Send a Text Message to The Kosher Terroir

A wrong turn on a long road trip led to a tasting room door, a harvest job, and a life reset. Meet Gideon Marcus, a 23-year-old Oleh who traded the Manhattan Shabbat table for punch-downs, press cycles, and vineyard dust—first at Covenant in California, then across Israel from the Judean Hills to the Negev’s high-contrast desert.

We dive into the kind of winemaking you only learn by doing: sorting fruit at dawn, pulling samples of fresh Viognier juice, and discovering how an aged Syrah can drop you into a mossy forest with one breath. Gideon shares what mentors like Jeff Morgan and Sagie Kleinlehrer taught him about tasting widely, keeping meticulous notes, and blending with a purpose. We explore why Israeli wine is more than mountain myths: valleys that channel cold night air like natural AC, limestone that lies inches from the roots, and microplots picked by exposure rather than postcode.

The Negev becomes a character in the story, with scorching days and chilled nights that preserve acidity and unlock surprising aromatics. Gideon reflects on visionary approaches like Yaakov Oryah’s “multiple expressions” fermentations and the quiet courage it takes to hold bottles for years before release. Along the way, we confront a winemaker’s paradox: follow the data or trust your senses? The answer lives somewhere in the dance between lab sheets, fieldwork, and the final blend in your glass.

This conversation is about terroir, yes—soil, climate, and clones—but also about identity, risk, and building a future in a country that feels different after October 7. If you’re curious about Israeli wine, aging potential, and the craft choices that shape flavor and longevity, you’ll find a full pour here. Enjoy the ride, then subscribe, rate, and share—with a friend who loves bold bottles and even bolder stories.

For more information, please contact:

Gideon Marcus: WhatsApp +1-646-207-2645

Gideon’s Profile: linkedin.com/in/gideon-marcus-17b562b8

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www.TheKosherTerroir.com
+972-58-731-1567
+1212-999-4444
TheKosherTerroir@gmail.com
Link to Join “The Kosher Terroir” WhatsApp Chat
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Thursdays 6:30pm Eastern Time on the NSN Network and the NSN App

Send a Text Message to The Kosher Terroir

Your glass should tell a story before you take the first sip. Today we pour three: a newly disgorged, boutique kosher champagne from a 10th‑generation house; a rare white Bordeaux from Pessac Léognan that lets Semillon sing; and a Right Bank red from a renegade winemaker who refuses to bow to classifications. This isn’t hype and hashtags—it’s the honest calculus behind flavor, freshness, and why some bottles feel alive.

We start with the bubbles. Brut, Extra Brut, and a 55‑month cuvée show how dosage and lees aging sculpt mousse, texture, and the shift from citrus snap to toasty hazelnut depth. We pull back the curtain on mevushal decisions for the U.S. and Israel, the impact of heat on softness, and why disgorgement dates can make or break a release in the kosher market. Pricing strategy gets an honest look too, as tariffs and positioning place the new champagne among names like Drappier and Rothschild without losing sight of value or vibrancy.

Then we cross to Bordeaux for a white that outshines its red counterpart. Domaine de Chevalier Blanc blends Sauvignon Blanc with a meaningful 30 percent Semillon, trading blunt grapefruit for layered texture, wax, and age‑worthy savor. Vintage constraints, yield drops, and creative partnerships shaped how a kosher version came to life, and we explain why Semillon grows in the glass over time, turning one purchase into a two‑act experience. Finally, we decant the Right Bank with JP Maltus: single vineyards, Merlot first with Cabernet Franc for lift, and side‑by‑side notes on 2021 versus 2022—color, tannin, and aromatics that whisper where each year will land.

If you’ve ever wondered how boutique champagne stays fresh? Why a Pessac white can command $500, or how a Saint‑Émilion maverick keeps standards identical across kosher and non‑kosher bottlings? This tasting tour brings you the answers. Subscribe, share with a wine‑curious friend, and leave a review.

Dr. Ralph Madeb
M&M Importers

Address: 1100 CONEY ISLAND AVENUE
BROOKLYN, NY 11230
Phone: +1 718-684-9826

email: rmadeb@mandmimporters.com

Website: www.MandMimporters.com

Jay Buchsbaum is the VP of Marketing and Director of Consumer Education at Royal Wine Corp and is one of the hosts of the kosher.com show, Swirl. He's one of the top experts in kosher wine and travels the world for the best kosher vintages.
Jay can be reached for further questions on
Instagram at @jay.buchsbaum
or
email: jbuchsbaum@kedem.com

Support the show

www.TheKosherTerroir.com
+972-58-731-1567
+1212-999-4444
TheKosherTerroir@gmail.com
Link to Join “The Kosher Terroir” WhatsApp Chat
https://chat.whatsapp.com/EHmgm2u5lQW9VMzhnoM7C9
Thursdays 6:30pm Eastern Time on the NSN Network and the NSN App

Send a Text Message to The Kosher Terroir

Pepper, olives, violets, and a flash of smoke—one swirl is all it takes to see why Syrah might be the new heartbeat of kosher red wine. We follow the grape from Hermitage’s granite slopes to Israel’s basalt and limestone and then to Australia’s sun‑drenched valleys, mapping how climate and terroir turn one variety into a chorus of styles. Along the way, we dive into cellar choices—whole cluster or destemmed, French or American oak, mevushal or not—and explain how each decision reshapes texture, spice, and fruit.

We share the producers and bottles that anchor the category: Yarden’s benchmark Syrah from the Golan, Dalton’s lifted Upper Galilee expression, boutique natural Shiraz from Harkham in Hunter Valley, the accessible joy of Teal Lake, and California’s polished Herzog Special Reserve. You’ll taste with us, step by step, exploring inky color, blackberry and blueberry fruit, black pepper and smoked herbs, and a finish that stays savory and poised. We set Syrah beside Cabernet to show why one commands and the other connects—how Cab’s angular tannins and cedar line up against Syrah’s velvety frame and Mediterranean soul.

As the climate warms, Syrah’s thick skins and sun tolerance make it a resilient choice for Israel and beyond, aligning with sustainable farming and the growing demand for authentic, low‑intervention wines. We break down market tiers, value dynamics, and why younger drinkers gravitate to terroir‑driven styles that pair effortlessly with lamb, harissa, and charred eggplant. By the end, you’ll have a buying roadmap, a tasting framework, and a clear sense of why Syrah is gaining momentum across kosher shelves and restaurant lists.

Pour a glass and join the conversation. Subscribe for more deep dives, share this episode with a friend who loves bold reds, and tell us: which Syrah or Shiraz captured your story this week?

Support the show

www.TheKosherTerroir.com
+972-58-731-1567
+1212-999-4444
TheKosherTerroir@gmail.com
Link to Join “The Kosher Terroir” WhatsApp Chat
https://chat.whatsapp.com/EHmgm2u5lQW9VMzhnoM7C9
Thursdays 6:30pm Eastern Time on the NSN Network and the NSN App