merlot Galilee Israel

The first release of Yarden Merlot Allone Habashan was in 2016 and it received well deserved acclaim from wine critics familiar with Israeli wine. From the Galilee wine region, this wine has aromas of caramelized orange zest, cocoa powder, red currant, and black plum. It has soft, silky tannins with flavors of tobacco leaf, black raspberry, and black currant. Enjoy now or over the next five to seven years.

10 Best Kosher Wines for Your Passover Seder

Kelly Vaughan

February 11, 2022

Circulation: 7,500,000

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Kosher wine is produced like any other white, rosé, or red wine, but with a key exception it must be made under the supervision of a rabbi and use certified kosher ingredients and equipment, according to Jewish law Although not all Jewish wine lovers solely drink kosher wine, it’s important to have a few bottles on the table for Passover All of the wines on this list are certified kosher, though not all are certified kosher for Passover so pick up the bottle that works best for your celebration So we turned to leading Jewish food and wine experts and a few of our own team members for their recommendations on the best Kosher wines to serve with your Passover meal

2017 Yarden Galilee Chardonnay, $23 49

“Fruit sourced from vineyards in the northernmost region of the Golan Heights at 3,900 feet in elevation. The climate is fairly cool which provides nice acidity in the wine The wine has notes of fresh lemon, lemon curd, ripe pear, white flower, and baking spices It's round and full-bodied but balanced out by the acidity and touch of minerality from the volcanic soil ” Margaux Reaume, co-founder of Argaux

By Bennet Bodenstein

Choosing the right wine for Passover

There is an old joke among the Jewish people concerning how and why they celebrate certain ancient holidays: “They attacked us, we beat them, let’s eat.” That really sums up almost all of their holidays and the Jewish way of celebrating them with a big, and I mean really big, feast. April 15 will bring on one of the most joyous of all the Jewish holidays, Passover, a holiday celebrating the Jewish exodus from Egypt. My only question is, “What wine is the proper accompaniment for Manna?”

One of the rituals that must be observed at the Passover service/dinner, called a seder, is for the adults to drink four cups of wine during the meal. For all too many years, the beverage that was most often used was a sweet Concord grape wine. The reason for that choice was that a particular brand was made to conform to all the requirements of the strict kosher laws. What makes a wine kosher is that the wine must be made under the supervision of a rabbi. The final step is to momentarily immerse the wine bottle into water at 160 deg. F to cleanse the bottle. So in actuality, that is the only difference between kosher wine and non-kosher wine.

Gilgal Cabernet-Merlot 2019 ($19.99). A decent Cabernet-Merlot blend at this price is almost impossible to find, and with this wine, the Gilgal vintners have achieved the impossible. From its makeup, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, this wine should be a Bordeaux knockoff; it most definitely is not. There is more fruit aroma and flavor and considerably less of the austerity that is common among the Bordeaux wines. Another problem with others of the same blend is over-oaking. There is oak to be found in this wine, but it is like how a great chef uses spice. It is noticeable but does not block the other flavors or aromas. This wine is a fine example of the blend, and Israeli wines, and like all the Gilgal wines is approved for Passover.

Gilgal Mount Hermon Red 2020 ($14.99). Another wine in the classic Bordeaux tradition Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec, a blend that will please any Bordeaux aficionado. The flavors and aromas are right there and upfront. And they are presented as though they were wrapped in velvet. This wine displays a bright ruby color, with intense dark cherry, vanilla, and cinnamon aromas. Plum, boysenberry, cranberry, and cherry flavors blend with an earthy, mineral element. To say the least, this is a very interesting and delightful wine.

A family Passover seder (the author is the boy in the very front).

Gilgal Chardonnay 2020 ($19.99). A red wine is customary for a Passover dinner, but that rule is set in ice and not in stone. Because the first course is usually a seafood course, there is no reason that the wine shouldn’t be white; and what better white wine than the Gilgal 2020 Chardonnay, which is also kosher, for Passover. Made from grapes grown on the Golan Heights, the coolest region in Israel, the aroma is about as chardonnay as one can get lemon, lime, pear, green apple, melon, and pineapple, and a whisper of oak, all of which carry over to an exceptional finish.

Gilgal Sauvignon Blanc 2020 ($19.99). This is a very easy drinking wine, and a perfect example of what the dedicated Israeli vintners can do with a Sauvignon Blanc, a equally as quickly forgotten. I this is a Sauvignon Blanc wine never forget. Both the aroma and flavor display guava, kiwi, melon, citrus characteristics of the grape while maintaining a creaminess not often found in this variety. This bit of creaminess raises this wine from the ordinary to the position of an impeccable seder wine. While Sauvignon Blancs are usually reserved for seafood, this wine can be served wherever a white wine is called for and can easily replace the usual red wine. P

Great Finds To Stock Up On This Passover

Aly Walansky

Passover is a springtime holiday celebrated by millions of Jewish people around the world. While this holiday is highlighted by the seder – a several-hour feast involving many traditional dishes and wines – it’s actually a week-long holiday loaded with dietary rules

Wine plays a big role in many of these rituals, in fact Jewish people drink four cups during a seder as a symbol of freedom from bondage That’s certainly a lot of wine!

