Etti Edri

Having a Multi-Generational Passover Celebration? Wine Pro Etti Edri Shares Important Tips

Having a Multi-Generational Passover Celebration?  Wine Pro Etti Edri Shares Family-Friendly Tips

Today is a treat for people who observe Passover and wine-lovers who are curious to taste Israeli’s delicious (ands well-rated) new wine releases.

Etti Edri has over 15 years of wines experience and is the Export Manager for Carmel Winery.

 

 

So of course I come from Carmel. What’s important for me is to talk about Carmel Winery, that we are able to produce wines from a wide spectrum of wine.

 

When we sit together for Passover.  There are younger people: 18 year old’s, 20 year olds, but it’s people we wanna bring in and invite to the wine world.

 

Because the wine world in Israel is just since the 1970’s, even though they used to produce wine thousands of years ago.  After the Muslim era until the seventh century there was no wine at all. So when Rothchild came, he had to start everything from scratch.

 

So what he started, we actually sustained. And when we sit together at the table for Passover there are 18 year olds, 23 and 30 year olds, parents, grandparents.  That’s a lot of different wine tastes. And we all know how wine involves your palette. 

 

Personally, I mean, I started with semi-dry wines, and today I would go for the Volcano, which is the single vineyard one, you know, the geeky one that goes into oak and large oak. But how long it stayed, and how long it was fermented, and so forth.

 

As opposed to my 21 year old. She says, “Mom, give me something light and fun”. 

 

So this is what’s so beautiful about Carmel is that you can give them the “Buzz” series, which is the sparkling, a flavored wine and it’s semi-sweet, and they love it. But yet, on the other hand, my father would like the brandy which we also produce.  And, me,  myself,  would go for the high end one. So everybody around the table  can enjoy their own glass of wine, and that’s miraculous in a country like ours, it’s an achievement. 

 

 

Lets do a deeper dive on the wine.

 

Because I’m at the age of liking these geeky kinds of wines, I want to talk about Carmel Signature. Carmel Signature is all the premium wines under Carmel Winery’s label.  It means that while we make regular table wines, you can also drink our Signature series and it has our signature on it, Carmel signature with a symbol of spies. 

 

That symbol means it’s coming from the top vineyards in Israel. So it’s coming up from the Galilee. It’s coming from the Judean Hills. It’s always being picked from single vineyards that are growing up in the north, with really meticulous care.

 

When it comes into the winery, it’s separated in oak, and then after the fermentation, it’s blended together for a while until it creates a beautiful blend. 

 

So two things I want to talk about, one is we are launching “Single vineyard”, which is a very famous among Kosher drinkers.  They love it knowing it’s Single Vineyard from Carmel and they want to taste it because it’s been planted since 2010.

 

Also, we are launching something today that’s a bit higher. It’s called Volcano, because it comes from a special vineyard that was planted in 2010.  Picked from their Cabernet Sauvignon, which Americans love.

 

So combine the Cabernet grapes,  the single vineyard, the signature symbol, the immaculate vineyard work.  Combing in all and eventually you get something that’s really really beautiful on the palate, very rich, but yet something you can age and drink 5 – 10 years from now.

 

Amazing, so tell me more about the Carmel Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2019.  What meal would you pair with it for dinner?

 

When we are drinking such a rich and full wine, you would expect to have a matching experience with the food. So usually people would go for roasted meats, fatty meats because the wine is so rich in tannins.

 

I would actually go for the long-cooked lamb, because I’m Mediterranean, I’m Tunisian.

 

So I would put all these herbs inside, and yet these herbs would not damage the quality of the wine or the flavors it also pronounces. But long cooked. When you think about a bite of that alongside rice pilaf.  You know what that is like? A mixture of the spices should  match perfectly to that cabernet.  The balance you would get is quite amazing.

 

Let’s move to a second wine. 

 

What I want to talk about is a wine called Carmel Mediterranean. It’s also on the Carmel Signature which received 96 points by Decanter, which was a big thing for us.

 

The Americans that came here in 2000, when they tried it they were just blown away.

 

Mediterranean Carmel is a combination.  It’s got Carignan, it’s got Petit Verdot. It’s got Petit Syrah. It’s got single vineyards, separated from all of Israel. It combined later on, after 8 months in oak together, as a blend.

 

When you taste it it feels like you are tasting some part of the Judean Hills climate, which is limestone and rocky, chalky.  When you go out to the Northern Galilee, it’s just a bit wet there, there’s more rain there.  So it would feel a lot more earthiness and herbiness into the wines, and combining that, together with also some of the northern shore, Carignan, which is a 100 year old vine. That just gives you a sensation on your palette that you can’t give up. 

 

Then we say, Israel is in one bottle for Carmel Mediterranean and the Camel Signature.

 

For Your Passover Seder Table, From the Holy Land of Israel, Carmel Winery Premiers Two New Outstanding Red Wines

From the Holy Land of Israel to Your Passover Seder Table, Carmel Winery Premiers Two New Outstanding Red Wines from Its Premium Brand, Carmel Signature

Israel’s largest and leading winery, Carmel Winery, is expanding its premium wine brand – Carmel Signature with two new red varietals just in time for Passover.

The Carmel Signature fine wines were launched two years ago with great success as the luxury wine brand of Carmel Winery, and includes four series: Vats, Single Vineyards, and two iconic wines, Carmel Mediterranean and Limited Edition.

Carmel Winery Premiers Two New Outstanding Red Wines from Its Premium Brand, Carmel Signature

Carmel Winery Premiers Two New Outstanding Red Wines from Its Premium Brand, Carmel Signature

 

As part of their ongoing innovation, Carmel is expanding the Single Vineyard series with the introduction of two new wines produced from vineyards grown in volcanic soil. These two wines join the other exceptional wines offered in the Carmel Single Vineyard series.

The new Volcano series is comprised of fine wines from the best vineyards of the winery’s unique and rich terroir.

According to Etti Edri, Export Manager at Carmel Winery, “The Carmel brand introduces new selections of wines to its Signature series, along with a prestigious and up-to-date new look. These two new wines, a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Merlot, are both grown in an Upper Galilee vineyard rich in volcanic soil, hence the name Volcano. These are the wines worth waiting for, to celebrate memorable occasions and milestones. And, both are a perfect complement to the upcoming Passover holiday.”

 

Carmel Winery CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2019 MACHPEA HILL

Carmel Winery CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2019 MACHPEA HILL

 

 

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2019 MACHPEA HILL

 

Vintage 2019, Dry red wine, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. After gentle pressing and fermentation in stainless steel vats, the wine is aged in French oak barrels for 18 months and continued to mature in its bottle for another year. The wine’s subtle aromas include black and red fruit, cinnamon, vanilla, fresh red strawberry fruit flavors, tobacco, and mint.  This premier wine is rich and full bodied, with soft and powerful tannins and a long and elegant finish.  This wine will continue to mature over the coming years, and pairs well with dishes such as roasted lamb chops, roast beef, or smoked cheddar cheese. This vineyard is located in the northern Galilee, at an altitude of 915 meters (3,000ft) above sea level. This is a vineyard with an area of 30 dunams (7.4 acres), which was planted in 2014. (MSRP: $60)

Carmel Winery MERLOT 2019 EVYATAR CREEK

Carmel Winery MERLOT 2019 EVYATAR CREEK

 

MERLOT 2019 EVYATAR CREEK

Vintage 2019, Dry red wine, 100% Merlot. This wine was aged in French oak barrels for 18 months and continued to mature in its bottle for another year. The wine’s complex and powerful aroma combines red and black fruits, black pepper, mint, and licorice, with a fresh and ripe taste. Characterized by a full to medium body, it presents balanced tannins on the palette, and has a long, slightly bitter and refreshing finish. This wine pairs well with dishes such as roasted lamb chops, roast beef or smoked cheddar cheese. The vineyard is located in the Upper Galilee. (MSPR: $60)

Yiftah Perets, Head Winemaker, Carmel Winery, says, “Carmel Signature draws on the long-standing traditions of Carmel Winery, a mix of old and new, including respect for the past while incorporating innovation and technology to produce the best possible wines from the best vineyards. The entire wine making process is overseen with preciseness from start to finish, from the selection of the vineyards, fermentation, and dedicated families of growers, to the wine’s bottling and aging.

 

The wines are produced in unique growing areas, reflecting the regional differentiation, and illustrate how growing regions perform in harmony with specific varieties adaptation, to produce some of the finest wines from the flagship Carmel Winery collection.”

Carmel’s new Signature wines, Merlot Evyatar Creek, and Cabernet Machphea Hill, were recently launched at the Kosher Food & Wine Experience in NYC, hosted by Royal Wine Corp.

For additional information visit the CARMEL WINERY website and Royal Wine Corp., the largest producer, importer and exporter of kosher wines.

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