I Love Kosher Wine - An Israeli Cabernet Sauvignon

The Upper Galilee region of northern Israel is home to some of the country's highest mountains. We're talking about more than a kilometer (more than five-eighths of a mile high). While such mountains can't begin to compete with Mount Everest, they can produce excellent wine and were doing so even two thousand years ago. And who ever associated wine with Mount Everest, anyway?

This particular producer is a joint venture between an Israeli kibbutz (Yiron) a private company, the Golan Heights Winery. The vineyards are hot in the daytime, and fairly cool at night. And I have this sneaking suspicion that the soil is poor. These are both important considerations for producing fine wine. By the way, some of their vineyards are snowy in the winter. The company has set up a distinctive visitor's center.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Cabernet Sauvignon K/P (Galil Mountain) 2007 13.5% Alcohol About $19

There were no marketing materials so let's start by quoting from the back label. Style: Full-bodied with concentrated berry and plum notes layered with a hint of herbs. Serving Suggestion: Serve at about 64º F (18º C) with foods such as rich pastas or flavorful meat courses like grilled steak or lamb stew. And now for my review.

At the first sips the wine was thick and yet subtle. It had lots and lots of extract. The initial meal consisted of slow-cooked beef stew. This Cab had fine acidity and tasted of chocolate. But when I added green jalapeno sauce to the stew nothing changed.

The second meal included roast chicken with potatoes, onions, and carrots. The wine was lengthy and tasted of black plums. It had nice acidity which did a good job of cutting the grease and I noted a touch of tobacco.

The final meal centered around a boxed Eggplant Parmigiana slathered with grated Parmesan Cheese. This time I got dark tobacco. This Cabernet Sauvignon wine was musky and yet chewy. It was quite refreshing but thinner than it should have been.

Prior to the cheese pairings I tasted this drink with Matjes herring. It was fairly subtle and long. Next was the Gouda cheese. The wine was innocuous; for some reason I got the idea of a little kid hiding in the corner. Then I went to a Swiss cheese; it's a different Swiss than in the past and does not carry the term Emmenthaler but only Swiss. The Cab showed strength and black cherries.

Final verdict. There are enough kosher wines in the market that it's not necessary to grab this one when you want a medium range wine. I will keep looking because I found this wine somewhat disappointing for the price.