Of course, not any wine will do, and Passover rules dictate that everything we buy and eat on Passover is specifically certified as Kosher for Passover That includes everything from the wine in our glasses to the meat on our plates That requires a ton of shopping, and can be a bit overwhelming However, here’s some pretty fantastic products available this season on our own shopping lists

Golan Heights Winery Yarden Sauvignon Blanc

Whether enjoying a nice poached salmon or a roasted chicken, this crisp and cool Sauvignon Blanc will be a perfect accompaniment, and is so drinkable, you may even want to have a cold glass as you prepare the meal itself

THE VINEYARDS OF GOLAN HEIGHTS

One winery that’s expanding Israel’s horizons

by HELEN GREGORY

LAST FALL, archaeologists unearthed a 75,000square-foot winery estimated to be 1,500 years old in the city of Yavne in central Israel. It was an incredible find. The ancient wine capital once employed thousands and shipped throughout the Mediterranean.

In Israel, history is a vibrant force. The modern roots of winemaking, however, are more New World than Old World. In 1948, when the state of Israel was founded, there were only 14 commercial wineries. There are 300 wineries today and most have come of age over the past 30 years. For many, the winery that started the new wave of winemaking is Golan Heights, located in the northeast corner of Israel, and the winemaker behind the modern era is American-born Victor Schoenfeld.

Schoenfeld has been the head winemaker at Golan Heights Winery since 1992. He oversees everything from vineyard to cellar, including 1,500 acres of the winery’s own vineyards and distinct labels: Mount Hermon, Gilgal, Golan and, most famously, Yarden. Schoenfeld received an enology degree from the University of California, Davis and has always been drawn to the convergence of science, technology and nature. He worked for Robert Mondavi and Château St. Jean in the United States and Jacquesson & Fils in Champagne, France, before making the move to Israel. “I had spent time in Israel before, including a gap year after high school and a year I took off to manage a vineyard in Israel. Golan Heights

Victor Schoenfeld, chief winemaker Golan Heights Winery

TASTINGS

YARDEN CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2018 ($39)

A PERENNIAL FAVORITE; 100% CABERNET SAUVIGNON WITH FLAVORS OF CHERRIES, BLACKBERRY AND PLUM, AND LAYERS OF CHOCOLATE, TOBACCO AND SPICE. FLAVORFUL AND CONCENTRATED. DRINK NOW OR CELLAR FOR 10 TO15 YEARS.

YARDEN CHARDONNAY 2019 ($23)

100% CHARDONNAY SHOWS OFF THE COOL CONDITIONS IN GOLAN HEIGHTS. ELEGANT AND FULL- BODIED, WITH NOTES OF PEAR, LEMON, FLOWERS AND A TOUCH OF FRENCH OAK

MOUNT HERMON INDIGO 2020 ($14)

AN ENTRY-LEVEL BLEND OF CABERNET SAUVIGNON AND SYRAH THAT COMBINE IN A BEAUTIFUL INDIGO HUE. CHERRY AND BLUEBERRY FRUIT AROMAS WITH HINTS OF SPICE AND SMOKE.

Winery started in 1983, and as there were no Israelis at that time with enology degrees, they brought in winemakers from California,” he shares. Schoenfeld was aware of the winery’s quality reputation when he took the job but “never dreamed there was so much potential.”

While many Israeli winemakers contend with desert-like conditions, Schoenfeld has more options to the north.

Thirty years later, Schoenfeld and his team are still on a journey to uncover the potential of Golan Heights. The region sits on a volcanic plateau that reaches east from the Sea of Galilee to snowcovered Mount Hermon on the Syrian border. While many Israeli winemakers contend with desert-like conditions, Schoenfeld has more options to the north. “The Golan Heights soils are all volcanic, relatively heavy and deep, which means they have high waterholding capacity and allow for very deep rooting. We have a classic Mediterranean climate, with the cooling effect of high elevations.” From Schoenfeld’s standpoint, “the Golan Heights is a wine paradise.”

Working with a range of elevation, from 1,200 to 4,000 feet, Schoenfeld is able to experiment with many varieties. He won early acclaim with classic French grapes, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Chardonnay. The 2004 Yarden Cabernet Sauvignon was the first Israeli wine selected for the “Wine

Spectator Top 100,” and in 2012, Golan Heights Winery was named New World Winery of the Year by Wine Enthusiast Celebrated U.S. winemaker Zelma Long has worked with Schoenfeld since 2002 to analyze Golan Heights’ vineyard blocks, culminating in multiple releases of Yarden Rom, a high-end blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah sourced from select sites. Schoenfeld describes Rom 2014 as “a mix of ripe cherry, blackberry and plum fruit characters, backed by an intriguing fusion of earth, smoke, aniseed, tobacco, sage and black tea notes,” all with a “lingering and attractive finish.” The layers of complexity are impressive and reveal much about how Schoenfeld goes about his business: one vineyard block at a time, seeking answers at every turn.

