With the Jewish Holidays of  Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur fast approaching, we thought that this would be a good time to speak about Kosher wine and pairings with a traditional brisket or chicken.

My childhood memories of overly sweet and syrupy Kosher wine is, fortunately, receding rapidly to the past.  Modernization has now overtaken much of the production in Israel with good to even a few excellent wines now produced.  Many of the wines have wonderful fruit forward aromas and flavors and well built structure, not mention a striking minerality at times.  Israel has about 10,000 acres of vineyards growing Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot in the reds and Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer in the whites.  As well, some non traditional regions are producing Kosher wine such as, of all places, Chile!

We turned to AJ’s to offer a Kosher wine match with traditional brisket.  This Friday, September 18th, AJ’s Bistro section will be selling their Brisket, fully prepared and ready for your table.  As a wine match, Kevin, the cellar manager, suggests one of two wines.  For $10.99, Chilean producer Alfasi has produced a Kosher Merlot and Chardonnay.  In fair disclosure, I have not tasted this wine but Kevin says that it’s a good wine for the price.

I have tasted the Merlot and Chardonnay Kosher Galilee wines from Recanati and they are quite good.  The Chard is rich in pear, apple and pineapple and surrounded by spice.  The Merlot has plum and general berry aromas with a touch of smoke and a nice finish.  Both run from the high teens to ~$20. 

Some additional names to key an eye out for are Dalton, Golan Heights, Clos de Gat, Yatir and Galil Mountain (none of which I have yet to locate in Tucson).  If you are looking for an alternative non Kosher red, think about a Zin, Shiraz/Syrah, Cab blend, Merlot, or even Chianti.

Additionally, AJ’s has pork, baby back ribs on sale at $4.99/lb.  The kitchen recommends that you parboil the ribs for 15-20 minutes.  Parboiling softens the meat and tends to strip that thin layer of tissue that overlies the back of the bones.  You can grill or bake the ribs using, of course, your favorite dark, BBQ sauce.  If you choose to go the bake route, use low heat, around 275-300 degrees for an hour.  If you grill, I would suggest low heat and “baby” the baby backs.  The Bistro has a great black bean corn salad for $6.99/lb that would make a great accompaniment. 

Wine: Bogle Phantom 2005, a blend of Old Vine Petite Syrah, Zinfandel and Mouvedre for $19.99

Tags: AJ's Fine Foods, Alfasi, Clos de Gat, Dalton, Galil Mountain, Golan Heights, Jewish holidays, Kosher wine, Recanati, Yatir