A Kosher Israeli Shiraz

Our first Israeli Shiraz...

Teperberg Vineyards

The Efrat winery recently changed its name to Teperberg 1870. This Israeli winery actually dates back to the 1850s. It is now in the hands of the sixth generation of the Teperberg family, quite a long time for most parts of the world. (Many Italian, German, and Alsatian winemakers among others would consider them upstarts.) In any case Teperberg is the longest established private Israeli winery. Some of their vineyards are in the foothills of the Judean mountains. Their Shiraz comes from the Mavo Horon Vineyard along the Ayalon Creek. The nights are cold and the vineyard is close to the winery, both good signs. Today’s companion wine is an inexpensive kosher Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon, accompanied by a story.

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

Wine Reviewed
Efrat Israeli Shiraz KP/M 2009 12.5% alcohol about $14

There were no marketing materials so let’s start by quoting the back label. Our Shiraz is a deep red wine with purple highlights, enriched by sweet touches and a lingering aftertaste of plums and blackberries. Shiraz reaches perfection in warm climates such as Australia, Israel, and the south of France. Fruity and full-bodied with the added complexity of oak. And now for my review.

Teperberg Wines

At the first sips this wine was round and sweet with good length and light tannins. The first meal started with Japanese rice crackers that brought the Shiraz’s plums to the fore. Then I enjoyed a packaged vegetable lasagna containing Ricotta and Mozzarella cheese that I slathered with grated Parmesan cheese. I tasted plums, perhaps cooked plums. The wine’s tannins have flown the coop and replaced by a twist of tobacco. Its acidity was refreshing. Dessert was a blueberry custard pie in a buttery crust. The wine was muted. There were some cherries and its acidity was down.

The next meal centered on homemade meatballs. In response this Shiraz displayed great balance between bracing acidity and mellow tannins. Its plums were light but long. The accompanying brown rice intensified the taste of plums and the side of green beans in tomato sauce brought out tobacco. With dessert, a fresh strawberry and raspberry trifle the wine was fairly strong but unidimensional.

My final meal was slow-cooked beef ribs, potatoes, and beets. When paired with the beef, this wine’s acidity was sour. I tasted dark cherries and some tannins. While the Shiraz had good length its acidity was rather unpleasant. When it met the accompanying potatoes the wine mellowed to some extent. It presented dark chocolate and was silky. In reaction to cold beets, its acidity was at first overdone, but it did back down and the wine had good length. I finished the meal by dousing the ribs with Louisiana hot sauce. This had no real effect on the wine at first but later on weakened it.

For my first cheese I tried a Muenster. In response to this rather tasteless cheese the wine was oaky with some tobacco. It had soft tannins and light acidity. The next cheese was better; it was a goat’s cheese covered with spicy bruschetta. The wine melted into the cheese and I got some caramel.

Final verdict. I would probably buy this wine again. Many of the pairings were fairly good. But it’s nothing to write home about, and if you aren’t in the market for a kosher wine, why bother?

Access the companion wine A Wine Lover's Weekly Review Of $10 Wine - A Kosher Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon Revisited

About the Author

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. His wine websites include
www.theworldwidewine.com    and    http://www.wineinyourdiet.com

Visit his website devoted to Italian travel www.travelitalytravel.com

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