Consistently keeping an eye open for wines new to the U.S. market, or those I have not tasted in some time (or ever), I was intrigued to get my hands on a wine from Israel’s Yaffo Winery. The story of Yaffo Winery in the Elah Valley, Judean Hills, is an interesting one.
Emek HaElah, “the Valley of the Elah,” takes its name from the terebinth tree native to the valley, and is mentioned as the encampment site of the Israelites as David fought Goliath. Pretty cool stuff, and why every piece of the Land of Israel has incredible history attached behind its wineries and people.
Yaffo Winery tells its own story, blending the old and the new, the ancient and the modern.
Yaffo Winery was established in 1998 by physical therapist Moshe Celniker and Anne Marie Celniker. Moshe and Anne met in the early 1970s northeastern French city of Strasbourg, where Moshe was enthralled by the romance of the countryside, nature and winemaking. Through 19 years of practicing physical therapy and building a family, this dream was never forgotten, and the Celnikers began making small batches of wine in the Jaffa home.
By 2006, their passion project had outgrown their Jaffa confines, and a new winery was established in the historic Elah Valley, the “Tuscany of Israel,” known for centuries for its distinct terroir.
By 2007, Moshe and Anne’s son, Stephan, returned with a degree in Viticulture and a background studying traditional winemaking in Saint Emilion and South Africa to become head winemaker at Yaffo. Stephan’s goal is to allow the fruit to tell its own story, creating “friendly, light, unbinding wines” without the overuse of oak or long fermentation periods.
Stephan has accomplished this feat with the 2018 Yaffo Cabernet Sauvignon ($19, 13.5% ABV, non-mevushal). I’ve consumed much Israeli Cabernet Sauvignon, and a lot of it is made in the “Israeli style” of ripe, heavily-extracted fruit, drenched in French oak. While this style seems to sell well, I prefer a Cab that lets its fruit do the talking, and I was pleasantly surprised to open this bottle and immediately detect the fresh aroma and not one of heavy-handed wood.
In the glass, it offers a translucent, clean red color. There is a lovely, perfumed nose of crushed red berries, umami/soy sauce and fresh cut green bell pepper. On the palate, medium-bodied, medium-plus gripping tannins, still needing some time and air to integrate further, a medium-plus acid backbone that is long in the mouth, with waves of tart red fruit.
In a word: fresh.
This is a wine that you can drink now or until about 2024. Fun, fruity and fresh. Congratulations to the Celniker family on the growth and improvement of Yaffo Winery, and of bringing a dream to fruition.
The eastern Mediterranean wine region of Israel is both ancient and incredibly young at the same time, and Yaffo Winery shares Israel’s skyward trajectory. I’m excited about what the future will bring for this small family winery.
Dr. Kenneth Friedman is a Baltimore-born kosher wine aficionado/connoisseur. He is known for his unsolicited wine advice and runs many local kosher wine tastings.
Rabbi David Wolpe looks at the recent interest in Hollywood productions about King David and why the story is resonating now.
On this episode of "The Food Enthusiast," Dara Bunjon talks with Anne-Marie Bonneau, author of "The Zero-Waste Chef."
Directed by Johanna Gruenhut, the production is based on of the 1998 novel and 2003 film of the same name.
This roasted eggplant recipe from Elite Jakob is easy, quick and delicious, perfect as a side dish, for brunch or next to fish or chicken or meat dishes.