Wine: A glass for the new year

Both white and red can compliment a holiday meal no matter what you're serving.

By OFER ZEMACH
pouring wine glass 88 (photo credit: )
pouring wine glass 88
(photo credit: )
'What's a good wine for the holiday meal?" is a question I get asked a lot at this time of year. My answer is easy: "Any wine you enjoy is a good wine." It might sound simplistic, but it makes a point that's sometimes missed in the modern obsession with ratings and scores. Wine is about taste, in every sense of the term, and taste is a personal and totally subjective experience. So my suggestion is: Serve and drink a wine you like. Of course, it doesn't mean that a few pointers on the types of wine can't be useful. But you can always make your own exploration for the perfect marriage between good food and fine wine. Both white and red can compliment a holiday meal no matter what you're serving, and I would certainly offer my guests a choice. When lots of friends and family members are gathered at the table, you can't make everybody happy. The more people you are serving, the less ambitious should be your choice of wine, and there are several bottles that you can pour confidently, knowing that even the most sensitive wine snob can't fail to enjoy. What you want is a wine that goes equally well with roast chicken, red meat or hearty beef stew. This means a wine that manages to have not only wonderful flavor but also wonderful balance - neither too tannic nor too acidic, neither too alcoholic nor too light. It needs the delicacy to enhance subtle seasonings and the flavor to stand up to an array of seasoning. Here's a selection of new kosher releases. One or more will certainly please your palate. Shiraz - Merlot Kfar Ruth 2006: After consulting with winemakers and other professionals, as well as attending winemaking and wine tasting courses, Tal Maor made his dream come true by establishing his own winery at Kfar Ruth next to Modi'in. His wines have already won three gold medals at the Eshkol Hazahav 2005 competition, and the new releases seem to follow the same pattern. This wine was made from equal amount of Shiraz and Merlot grapes grown in selected vineyards in the Jerusalem Hills and aged for two years in oak barrels. A really fine, full-bodied wine with aromas of blackberries and cherries, backed with acidity to balance all those juicy, plush fruit flavors. NIS 112 Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot Kfar Ruth 2006: Dry red wine made of 60 percent Cabernet and 40% Merlot grapes aged for 12 months in oak. A polished wine that's a joy to drink right now, with an hour or so of breathing. NIS 78 Zion winery has released two white wines for the holidays. Tidhar, Emerald Riesling - French Colombard 2007: This is the winery's first semi-dry white wine, an interesting blend of 75% Emerald Riesling grapes from Kfar Tavor and rest of French Colombard from the area of Zichron Ya'acov. Pale gold in color, it has light floral aroma and melon lime flavors. NIS 35 Erez, Chardonnay Chenin Blanc 2007: With just a hint of sweetness, and full of tingling acidity, tropical fruit and green apple blossom, this is a lively, inexpensive all-purpose holiday white. The bright fruit flavors make it appealing as an aperitif, and its crisp minerality makes it food-friendly too. NIS 49 The Golan Height Wineries has four new releases of red wines to adorn the holiday table with. Two are in the Golan series: Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. Both are from the harvest of 2007, and are young refreshing wines with juicy fruitiness that can match a variety of dishes. NIS 45 each. The others are in the Yarden series. Cabernet Sauvignon 2005: This is a real crowd pleaser of a wine. Cabernet Sauvignon can often be aggressively tannic, but this one is soft enough to go with a vast range of dishes. Its ripe blueberry and blackberry fruit is luscious and compelling. This Cabernet is approachable on release and will continue to drink well for at least five years. NIS 121. Merlot 2004: Full-bodied, elegant wine with a silky texture and succulent cherry flavors. Soft tannins give the wine good structure and a long finish. NIS 105 Another attractive red is from the Binyamina wineries. Tiltan, Cabernet Sauvignon 2004-2005-2006: Assembled from three vintages, the Tiltan (clover) is an elegant wine made of grapes harvested in a small vineyard in Upper Galilee. Two oak barrels from each vintage were combined to create this dry and well structured wine. It has supple tannins and good acidity for dining. NIS 125 ofer@jpost.com