Jewish Vintners Celebration in Napa Valley was a huge success

It was amazing to see how many famous wineries have Jewish owners or winemakers... The list was long (and not comprehensive), the wines were fabulous and the guests had a great time.

Jewish Vintner Website

There were also some Israel Wine Company wineries from Israel pouring their wines... They showed really well and accentuated the Israeli climate, soil and winemaking. It is hard to compare wines from Israel to Napa as it is hard to compare Italian wines to Napa, but in terms of quality, they definitely stood their own!!!

Adam Sandler (The Zohan) and crew like their Israeli Wine with Humous!!

Adam, his producer Jack, and chef Albert came up to my winery for a tour and tasting. They loved the wine and winery and were super friendly. In fact, they invited us to come check out their latest set and filming of Bedtime Stories at Castello Di Amarosa. I brought them some Israeli wine and they'll be signing up for the Israel Wine Company, Israeli Wine Club!!! I was told that Jackie (Adam's wife), will like the Rimon Desert Wine, and the Clos De Gat Merlot will probably be tasted tomorrow in their trailer. Thank you guys for being so hospitable and friendly.

Photo optimized by Robb Farrington Digital

Israel Wine Company- June Wine Club Selections

Dear Israel Wine Company Member (and potential member),

I hope you have been enjoying the 60th Independence Day celebrations for the State of Israel!!!! We are excited to bring you Israel’s finest wines and to connect you with Israel’s best boutique wineries. Below you will find information on this month’s selections.

If you have not yet signed-up, you can still get June's selections if you sign-up here http://IsraelWineCompany.com/join.html

I hope you enjoyed last month’s wine selections. We have started this blog on our site for your reviews and comments about each shipment. Please let us know what you think of your wines by leaving a review in the comments section below.

This month I have chosen some especially unique wines. One very nice red and the other is not even made out of grapes, but pomegranate. I chose this wine because it is different and very tasty.

We appreciate your membership and look forward to providing you with unparalleled service. Please contact me with any questions or if you would like to order more of this month's wine selections at: ari@israelwinecompany.com or call: 707 307 4303

Please tell your family and friends about us!!!

Of course, Wine Club Members receive a 10% (or higher) discount on all orders. This month you will be receiving a 14% discount plus subsidized shipping. Please contact me with any questions or if you would like to order more of this month's wine selections at ari@israelwinecompany.com

L’Chaim,


Ari Erle
Israel Wine Company, Founder
ari@israelwinecompany.com



June, 2008, Israel Wine Company Exclusive Offerings:

HaMasrek: Kings Blend

Situated in the mountains at the 'gate' to Jerusalem, HaMasrek planted their
vineyards on ancient terraces above the famous 'Burma Road.' The newly planted forests and vineyards on rocky limestone and volcanic soil overlook the Ayalon Valley and Coastal Plains below. During the siege on Jerusalem, it was the mountain pass through Hamasrek vineyards that an alternative route to Jerusalem was found, ending the siege. Many pages of history from biblical times have been written about the area of Hamasrek vineyards and winery. The winery itself was established by the Greengrass brothers, who are third generation farmers at Beit Meir where the winery is located. Just driving up to this world class winery, is a gorgeous, history lesson which imbues quality.
When I was studying at Hebrew University, I used to work for JNF, planting trees on the hills around HaMasrek’s Vineyards. I remember the hardy, rocky, volcanic soil that forces the vines to struggle, ultimately, creating, even higher quality wine.


Tasting Notes
The King’s Blend is an eclectic blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Zinfandel. It is also a blend of the 2004/05 vintages. Regardless of vintage, or grape, HaMasrek put together the very best wine from their top lots. I get hi-tone minerals with sweet vanilla and barrel spice. It opens-up to raspberries, cranberries and juicy meat in the middle. The mouth-feel is clean and intense with nice, smooth tannins and a spicy long finish.
I think this would go great with my wife’s famous, Israeli meatball recipe
Recipe on our blog at this link: Keren's Mediterranean Meatballs

Retail Price: $27




Rimon: Dessert Wine 2005

Unlike other pomegranate wine and spirit beverages on the market, Rimon wines are not merely flavored with pomegranates. They are the only wines in the world made exclusively from 100% pomegranate with no addition of sugar. They are produced from a unique variety of pomegranate (patent pending) specially cultivated by the Nachmias family to have natural sugars equivalent to that of grape varieties used for winemaking.

The traditional techniques used by the Nachmias Family to make the Rimon pomegranate wines are virtually identical to the traditional methods of making grape wine. The fruit is harvested at optimum ripeness and crushed, then moved into large temperature-controlled steel tanks to ferment. After fermentation, the wine is then aged in French oak barrels to add complexity and softness. The only difference is in the machine that crushes the fruit. Rimon Winery uses a specially-designed machine to open each pomegranate into a flower-like shape, scoop out the ripe, edible seeds, and crush them for their rich red juice.

Each Rimon wine is produced using traditional winemaking techniques, which also preserves the pomegranate's succulent flavors and healthful attributes. The result is a beautiful wine that attracts the eye with superb clarity and rich color and warms the heart with remarkable and unique flavors. All Rimon wines are produced according to the highest quality winemaking standards and all are certified Kosher.

Tasting Notes
The aroma reminds me of the first rain in the Fall. It smells like a handful of pomegranate seeds that you just took a big bite into. The taste is sweet with an intense burst of pomegranate juice. Both the aromas and taste are much more elegant than any pomegranate juice I have ever had. It would be perfect with peach cobbler or blueberry pie. Some might want to even use it to cook their dessert syrup. This is truly a unique product, bound to attract a new group of health conscious wine drinkers. I would drink this with a chocolate covered peach cobbler.

Retail Price: $31

Please visit: www.IsraelWineCompany.com to learn more.

israel wine company| +1 (707) 307-4303 | ari@israelwinecompany.com

Wife's Israeli Meatballs- Goes great with HaMasrek King's Blend

This is my wife's Israeli Meat Ball Recipe. It goes great with the HaMasrek King's Blend that is going out with the Israeli Wine Club June Selection Wine Shipment.

1/2 Kilogram of ground meat
1/2 Kg of ground chicken breast
Cilantro
2 chopped and fried onions
a little flour
a little bread crumbs

Mix it all together. Roll into meatballs and cook them on the grill as a shish Kebab or in the oven with tomato sauce.

You will enjoy these with a nice Israeli Wine like the King's Blend