Wine it up this Pesach
Drinking Israeli wine is a sure way to bring the ‘Promised Land’ to your celebrations, but what to drink? asks Ken Stephens. Growing up and working at the Golan Heights Winery has made Tali Sendovski and Yael Gai experts. Here are their memories and recommendations...
Tali Sendovski, Winemaker at Golan Heights Winery
“I was born and raised in Moshav Nahalal in a big family. Pesach was always a fun holiday for me because our entire family sat together and we always had good food, good wines and a lot of singing.
One year, just before Pesach, I rescued our house from a fire. I was about 12 and alone at home when I smelled something strange. I went into the kitchen and saw fire coming out of the refrigerator.
I turned off all the electricity and started to throw buckets of water to put out the fire.
The kitchen was black and the refrigerator and the food in it was all ruined, but we still managed to have a happy Pesach.”
Yael Gai, International Sales & Marketing Manager, Golan Heights Winery
“When I was around 10, we spent Pesach with my grandparents in Bnei Brak. When it came to the afikoman, my siblings and I were asked what we wanted to receive in exchange for its return.
My siblings, all younger than me, asked for presents as kids do, but when it came to me, I announced I had a special gift in mind. I wanted my beloved grandfather to quit smoking. Without that promise, I would not return the afikoman (which was still hidden and only I knew where it was!).
My grandfather said he could only promise to smoke less, but I stood strong, even though the table was in uproar. I kept the afikoman and went to sleep with it, only to be woken by my grandfather who wanted a compromise: to cut back on smoking and take me on a day trip.
That was the longest seder we ever experienced as kids (thanks to me) and the one I remember the most vividly, thanks to the special request I made for the sake of having a healthy grandfather.
We enjoyed his company for three more years before he passed away. To this day, when we reach the afikoman part of the seder, the whole family still remembers this story and I wish everyone a healthy and happy Passover!”
1st Cup
Kiddush: Hermon Indigo
This light red wine will bring spring to your table and put everyone in a mood for celebration.
The Syrah grapes in Hermon Indigo wine create extremely harmonious fruit flavours that make this wine very ‘friendly’ and enjoyable, with a unique deep purple colour.
2nd Cup
Maggid: Galil Mountain Avivim Upper Galilee
Full of life, with an impressive richness of flavour, you can almost taste the rolling green hills of Galil, where the grapes were grown.
An exquisite blend of Chardonnay and Viognier grapes’ varieties, Galil Avivim will pleasantly surprise your palate with its flavours of peach, green apple, pear, tropical fruit and vanilla.
3rd Cup
Korech: Gamla Cabernet Merlot
The Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot is always a crowd-pleaser.
It combines two of the most popular varieties of grape and is aged for a year in oak barrels to add complexity and flavour.
This wine will enhance your most gastronomic Pesach dishes.
A terrific wine for a bountiful seder meal, whether one is feasting on lamb or beef.
4th Cup
Hallel: Yarden T2
A perfect wine to wrap up the long evening, Yarden T2 is produced from two varieties of Portuguese grapes – Touriga Nacional and Tinta.
This Porto-style rich wine was fortified with brandy to stop its fermentation and increase its alcohol content while preserving the grapes’ natural sweetness.
With the aromatic blend of ripe cherries and plums in the scent, this is a sweet and sophisticated wine that isn’t heavy on the palate.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
