Tempt your Passover palate with these delicious offerings
By Laura Ness
2020 Rimapere Baron Edmond de Rothschild Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand, 13%
This beauty screams Kiwi! It’s classic New Zealand juice, with fresh cut grass, white flowers, grapefruit and searing lime aromas. The palate is brisk and zippy, layered with slick wet rock, searing gooseberry and mouthwatering Meyer lemon. If this is your preferred style of SB, you’ll be quite pleased. Rimapere means “five arrows” in Maori, and is derived from the Rothschild coat of arms. A super beauty for your Passover table. From Royal Wine Co.($23)
2019 ESSA White Bordeaux-style blend, South Africa, 13%
A pale green hint in the glass clues you in to fresh cut grass, lime, gooseberry, smoky minerality, ocean fresh salinity and gooseberry. Lemongrass, Bosc pear, kefir lime and gooseberry show up on the engaging palate that displays some gorgeous depth. Brisk, energetic and seafood friendly. Would work with asparagus, arugula and hyssop. ESSA is the passion play of Joshua Rynderman, a young Boston-raised winemaker, who spends half the year making kosher wine in California and the other half making kosher wine in South Africa. His South African wife, Chana, is company CEO. From Royal Wine Co.($20)
2016 Carmel Special Reserve 40th Anniversary Edition, Israel, 15%
Quite ripe and definitely suited for those who enjoy wines with little acid, this is soft and easy stuff, with lots of ripe canned cherries and chocolate cake drizzled with Bosco. From Royal Wine Co.(SRP $80)
2021 Baron Herzog Rosé, Central Coast, Calif., 13.5%
Subtle strawberry bubblegum and pink lemonade aromas define this slightly sweet and easy to drink wine. A crowd pleaser for those who prefer their pink drinks with a juicy kiss of confection. From Royal Wine Co.($12)
2021 Covenant Wines RED C Sauvignon Blanc, Lake County, Calif., 13.5%
Pleasingly round and complex approach to this white fave grape from Lake County, with aromas of poached peach and pineapple, and flavors of red grapefruit, pineapple and juicy peach melba with a touch of cinnamon. Easy to drink, with just enough acidity to handle food. A peachy crowd pleaser, for sure. It grows on you with each sip. ($24)
2021 Covenant Wines RED C Rosé, Calif., 13.5%
Aromas of guava, mango, honeydew melon and watermelon bubblegum are totally tempting. But that’s just the beginning. Lovely flavors of crisp pink lemonade, raspberry punch and juicy tropical bounty creates a welcome party for your palate. This will tackle almost anything on the Passover menu with gusto. ($35)
2019 Covenant Wines RED C RED blend, Sonoma County, Calif., 14.8%
Fruity, flavorful and filled with California ripeness, this begins with aromas of dark cherry, chocolate almond cake and braised short ribs. Big in structure, ample of tannin and blessed with very ripe dark cherry fruit, this wine makes an emphatic statement from C to shining C. The finish is filled with dark chocolate covered cherries. A friendly, fully satisfying red that will win a coveted place at your table. ($44)
2021 Twin Suns Reserve Pinot Noir Rosé, Williamette Valley, Ore., 13.5%
Made by the Shirah Wine Co. in Rickreall, Ore., this is a gorgeous hue of ruby with a hint of violet in the glass. It’s fruity and more like a very light Pinot Noir than a rose, with its surprising weight and drive to counteract the bit of sweetness that makes it a hearty combination of ripe raspberry and cheery strawberry, with a hint of red cherry. The River Wine is a relatively new importer led by husband and wife team Ami and Larissa Nahari, whose last name translates into “the river.” ($25)
2020 Twin Suns Buttery Chardonnay, Merwin Vineyard, Lodi, Calif., 13.6%
A joint collaboration between The River Wine Company in New York and well-known kosher winemakers, Gabriel and Shimon Weiss, of Shirah Wines in King City, Calif., this is the kind of Chardonnay that smells like oak and tastes just like toasty staves, as you might infer from the name. Decidedly reminiscent of circus peanuts, those fluffy puffy candies of old, this blatantly bodacious wine delivers a touch of peanut brittle. The wine brand was named in honor of the proprietors’ twin sons, who were born the same year The River was created. Shirah is the Weiss Brothers’ exclusive wine label, which they began making as “garage wine” during time off working for Herzog vineyards. This is the only Mevushal wine in this list, which means that it has been heat treated. See main story for more information. ($13)
2017 Tura Mountain Peak Cabernet Blend, Israel, 14.6%
One whiff and you’ll swoon, as this is heady and gorgeous stuff, from a mountain peak in Galilee. Made of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, this soundly made Bordeaux style blend bursts forth like a trumpet with notes of dark cherry, tobacco, earth, sweet wood and cocoa chips. Well-mannered, smooth and downright elegant, it delivers red plum and red velvet cupcakes with a suave cherry chocolate core. From Royal Wine Co. ($75)
