What I've Chosen for Myself

Here's what I've chosen for the seders this year. This year I followed my own advice a little better than previous years. Some of these wines are ones I've tasted before, while others are new to me. I should probably also mention that a case of wine made up of the bottles below can be very expensive indeed.

Moshe's Personal Choices

• Covenant Cabernet Sauvignon 2005. (I'll write a review of this wine soon, which is one of the best available in the United States.) I realize that I should start off with a lighter-bodied wine, but I want to enjoy the first cup using the best wine I can.
• Pardess Merlot 2001. I'll probably use this for the second cup.
• Tishbi Cabernet Petite Sirah 2006. (Last reviewed in 2002.) I will offer this wine for the first cup for anyone who prefers a lighter wine, and this might be good for the third cup for anyone who wants to ease off for a bit.
• Chateau Labegorce Margaux 2001. I had this last year.
• Galil Mountain Pinot Noir 2005. I haven't had their Pinot Noir before, and the seder is a great excuse, but I am not certain I'm going to open this bottle just yet.
• Galil Yiron 2004. The 2000 vintage was outstanding, and the later vintages have always been excellent. Another good choice for the second and third cups.
• Recanati Shiraz Reserve 2004. A lighter wine for the first or third cups.
• Chassagne-Monrachet Les Charrieres 2001, a burgundy. I couldn't resist the idea of a change of pace.
• Herzog Black Muscat 2007, in case one of the sweet wine drinkers would enjoy something heavier.
• At the very end, I want something dry to clean my palate, but at the same time something that's reminiscent of a special after-meal treat. I've chosen Abarbanel's Cremant d'Alsace Brut.

To anticipate the inevitable question: These wines range in price from $15 per bottle to $85 per bottle. And let me take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy and Kosher Passover!

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All of these ratings are my personal opinions, and while I've had some of these wines multiple times, at other times I've had just a single tasting. You may disagree with these ratings, or you may find that the bottle you purchase doesn't meet your expectations. This is the nature of wine, which remains an art rather than a science. And of course everyone's taste is different.

I rate the wine on a scale of 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest). I have reserved a rating of 0 to wines that are unpalatable when I am unable to resolve to my satisfaction that the problem is a corked bottle rather than an error at the winery. A few wine have no rating at all; these are wines that I was unable to judge.

Ratings provide a guideline, not a guarantee; each vintage and each bottle is different. The other day I poured a bottle wine down the sink; this was a wine I usually like, and in fact I still recommend that wine, but this particular bottle was bad. A bottle will go bad, either because of a mistake by the winery, improper handling in shipment, or neglect by the wine merchant. In at least one case, I've seen a wine ruined by its success: one year the wine was excellent and the next year the winery overproduced the wine to meet demand.

Finally, I'd like to paraphrase the Wall Street Journal's wine reviewers, Gaiter and Brecher, who said something very important. If you find a wine that's inexpensive that you enjoy, this doesn't mean you have poor taste — this means you've found a bargain. It's your and your friends' enjoyment of the wine that's important, not what I or anyone else thinks of the wine.