July 24, 2025 • 30 mins
Send a Text Message to The Kosher Terroir
We take a behind-the-scenes look at Shiloh Winery's beautiful new visitor center for an exclusive first taste with Itay Metzger, VP & