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Gilgal Galilee Syrah 2016
A fresh kosher wine review just in time for Purim and Passover!
I chose this Syrah precisely because I love lamb and it’s a frequent guest at holiday feast. Good kosher wine wasn’t always easy to find, but things have changed. We’ve been tasting all season long and this kosher Syrah was one of our favorites.
In this video we taste the wine from start to finish with the classic four steps to wine tasting: look, smell, taste, discuss, and also offer food pairing ideas.
The Wine
Golan Heights Winery Galilee Syrah 2016: kosher for Passover, NOT Mevushal.
The Winery
Golan Heights Winery, was established as a cooperative in 1983 when four kibbutzim and four moshavim (cooperative communities) joined forces and resources in order to produce accessible and exceptional wines They’ve gone on to be one of the most recognized Israeli wineries not only for quality, but also for their reasonable prices.
They currently produce a range including four labels, Yarden, Gamla, Hermon and Golan, and also collaborate on private labels, like Gilgal for the US market.
Winemaking Philosophy
Head Winemaker Victor Schoenfeld explains on their company mission statement, “Wine conveys a sense of place. It’s possible to sense a wine’s terroir in its flavor, aroma and color. Wine expresses a place’s culture, language and people.”
Golan Heights Winery works to produce wines that evoke the distinctive features of the Golan Heights terroir, that is, complex, volcanic soil, snowy winters, high altitude vineyards with long sunny days and cool nights and a constant protective breeze. At the same time, their growers and winemakers put their unique human mark on the wine styles.
Check out more of our favorite Kosher Wine Reviews.
The Vineyards
The grapes grow on rocky volcanic soil on high-altitude slopes (400-1,200 meters above sea level) with cool nights and hot sunny days and a constant breeze, which protects plants from pests, fungus, and bacteria.
Around 20 grape varieties are planted on each throughout their 630 hectares (1,550 acres). Each plot is closely monitored in order to plant and produce the highest quality of fruit in harmony with nature, and find the areas best suited for for each variety. Grapes are harvested and fermented separately in order to maintain their individual personalities and styles before blending or bottling as a single vineyard or single varietal wine.
Gilgal Syrah 2016 Tasting Notes
Download our tasting notes.
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