As you probably already know, the weeks leading up to Pessach are the US kosher wine industry’s busiest with more kosher wine being sold during this period than the rest of the year combined. As the popularity of quality kosher wine continues to increase, the quality and variety of wines available to the kosher wine consumer are truly astounding. While obviously a blessing, the tremendous choice can make for a somewhat stressful shopping experience. Also, and most unfortunately, there is a substantial amount of drek being pushed as quality wine and many stores and online purveyors are selling old, dead and tired wines so far past their optimum drinking windows that it’s practically criminal. Remember – in general (and there are exceptions), white wines shouldn’t be sold more than two years past their vintage and red wines three years (unless we are talking about the better and more expensive wines). As with every industry, caveat emptor.
During this busy buying season retailers bring out the big sales and almost every wine is on sale. Further, given the increasing competition and online availability of most top-notch kosher wines, most merchants will match any published price, so always ask your favored retailer to match any prices you have seen elsewhere and, if you aren’t happy with the price – ask for a discount. As always, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions.
Also, as you know by now, despite 2008 being a tremendous vintage for almost all Israeli wines, it was Shmittah and therefore most wines were not exported out of Israel. There are some 2008 Israeli wines being sold, including a number from the Golan Heights Winery, Galil Mountain and Odem Mountain. As with most halachik issues, there are numerous opinions with respect to the different “types” of Shmittah wine produced. Enjoying such wines outside of Israel (or at all) and one should consult their local Rabbi with any questions in this regard.
I note that the attached is not a comprehensive list of every wine I believe worthy of your consideration, but merely a selection of the better wines available in the different price ranges, all of which I recommend and believe are worthy of your Pessach table (or random wine glass). As the years go by and the quality and quantity of top-notch kosher wine grows, the number of potential wines for this list gets longer, and the difficulty in culling wines harder. Even so, and given that the collective Wine Buying Guide includes around 130 wines, I will be putting together a list of my top-ten wines in each of the four categories and posting it on my website next week.
While it is one of my favorite Jewish customs, the tradition to consume four full cups of wine at the Seder brings with it a host of dilemmas requiring serious thought and planning. The main problem is that four cups of wine is a lot of wine to be consuming at one sitting (even an up-to 5 hour sitting such as a traditional Seder), especially given the fact that the first two cups are typically imbibed on an empty stomach. Another issue is that for the Seder many folks tend to use the same silver goblets used for Kiddush. While during the year, the potential negative effect the silver has on wine is easily remedied by immediately pouring the wine into a proper wine glass following Kiddush; during the Seder the wine sits in the silver goblet for a far longer period of time. Other potential issues arise from a tradition to only drink red wine at the Seder and to avoid any Mevushal wine (further to multiple reader requests, I am putting together a list of recommended mevushal wines which I will publish next week).
Given ones desire to honor the Seder, people try to have the nicest and most expensive wines possible, typically full-bodied Bordeaux-blends or robust Cabernet Sauvignon wines. These wines typically take time to open up and evolve and are layered and complex liquid treasures, well-deserving of your time. However, the empty stomach with which most people approach the first two cups, the requirement to consume nearly an entire cup of wine rather rapidly and the need to keep little kids from wreaking havoc; all combine to significantly detract from ones ability to fully enjoy and appreciate the complexities, nuances of flavor and aroma of these typically magnificent wines.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Friday, March 30, 2012
On-the-job training molds U's Hollins
About a year and a half ago, Gophers men's basketball coach Tubby Smith was in Memphis scouting now-freshman Andre Hollins, when he noticed a familiar face -- and one he'll see a lot Thursday -- in the stands with him.
It was Johnny Dawkins, the coach at Stanford, the team the Gophers face in the NIT final tonight. Both coaches were aggressively pursuing the guard.
"I remember seeing [Dawkins] in Memphis at a few games, and I had to throw him under the bus," Smith said with a chuckle.
He's kidding, but the value he placed on Hollins then and now is not a joke.
What would the matchup be like if the freshman was on the other side? Well, the Gophers most likely would not be here. And Smith might not be sitting so comfortably in his job, without having found a dynamic playmaker and scorer who has helped lead the team to its most victories (23) in any season since that vacated Final Four run 15 years ago.
With Hollins at the helm, the Gophers have become a different team in the postseason. He has become a leader with his voice and his play, giving fans optimism for what's to come even if his teammates think the future is now.
"We think of him as a sophomore now," said guard Austin Hollins, who actually is a sophomore. "He's really grown over the course of the season, and he's starting to figure it all out. You know, it's hard to be a freshman point guard, especially in the Big Ten. So his confidence is just growing, and he's starting to figure it all out."
