Kosher Critic: The flavor of Edom by Psagot

Long before French viticulture made its attempt to assert itself as the epicenter of wine making, the absolute best wine makers in the world were all located in the hills of Judea. While it is true what these vineyards were producing was not anything that we would consider palatable by today’s standards, it nonetheless laid down the groundwork for the development of modern day winemaking.
These ancient wine cellars that pepper Israeli archeological digs often give a tremendous anthropological insight into the food culture of a bygone era. Once such cellar that dates back to the second temple is no more than 20 minutes north of Jerusalem. In this cellar, overlooking the Edom Mountains, one of my absolute favorite wines is made; Psagot Edom.
Psagot Winery, which is owned by the Berg family, is a unique manufacturer of Israeli wines, having incorporated exceptionally modern wine making techniques to a restored ancient vineyard. The winery makes a number of exceptional labels but their showstopper is the Edom. A 75 to 25 percent blend of Cabernet and Merlot, the Edom is aged in oak barrels for at least 14 months. It is a big bold red that pours a deep beautiful ruby that smells of oak and earth with just a hint of fruit. This intoxicating fragrance makes the mouth water and creates an anticipation that the wine more than lives up to.
The flavors of Psagot Edom are nuanced but can still be described as full bodied and rich. There is a hint of vanilla and chocolate but also a good amount of cherry, blackberry and currants that lend a nice tartness and a hint of sweet fruitiness. The wine finishes with flavors of oak and spices that fade slowly and ephemerally from the palate. The way these flavors intermingle so perfectly compliments the initial flavors; it reminds me of a violin concerto I once heard played whose echo was intended to act as the closing notes to the overall piece.
While I can easily recommend the entire catalog of Psagot wines I am specifically enamored by the Edom because of how it so flawlessly showcases the spirit of the Psagot Winery, located in Psagot, a settlement community located above Ramallah. “The flavor comes from the mountains surrounding Jerusalem,” said brand founder Yaakov Berg. “The soil is very rocky and in order to plant we need to drill into the rocks. Because of this, the grapes receive a lot of minerals from the soil that add to the overall taste of the wine.”
Since it uses grapes grown in varying altitudes as well as the modern blending techniques that are becoming popular amongst modern wine manufacturers, the Edom has a youthful exuberance about it. At the same time the grapes are grown in soil that has been used for vineyards and orchards for the past 3,000 years. Couple that with the fact that the wine is aged in an ancient wine cellar, and you have a wonderfully symphonic amalgam of traditionalism and modernity. Psagot produces about 80,000 bottles of wine a year that, believe it or not, makes it a modest sized winery. Regardless, because of their creativity and dedication, Psagot will become known as one of the finest kosher wines around.



Zechariah Mehler is a widely published food writer and expert in social marketing. Follow him on Twitter @thekoshercritic