Send a Text Message to The Kosher Terroir

A vineyard can tell the truth faster than a headline. We sit down with David M. Weinberg to uncork a deeper story of Israeli wine—one that runs from Jacob’s blessing and Solomon’s vines to modern terraces in the Judean Hills and the Galilee. David is a veteran columnist and WSET Level 3 wine professional who has walked rows with growers, tasted through the country’s microclimates, and wrestled with narratives like “winewashing.” Together, we explore why a glass from Israel can feel more like a sign of return than a PR gloss.

We trace the arc from ancient amphorae and prophetic promises to the renaissance of vineyards after centuries of desolation. David shares how Tanakh, Talmud, and Halacha elevate wine from beverage to blessing—linking joy to holiness, song to gratitude, and harvest to hope. We talk Tu B’Av and festival music, why blessings matter, and how the metaphors of the vine shape bonds at home and with God. Along the way, you’ll hear vivid accounts from early Carmel Winery shipments to today’s boutique producers and the living pulse of markets where the Shechinah feels as close as ripe fruit.

We also step into the mystical: Ginosar’s legendary grapes, Eden’s forbidden fruit, and Purim’s paradox of ad d’lo yada. Can drinking blur lines—or help redraw them with courage and clarity? With kavanah and moderation, wine becomes a tool for discernment, a way to temper ego and let gratitude speak. By the end, the Israeli vineyard emerges as more than an industry; it’s a compass pointing toward joy, presence, and a future that tastes like blessing.

If this journey resonates, pour yourself a glass, hit play, and share the episode with a friend. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us: what does a meaningful glass look like to you?

For More Information:

David M. Weinberg: is a think tank director, columnist and lobbyist who is a sharp critic of Israel’s detractors and of post-Zionist trends in Israel. W'Set3 credentialed wine aficionado and Tour Guide.

You can read more and Contact David at https://davidmweinberg.com/

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+972-58-731-1567
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Send a Text Message to The Kosher Terroir

Light a candle and pour a glass—this is the story of a Sephardic family reclaiming Spanish terroir through kosher wine, one amphora at a time. We head to the high hills outside Valencia with Armando Caracena-Molco of Viña Memorias to taste old-vine Bobal and Macabeo that wear history on their sleeves and clay on their skins. Unico, their flagship red, comes from pre-phylloxera vines planted in 1903 and is raised entirely in tinajas—handmade clay vessels whose makers, in a remarkable twist, have stamped them with a Star of David for generations. It’s memory, craft, and place converging in a single bottle.

We dig into why these wines feel different: altitude between 700 and 900 meters, calcareous-clay soils, Mediterranean winds, and dry farming that lets deep roots do the work. Amphora vs oak becomes a masterclass in texture and purity—amphora delivers micro-oxygenation without wood flavors, allowing Bobal’s red-fruited intensity and polished tannins to shine. Then we contrast that with Finca Cerezal, a French-oak-aged Bobal that shows the grape’s elegant side, and Memorias del Rambam, a classic American-oak expression that nods to Spain’s traditional profile while honoring Maimonides.

Sparkling lovers get a treat: Requena’s altitude-driven Cava made from old-vine Macabeo, method tradicional, and extended lees aging. Expect pinpoint bubbles, almond pastry on the nose, stone fruit and citrus on the palate, and a clean, persistent finish that invites head-to-head comparisons with champagne. We talk disgorgement dates, why most Cava skips malolactic fermentation, and how precision bubbles can shift expectations in the kosher market. We close with Alcunia, a still Macabeo aged in amphorae on fine lees, bone-dry, saline, layered, and quietly powerful.

Across every glass runs the same current: unity and return. A mother from Aix-en-Provence, a father of the land, brothers spread across continents, and a choice to make kosher wines that speak clearly of Valencia’s heights, clay, and light. If you’re ready to discover Bobal, rediscover Macabeo, and taste a story that loops from exile to home, press play and join us at the table. If you enjoyed the journey, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more curious drinkers can find us.

Contact Details
Armando Caracena-Molco WhatsApp +34686452612

• Viña Memorias Winery, Calle Carretera de Madrid, San Antonio, Spain
• +34669043007
• contact@vinamemorias.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

A desert can teach you patience, and in the Negev that lesson tastes like lifted acids, fine textures, and wines that refuse to be rushed. We sit down with winemaker Ya'acov Oryah of Pinto Winery to explore how short ripening windows, careful skin management, and precise oak work can turn heat and dryness into elegance on the table.

We start with whites—Chardonnay that drinks with Sauvignon-like snap, Chenin that grows more aromatic with time, and Gewürztraminer rehabilitated through whole-cluster pressing and blending. Viognier gets a rethink too: tropical and perfumed, yet restrained enough to drink, not just sniff. Ya'acov explains why he builds components with finesse instead of brute force and why oak should be a supporting actor that integrates slowly in the bottle. Then the Reds flip expectations. Grenache shows a pale robe with real weight and grip, while the hard-press batch surprises with greater charm than austerity. Malbec, not Cabernet, emerges as a Negev success story, and the reasoning tracks back to climate, skins, and timing.

From there, we dive into the geeky heart of the cellar. An unracked white ferments in its murk, embraces reductivity, and evolves into something layered after gentle barrel time. The once undrinkable Grenache ’22 returns transformed, proof that reduction can convert to complexity if you wait. We also unpack biodynamics and vineyard biodiversity—less dogma, more soil, life, and balance—and how these practices tend to correlate with better tasting wines. Ya'acov’s “ME” series brings it home: multiple harvest dates and varied fermentations (vat, oak, carbonic, skin contact, unracked) within the same vineyard lot, recombined into a single, seamless voice. It’s hyper-terroir, not anti-terroir.

Dessert and fortification get their spotlight: an orange dessert Gewürztraminer, a fortified Pinot experiment, and the showstopper—an 18-year barrel-aged Muscat that smells like maple, vanilla, and dried forest floor. Along the way, we confront aging myths: tannin and acid are shields, but it’s the wine’s dry extract and time that truly build its complexity. The larger picture is thrilling—Israeli wine leaning into creativity, precision, and patience. If you care about texture, restaurant-friendly balance, and wines that reward time, pull up a chair.

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Ya'acov Oryah Winemaker

Pinto Winery
Office@pintowinery.com
108 Zvi Bornstein St., Yeruham, 80500000
+972-547-635-451

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