As he is, so is the rest of the team, underscoring the importance of a solid anchor at that position. Last season, when point guard Al Nolen went down because of a broken foot, the team quickly collapsed. This year, while junior guard Julian Welch and Hollins both struggled because of injuries -- and Hollins still was adjusting to the college game -- the Gophers' offense stalled.
"You show me a team that's still playing, and I'll show you a team that's ... got a point guard who can run the team, who can play both ends of the court," Smith said.
It takes a special player to do that, to inhale the style and the values of a coach while transitioning to the college game. It means learning on the fly, with each situation affecting real-time game results.
"That's the key -- can you take criticism?" Smith said. "He's got to be able to understand and appreciate what we're trying to convey to him, and it takes a while."
Having an inexperienced point guard might have hurt the Gophers in the relentless Big Ten, but it might well be making Smith far more popular with Gophers fans now. Even if the NIT is viewed as a consolation prize for a year that didn't meet expectations, Minnesota is making the most of its second chance. It is also worth noting that the Gophers made the NCAA field in 1994 and 1999, the years following their previous NIT championships.
Hollins has been a major player in the Gophers' four NIT wins, the only postseason victories Smith has had in his five years at Minnesota. He has 71 points in the tournament, including 44 in his past two. Hollins' free throws down the stretch sparked a victory over Middle Tennessee State that landed the Gophers a spot in the semifinals, and his Madison Square Garden debut included five points in overtime to help Minnesota fend off Washington in overtime Tuesday.
With the team rolling now, Smith can comfortably hand the reins to Hollins. Some of the hardest lessons -- absorbing the basics and getting players to buy into a methodology -- have been learned. Now Hollins, the team's natural leader, can take over in some of those situations.
"Once the coach steps back and the student takes over, that's what we're seeing now," Smith said. "All the hard work ... this is the culmination of all those things."
It was Johnny Dawkins, the coach at Stanford, the team the Gophers face in the NIT final tonight. Both coaches were aggressively pursuing the guard.
"I remember seeing [Dawkins] in Memphis at a few games, and I had to throw him under the bus," Smith said with a chuckle.
He's kidding, but the value he placed on Hollins then and now is not a joke.
What would the matchup be like if the freshman was on the other side? Well, the Gophers most likely would not be here. And Smith might not be sitting so comfortably in his job, without having found a dynamic playmaker and scorer who has helped lead the team to its most victories (23) in any season since that vacated Final Four run 15 years ago.
With Hollins at the helm, the Gophers have become a different team in the postseason. He has become a leader with his voice and his play, giving fans optimism for what's to come even if his teammates think the future is now.
"We think of him as a sophomore now," said guard Austin Hollins, who actually is a sophomore. "He's really grown over the course of the season, and he's starting to figure it all out. You know, it's hard to be a freshman point guard, especially in the Big Ten. So his confidence is just growing, and he's starting to figure it all out."
As he is, so is the rest of the team, underscoring the importance of a solid anchor at that position. Last season, when point guard Al Nolen went down because of a broken foot, the team quickly collapsed. This year, while junior guard Julian Welch and Hollins both struggled because of injuries -- and Hollins still was adjusting to the college game -- the Gophers' offense stalled.
"You show me a team that's still playing, and I'll show you a team that's ... got a point guard who can run the team, who can play both ends of the court," Smith said.
It takes a special player to do that, to inhale the style and the values of a coach while transitioning to the college game. It means learning on the fly, with each situation affecting real-time game results.
"That's the key -- can you take criticism?" Smith said. "He's got to be able to understand and appreciate what we're trying to convey to him, and it takes a while."
Having an inexperienced point guard might have hurt the Gophers in the relentless Big Ten, but it might well be making Smith far more popular with Gophers fans now. Even if the NIT is viewed as a consolation prize for a year that didn't meet expectations, Minnesota is making the most of its second chance. It is also worth noting that the Gophers made the NCAA field in 1994 and 1999, the years following their previous NIT championships.
Hollins has been a major player in the Gophers' four NIT wins, the only postseason victories Smith has had in his five years at Minnesota. He has 71 points in the tournament, including 44 in his past two. Hollins' free throws down the stretch sparked a victory over Middle Tennessee State that landed the Gophers a spot in the semifinals, and his Madison Square Garden debut included five points in overtime to help Minnesota fend off Washington in overtime Tuesday.
With the team rolling now, Smith can comfortably hand the reins to Hollins. Some of the hardest lessons -- absorbing the basics and getting players to buy into a methodology -- have been learned. Now Hollins, the team's natural leader, can take over in some of those situations.
"Once the coach steps back and the student takes over, that's what we're seeing now," Smith said. "All the hard work ... this is the culmination of all those things."
