Delicious wine doesn’t have to be expensive. This isn't the first time I've written this. You can find really tasty wines, say two very good bottles, for less than NIS 100, and the price of three bottles shouldn’t exceed NIS 140, which is the price of a single bottle in a restaurant, at best.
The price of wine has become especially critical recently, as we go out less, stay home more, and (at least regarding our group of friends) drink no fewer than 2-3 bottles an evening. As we've reached an age where we've embraced two principles we strictly adhere to: not getting stuck with people with negative energy and not drinking bad wine, the wine part at least has become financially heavy.
For those who love their wine evenings organized in pairs or trios, I decided to refresh the list and share impressions from our latest wine nights. Bottom line: everyone was satisfied, and each evening ended at the cost of a single premium bottle.
Pairs and Pairs
Usually, this column is dedicated to Israeli wines, but after tasting wines from the Italian Piccini winery at the last Sommelier exhibition, I fell in love with them, and they've been a household staple for over a month. For a winning pair, I chose the Rosé Collezione Oro (Sangiovese, Merlot, and Malvasia), an amazing wine, and I don't usually like rosé.
From the same series, I also took Vermentino, a refreshing white wine that I urge you to add an ice cube to, and in general, normalize ice in white wines—don’t be shy.
Red wine lovers, like me, can replace the white with Memoro Rosso, a light and fun red wine that I am drinking while writing these lines at 12 noon. If you buy two, you can end up with a bill of NIS 110 and call it premium.
Groups of Three
Two is nice, but sometimes you need three bottles in an evening. The Golan Heights Winery’s Golan series were the first wines I ever drank, and I continue to drink them even today, now as a more "sophisticated" drinker.
The fact that you don't need to spend too much to get good wine is evident in this series. To stay within my chosen budget, I went for Gamla Cabernet Sauvignon (average of NIS 40). The Syrah is also excellent.
I added a Chenin Blanc from Tabor Winery's Adama series (NIS 55), a wine you can't go wrong with, and the surprise of the week: Recanati, Jonathan White (NIS 38), which I discovered at a wedding and found it simply delightful for an evening with friends.
The Reds Are Coming
Red wines don’t have to be heavy. The truth is that most red wines produced today are not only completely acceptable but also enjoyable to serve slightly chilled and drink in the summer. Not many join me on this, and I love red wine so much that I try to impose it on every event. It always succeeds.
For genre enthusiasts who want to stay on a low budget: Galil Mountain Winery’s Ella (NIS 50 on average), Pasqua Primitivo (another guest appearance from Italy) which flew off the shelves like water (NIS 50), and Moni Winery's Merlot, which I've written about extensively before (NIS 35!).