How to Pair Wine with Cheese
The long Shavuot weekend invites us to plan a trip and escape. In my imagination, I booked tickets to somewhere, but the logistics involved in the whole thing make me want to give it all up and host at home instead.
In light of the general and economic situation, this time’s drinking recommendations not only stay under the NIS 100- mark—they even allow you to buy several bottles at that price. Four wines, three countries, and one empty glass that ties it all together.
My wine test is a bit like a first date—if there's a click in the first five minutes, it doesn’t matter what happens afterward; in the end, you’ll know it’s the one.
I started with the white wine from Sierra Cantabria, which I drank for the first time last week, and as they say on Wedding at First Sight, “the click clicked.”
This is a family winery from the Rioja region of Spain, with five generations of winemaking tradition, 150-year-old vineyards, and other such marvelous titles—but none of that matters when the wine is simply precise, not trying too hard to impress, refreshing, and delicious.
A white blend of local varieties. It’s floral, mineral, and priced around NIS 45 a bottle in wine shops, though it feels like a much more expensive wine.
The kind of wine I always say about: “Let’s get another one and keep it in the fridge, just in case, because we’ll definitely need it.”
South America on the Map
I continued to Chile, with Casa del Toqui Classic Sauvignon Blanc. I must say, Chilean wine intrigued me—mainly because our natural tendency is to automatically go for Spain, France, or Italy, and I love trying new things.
The Chilean—so agreed everyone present—is one of the ideal wines for a Shavuot heatwave, and for hot days in general. Aromas of melon, mandarin, and citrus, and a fresh, clean taste you can drink like water.
Speaking of cheese and wine at noon on the balcony—this is exactly what you’re looking for. Here too, the surprising price of around NIS 45 allows you to buy two or even three bottles for your stock.
In a blind taste test, I would have been sure this was a much more expensive wine.
Back to Israel
After Spain and Chile, I wanted to continue the journey, but I had no choice but to land in Israel—after all, it’s a holiday, and there are obligations one can’t ignore.
The third wine is seemingly the most mainstream of them all, but I admit—even I was surprised. I don’t know how to explain it, but something about the Gewürztraminer 2023 from Carmel Winery’s regional series just worked.
It doesn’t have that annoying excess sweetness that I personally dislike. It’s semi-dry and has a charm that goes really well with Shavuot food—or with any light afternoon brunch, really.
Another surprising semi-dry wine is Estate Rosé from Dalton Winery—a precise blend of four varieties: Shiraz, Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Barbera—aromatic and tasty.
These two wines, aside from being proudly Israeli-made, have two clear advantages in my eyes: The prices—NIS 69.90 and NIS 68 respectively—and the fact that everyone, without exception, will enjoy them.
