• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Living The Gourmet
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Wines
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • Recipes
    • Wines
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz for Passover

    Apr 8, 2022 · 9 Comments

    This post has been brought to you by Carmel Winery. All opinions expressed are my own. The following message is intended for those 21+. Please enjoy responsibly.

    Today we’re taking a look a bottle from Israel’s premier wine producer – Carmel Winery, in particular their 2018 “Appellation,” which is a cabernet sauvignon-shiraz blend.

    The Who – Carmel Winery

    Carmel was founded 1882 by Edmond James de Rothschild, with its first vineyards being planted south of Jaffa. In the ensuing decades following its founding, Carmel would meet with early success, leading to an expansion of the winery’s facilities, including a second winery near Haifa, and a gold medal from the Paris World Fair in 1900,

    Carmel’s success would continue into the early 20th century, with the wine industry in Israel undergoing something of a renaissance through the First World War. However, almost immediately following the end of the war, Israel’s wine industry would all but collapse, suffering several significant body blows in rapid succession. First came the closure of what were the two primary markets for Israeli wines at the time – Russia, due to the October Revolution, and the US due to the passage of Prohibition. Not long after, Egypt, also a popular destination for Israeli wine, closed its markets to alcohol. In essence, this left Israeli winemakers with virtually no profitable destinations for export, while rapidly changing regional attitudes towards alcohol in general made the local production of wine a less and less ‘practical’ undertaking.

    So severe was the sudden downturn for the Israeli wine industry that Carmel, like many of regional winemakers, actually shifted much of its production to boiled sacramental wine, and replanted much of its former acreage with citrus.

    This downturn would last through the 1970s, and it would not be until the close of the 1980s that Israel would once again begin producing award winning bottles. This renewed success would continue into the new millennium, with Israeli wine finding its way onto the Wine Spectator Top 100 list. However, it was Carmel Winery that capitalized most heavily on the resurgence, so much so that today Carmel’s market share of the Israeli wine industry is in the vicinity of fifty-percent.

    The Where – Galilee, Israel

    Galilee is divided into three wine regions, Upper Galilee, Lower Galilee, and the Golan Heights. In the Golan Heights, elevations reach well over a thousand meters, and the soils can vary quite widely. Similarly, the soils of Upper Galilee vary quite widely as well, but generally feature volcanic basalt, limestone, and free-draining gravels, coupled high elevations that guard against high local temperatures.

    Aromatics and Tasting – The Review

    The wine opens with blueberry and toasted oak off the top of the glass, veiled over what I’ll describe as ‘mixed dried herbs,’ with just a hint of tilled soil. Vanilla and cracked leather materialize deeper into the glass, with the herbal notes coming to the fore. On the palate, the wine strikes a balance between being medium and full-bodied, and features soft tannins. On the first sip, the wine carries dark fruit and spice, layered over oak and earth essence. Mid-palate, or on second sampling, the spice matures quite nicely alongside notes of syrupy vanilla and copious dark fruit, creating a layered and pleasantly complex yet approachable flavor profile. I’ll close by noting the wine’s excellent structure and balance. Very pleasant.

    What To Eat – The Pairing

    With today’s bottle, you want to think hardy and substantial. Ribs, steaks, and red sauces are all candidates. Something like a Braised Rib Stew set over pasta would pair lovely.
    You might also consider something like an Herbed Rack of Lamb prepared with fresh basil, garlic, olive oil, and oregano.

    0

    More Wine Reviews

    • Uncorking Excellence: A Comprehensive Review of Cameron Hughes Wines
    • Wine Guide: Picking the Best Wines for Thanksgiving
    • Celebrating the Holidays with Starmont Winery
    • Elevate Your Dinner Soirée: A Guide to the Art of Wine Pairing

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Heather says

      April 12, 2022 at 3:20 pm

      I've always bought the inexpensive grocery store wine for Passover. This year I'm going all out!

      Reply
    2. Joyce K. says

      April 12, 2022 at 6:34 pm

      I'm still new to wine so I don't really know much about it. I loved this post because I got a wine recommendation, what foods it goes well with, and the history behind it.

      Reply
    3. Melissa Dixon says

      April 13, 2022 at 1:54 pm

      This sounds really good. I love good red wine and cab sauv is my favorite. I need to pick this up for our celebration.

      Reply
    4. Carleen says

      April 13, 2022 at 2:49 pm

      I do love a good red wine. I also really love the owl on the label!

      Reply
    5. Risa Lopez says

      April 13, 2022 at 4:55 pm

      I love red wine especially on dinner dates, steak nights, and special occasions.

      Reply
    6. Jennifer Passmore says

      April 14, 2022 at 12:11 am

      I've never been a really big wine drinker, but the way you talked about all of those notes it has in it, has me wanting a glass!

      Reply
    7. Yeah Lifestyle says

      April 14, 2022 at 6:40 am

      Carmel Winery looks fantastic and I do hope I am able to visit it one day. Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz is also one of my favourite wines, so it is nice to learn more about it as well.

      Reply
    8. Rhian Westbury says

      April 14, 2022 at 10:02 am

      Carmel Winery sounds like a really cool interesting place. I don't know all that much about wine, but it sounds like a good bottle x

      Reply
    9. Kat says

      April 18, 2022 at 11:54 pm

      The Appellation Cab-Shiraz is a blend with a deep purple color with notes of blackberry, spice and dark chocolate flavors. Love love love the taste!

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Welcome to Living the Gourmet! Our goal is to bring you recipes and inspirations for a gourmet life.

    Meet the family →

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Our Story
    • Privacy Policy & Disclaimer
    • As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Contact

    • Media Kit

    Social

    • Pinterest
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    Living The Gourmet
    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

    Strictly Necessary Cookies

    Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

    If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.