I have no special reason for these recommendations. It is not a holiday, not a season, nor any event on the calendar. Perhaps it is better that way. Three new bottles that arrived at my table recently, were opened out of curiosity, and proved to be well worth a recommendation.
The first of them is Lander Project, Sauvignon Blanc by the Zafririm Winery from the Ella Valley. There is something refreshing about a winery that does not try to chase trends but simply makes an accurate wine.
The new Sauvignon Blanc succeeds in bringing to expression everything I look for in this variety: Citrus with an emphasis on lemons, minerality, and a refreshing sensation that remains even after long minutes of swirling in the glass.
I love wines like this, which can be drunk over time and where time spent in the glass actually does them good.
To participate in the experiment
Lander Project is the experimental–creative series of the Zafririm Winery. Not in the laboratory sense of the word, but more as a place where the winery tests what happens when you give the vineyards a little more freedom. The result is a relatively small wine series that is slightly different from the standard line of the winery.
The wine is neither extroverted nor trying too hard, and perhaps that is the secret of its charm. It has aromas of lemon, lime, and grapefruit, alongside subtle aromas of flowers and the smell of grass after watering.
It is sharp to the right degree, very clean and balanced, and in my eyes also particularly suitable for the days of early summer. The kind that you can open alongside fish, salads, or cheeses, but no less than that, simply to drink for fun at the end of the day. The price: NIS 104.
To play it safe
I stayed with Sauvignon Blanc, one of the varieties that the Golan Heights Winery has known how to work with well for many years. The current vintage also continues the tradition.
This is a wine that I call "safe" – one that never fails. Aromatic and relatively rich, with a presence of passion fruit, kiwi, and citrus. It waited for me nicely in the refrigerator ever since the Shavuot holiday for which it was originally intended, and was forgotten there quite by accident only because we had a stock of several bottles that we needed to finish.
What pleases me about this wine is the combination of accessibility and complexity. It does not demand special attention, but certainly rewards you when you pull it out of the refrigerator without planning. This is a bottle that can integrate well into a fish dinner, roasted chicken, or even just a light mid–week dinner. The price: NIS 85.
To have a good time
The third bottle is Inspire Colombard 2024 by Teperberg Winery, a good opportunity to remind that not every Israeli white wine must be a Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay, although I assume whoever follows me already knows.
Teperberg Winery has a charming variety of white wines, but I chose this one specifically, because Colombard is a variety that does not always get the spotlight, but it has one big advantage – it feels right at home here. It is culinary but suitable for a really hot day, not heavy, and does not try to impress by force.
This version, which comes from the Mevo Horon vineyards, does exactly what a good Colombard needs to do in my view. Plenty of citrus and an acidity that gives a touch. This is a pleasant, fun, and unpretentious wine, and sometimes these are exactly the bottles that finish first. The price: NIS 76.