Three decades is a short span in wine history but quite a milestone professionally. In his years at Golan Heights, Schoenfeld has introduced many new plantings, as well as worldly wine styles that expand Israel’s horizons. The elegant Yarden Blanc de Blancs is a bright bubbly made in the methods he learned in Champagne, revealing delicate aromas of lemon, minerality, apple and a touch of toasted bread. The first Port-style wine made from Portuguese varieties in Israel, Yarden T2, combines the Touriga Nacional and Tinta Cao varieties in a ripe, red blend fortified to 18% alcohol with a long, sweet finish. In the end, every new release reveals more about the potential of Golan Heights and what the future can bring. *

Helen Gregory is the founder and president of Gregory + Vine. She has worked in strategic brand management and communications for beverage industry leaders such as Moët Hennessy USA, Rémy Cointreau and STOLI, and has led awardwinning hospitality, beverage and lifestyle campaigns for prestige clients from the European Union to Argentina, Australia, Chile, Israel, South Africa and across the United States.

Sauvignon Blancs You Should Get to Know

Lettie Teague

If you hear Sauvignon Blanc immediately think Loire Valley or New Zealand, it’s time you expanded your horizons Our wine columnist ventured farther afield and found well-made wines from less-expected locales Here, her top bottles

Some grapes grow so well in certain places they overshadow the versions grown in other parts of the world Take, for example, Sauvignon Blanc. Grown all over the globe, it’s best known for its French iterations in Bordeaux and the Loire Valley (each cited as its original home), as well as New Zealand, California and perhaps Chile too for drinkers looking to save a few bucks

But there are many terrific takes on the grape produced in much less familiar locales that deserve much better known In my recent search I found some terrific examples in places as disparate Macedonia, Greece, the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights and the Columbia Valley in Washington not to mention Australia’s Adelaide Hills and (coming full-circle to France) Burgundy It’s also grown Austria and Italy, though Sauvignon Blancs from those two countries proved oddly hard to track down

the stainless-steel-fermented 2021 Golan Heights Winery Gilgal Sauvignon Blanc ($21) was fresh zesty. Grown in a high-elevation vineyard in the northern Golan Heights, Sauvignon Blanc was one the region’s earliest successes according to Golan Heights Winery head winemaker Victor Schoenfeld. When the winery’s vineyards were started in 1976, Sauvignon Blanc was one of the first varieties planted, and it’s an important variety today, second only to Chardonnay, according to Mr. Schoenfeld.

2021 Golan Heights Winery Gilgal Sauvignon Blanc (Golan Heights), $21. Sauvignon Blanc was one of the most important “international” grapes planted in Golan Heights several decades ago It clearly thrives there This Gilgal bottling is a fresh, zesty, lime-inflected delight

11 Kosher Wines We Love

September 21, 2022

Circulation: 1,300,000 Digital

With Rosh Hashanah around the corner, those who celebrate the Jewish New Year are likely planning their apples-andhoney-spiked holiday spreads and that means choosing the just-right wines to complement them For many celebrants, kosher wine is the name of the game

Golan Heights Winery 2021 Mount Hermon Red (Galilee)

This dark garnet wine has aromas of black cherry, caramel and violet. It is very smooth in the mouth, with velvety tannins, flavors of blackberry, raspberry, butterscotch, lavender and juniper and a floral finish. Best Buy M.D. 90 Points

Golan Heights Winery 2021 Mount Hermon White (Galilee)

This wine has aromas of pineapple, lemon and baked apple It has flavors of pineapple, grapefruit, green apple, white flowers and a floral lift on the finish Best Buy M D 89 Points

Galil Mountain 2019 Galil Ela Red (Galilee)

Dark ruby in the glass, this wine has a bouquet of cherry, blackberry and black olive paste. It is bright at first sip, with flavors of black cherry and Valencia orange that are joined by note of dark chocolate and thyme. Glossy tannins recede into an orange zest infused finish M D 92 Points

Galil Mountain 2018 Meron Red (Galilee)

This wine offers a bouquet of pomegranate, caramel and smoke It has flavors of black plum, blackberry, milk chocolate, coffee bean, clove and anise Bold tannins fade into a note of violet on the finish M D 92 Points

Golan Heights Winery 2020 Mount Hermon Moscato (Galilee)

Light straw to the eye, this sparkling wine has aromas of peach, apricot and rose petal. It is effervescent on the tongue, with flavors of white peach, mango, orange zest, honeysuckle and a cotton candy finish. Best Buy M.D. 88 Points

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