Behind the Cork™ - Domaine Bousquet Alavida Organic Kosher Malbec

Alavida Organic Kosher Malbec ($19)

Alavida Malbec joins a very select group of wines: it is USDA-certified organic and kosher. Certainly, the first wine of its type from Argentina, Alavida is one of few wines worldwide to attain this unusual dual status. The 100% Argentine, reserve-level Malbec from Domaine Bousquet is also vegan, gluten- free, and Ecocert-approved.

The Alavida name means “To Life” (“a la vida”) in Spanish -- which is taken from the traditional Hebrew toast “L’chaim!” The Domaine Bousquet estate, high in Argentina’s Uco Valley, is owned by Anne Bousquet and her husband, Labid al Ameri. Anne Bousquet notes that “Argentina is a nation rich in diversity, and our own multi-cultural family has been making certified organic wines in Argentina since 1997.”

The winemaking process for Alavida is almost identical to that used in making a non-kosher wine, with two exceptions. Ingredients such as yeast must be kosher, and the wine must be physically made by a sabbath-observant Jewish team under the supervision of a rabbi.

This wine is aged with 90% of the juice in contact with used oak to retain the purity of fruit, and 10% is in contact with new oak.

This Alavida Malbec is deep purple in color with rich black fruit aromas and a hint of sweet tobacco. On the palate, this 100% Malbec is full-bodied and dry with black cherry and black berry flavors as well as a touch of cocoa on its nice finish.

This affordable, great-tasting Malbec, which is USDA-certified organic and kosher, is a great fit as this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. L’chaim and cheers!

For more information on kosher wines, see my recent blog.

ABV: 14.5%, RS: 1.52 g/L, Total Acidity: 5.77 g/L, pH: 3.68

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sample Provided by Domaine Bousquet via Creative Palate Communications

What Makes a Wine Kosher?

Photo by Aaron Ovadia on Unsplash

Kosher wine is made just like other table wine, with an extra set of rules to make it consistent with Jewish dietary law. In order for a wine to be deemed kosher (Yiddish for "proper" or "fit"), it must…

  • Be made under the supervision of a rabbi

  • Contain only kosher ingredients such as the yeast and the fining agents

  • Made with equipment that has been certified by a rabbi to make kosher wines

  • Be free of preservatives or artificial colors

  • Be handled from start to finish by Sabbath-observant Jews

  • Producers of Concord-based wines (such as Manischewitz) that are sweetened with corn syrup must produce special "kosher for Passover" bottlings which are labeled as such

  • Some kosher wines are heated as part of the production process. These wines are known as ‘mevushal’ which literally means the wine was ‘cooked’

  • Kosher wines will have certification symbols. One of the most common looks like a ‘U’ in a circle Ⓤ, suggesting that it’s certified by Union of Orthodox Rabbis. A ‘K’ in a circle Ⓚ indicates it’s kosher, a ‘K’ in a circle with a ‘P’ Ⓚ-P is kosher for Passover, a ‘K’ in a star, cRc and Hebrew ‘ר‎כש ’ are also indicators that the wine is kosher.

So, in summary, kosher wines don’t necessarily taste any different from non-kosher wines, or have higher or lower quality; they simply must be produced in accordance with a set of Jewish dietary laws.

L’Chaim! Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Domaine Bousquet Virgen Red Wines

Domaine Bousquet Virgen Red Wines

Virgen wines are the first Argentine no-sulfites-added USDA-organic-certified wines to launch in the U.S., from Uco Valley-based Domaine Bousquet, Argentina’s largest exporter of organically grown wines.

Named for the virgin land where the Bousquet’s built Domaine Bousquet, this wine is a nod to the continued commitment by the winery to protect and preserve.

Some may associate the natural, no-sulfites-added wine movement with small-production, impossible-to-find, cloudy, funky and inconsistent wines. But not so with this Virgen wine. It is balanced, fresh and approachable: vegan, no oak, and great value for the price!