Huntersville legacy lives on
A decade seems like a long time to the Herald Weekly, but for one of north Mecklenburg’s oldest and best-preserved landmarks, it’s a blink of an eye.
The Hugh Torance House and Store has stood on Gilead Road since 1779. It is the oldest standing house and store in the state.
The Herald Weekly reported on the homestead, which includes the Cedar Grove mansion next door, back in 2002.
Dick Banks, a descendant of the Torance family, and his wife Belle spent their lives restoring and preserving the Cedar Grove home where they lived and raised their children. The May 10, 2002, article previewed “On the Grounds at the Hugh Torance House,” a celebration on the Bankses’ property and fundraiser for the Hugh Torance House and Store historic site.
The Mecklenburg Historical Association holds an easement to operate and preserve the building, still owned by the Banks family. Belle and Dick Banks both have died, but their son still lives in Cedar Grove.
The historical association is getting ready for another celebration this week. The house and store will open Sunday, April 1, for the season. The house and store will be open from 2 to 5 p.m. the first and third Sunday of the month through the fall.
Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce President and Chairman of the Historical Association Board Bill Russell and a group of volunteers and board members spruced up the property March 25 to show off to the public this weekend.
“We don’t have a lot of history in north Mecklenburg. Most of it’s under water,” Russell said. So the Torance house stands out.
Historical association member Ann Williams has been involved with the Torance house since the early 1990s. She found a passion for this site through the numerous records the family kept from its arrival on this continent in the 1760s. Hugh Torance built the original structure in 1779. His son James ran the store until cotton became the more profitable business in the 1820s, Williams said.
The family records reside in UNC Charlotte’s manuscript collection. They record so many details that Williams says they almost illustrate daily life in the house. The information enriches the historical experience for both volunteers and visitors.
“So you can interpret history with a great deal of detail at the site,” Williams said.
The wealth of information and connection with the house inspired Williams to write a book, “Your Affectionate Daughter, Isabella,” the salutation Isabella Torance used to end her many letters to her father, James, who built Cedar Grove.
Williams says Dick and Belle Banks’ efforts to preserve Cedar Grove and the Hugh Torance House and Store have meant everything for the historic site.
“They got a community of people involved,” Williams said. “They raised an enormous amount of money to restore the house and stabilize it so we still have it.”
The Torance house got a new roof in the late 1990s. Workers restored hand molding about the front mantel. The solid logs stand strong throughout the house, with periodic renovations keeping it safe for the public.
The Hugh Torance House and Store has stood on Gilead Road since 1779. It is the oldest standing house and store in the state.
The Herald Weekly reported on the homestead, which includes the Cedar Grove mansion next door, back in 2002.
Dick Banks, a descendant of the Torance family, and his wife Belle spent their lives restoring and preserving the Cedar Grove home where they lived and raised their children. The May 10, 2002, article previewed “On the Grounds at the Hugh Torance House,” a celebration on the Bankses’ property and fundraiser for the Hugh Torance House and Store historic site.
The Mecklenburg Historical Association holds an easement to operate and preserve the building, still owned by the Banks family. Belle and Dick Banks both have died, but their son still lives in Cedar Grove.
The historical association is getting ready for another celebration this week. The house and store will open Sunday, April 1, for the season. The house and store will be open from 2 to 5 p.m. the first and third Sunday of the month through the fall.
Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce President and Chairman of the Historical Association Board Bill Russell and a group of volunteers and board members spruced up the property March 25 to show off to the public this weekend.
“We don’t have a lot of history in north Mecklenburg. Most of it’s under water,” Russell said. So the Torance house stands out.
Historical association member Ann Williams has been involved with the Torance house since the early 1990s. She found a passion for this site through the numerous records the family kept from its arrival on this continent in the 1760s. Hugh Torance built the original structure in 1779. His son James ran the store until cotton became the more profitable business in the 1820s, Williams said.
The family records reside in UNC Charlotte’s manuscript collection. They record so many details that Williams says they almost illustrate daily life in the house. The information enriches the historical experience for both volunteers and visitors.
“So you can interpret history with a great deal of detail at the site,” Williams said.
The wealth of information and connection with the house inspired Williams to write a book, “Your Affectionate Daughter, Isabella,” the salutation Isabella Torance used to end her many letters to her father, James, who built Cedar Grove.
Williams says Dick and Belle Banks’ efforts to preserve Cedar Grove and the Hugh Torance House and Store have meant everything for the historic site.
“They got a community of people involved,” Williams said. “They raised an enormous amount of money to restore the house and stabilize it so we still have it.”
The Torance house got a new roof in the late 1990s. Workers restored hand molding about the front mantel. The solid logs stand strong throughout the house, with periodic renovations keeping it safe for the public.
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