“We only tackled this project once we were confident that we could manage the challenges of making top-notch organic, no-sulfites-added wines. We also wanted to make sure that these wines remained true to our house style: elegant, with bright, clean, fruit flavors.” – Domaine Bousquet co-owner Anne Bousquet

Virgen Natural Malbec ($13) - This wine is produced from 100% Malbec that is fermented with 50% indigenous yeasts and 50% selected yeasts for 10 days in stainless steel. It is medium purple in color with red-fruit aromas and a hint of herbs. On the palate, this medium-full bodied wine has fresh tasting fruit flavors of red plum on the front-end and blackberry on the back. It has very light tannin, good acidity and a nice finish.

Virgen Natural Cabernet Sauvignon ($13) - This wine is produced from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon that is fermented with 50% indigenous yeasts and 50% selected yeasts for 10 days in stainless steel. It is deep ruby in color with aromas of black cherry and green peppercorn. On the palate, this medium-bodied wine has fresh berry fruit flavors of blackberry, boysenberry and black cherry. It has medium tannin, nice acidity and a medium-long finish.

These wines are both USDA Organic, Vegan friendly, gluten free and have no sulfites added. And, a super value! This makes them a great fit as this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wines of the Week. Cheers!

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received these samples at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Samples Provided by Domaine Bousquet Winery via Creative Palate Communications

Where Do All the Amazing Aromas and Flavors in Wine Come From?

Photo by Mauro Lima on Unsplash

Some may be surprised to learn that there are only two ingredients in wine: grapes and yeast.  Yet, white wines can be described as having flavors that include lemon, lime, grapefruit, apple, peach, pear and orange. And red wines can be described as having flavors of cherry, raspberry, strawberry, blackberry, blueberry, plum and fig.  And then there are descriptions of vanilla, butterscotch, caramel, chocolate, tobacco, leather, and even tar, just to name a few.  But, if wine is only made from grapes and yeast, how do wines get all those other flavors? 

When you sip a wine, you are getting information from your tongue, nose and nasal passages. And while there are only the four tastes being detected by your tongue there are a multitude of aromas being detected by your nose and nasal passages. The aromas get released by the wine through the alcohol, which is lighter than air, and evaporates easily from your glass. Your brain then puts together the information on the tastes and smells of the wine and equates them with tastes and smells that you already know. Thus, those amazing little grapes are able to cause your brain to sense additional fruit flavors without even a trace of the fruits actually being in the wine.

Aging wine in oak barrels also adds many other dimensions to the flavors in wines. Oak barrels can add flavors of vanilla, butterscotch, coconut, toffee, caramel, butter, mocha, coffee and smokiness. 

So, yes, wine is made from grape juice and yeast but can have a multitude of wonderful flavors. Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Sandy Giovese Vino Rosso

Sandy Giovese Vino Rosso ($35)

Amy Ezrin, the founder of Sandy Giovese wine was training to be an opera singer and ended up living in Italy for 8 years. She states she “…was an ‘okay’ singer, but I was really good at speaking Italian and tasting wine, so I became a wine importer. I often joked that my alter ego was Sandy Giovese, a play on the name of one of Italy’s greatest red grapes, Sangiovese.”

This Sandy Giovese Vino Rosso is…

  • Moderation Friendly - Want just a glass? No need to open a bottle. The box is fresh for 1 month or more

  • Better for the Planet - Bag-in-box is the lowest environmental impact. Just one-tenth the carbon footprint of one 750 ml glass bottle

  • Organically Farmed - Made from 100% organically-farmed grapes

  • Budget Friendly - 1 box = 4 bottles of wine. That’s the equivalent of just $8.75 per bottle. Comparable wines cost at least twice that in glass bottles!

This Sandy Giovese Vino Rosso is a blend of 85% Sangiovese (the classic grape used to produce Chianti wines) and 15% Trebbiano (a native Italian white wine grape that adds refreshing acidity). It is medium ruby in color with aromas of red fruit and herbal notes. On the palate it has the classic Sangiovese flavor of red cherries. It’s medium bodied with good acidity and finishes light and refreshing.

I said it before and I’ll say it again…If you are on the fence with respect to box wine, here’s your reason to hop off and pick one up! This makes the Sandy Giovese Vino Rosso a great fit as the Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

ABV: 12.35%, RS: 2.80 g/L, Total Acidity: 5.2 g/L, pH: 3.47

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sample Provided by Sandy Giovese Wines via Savona Communications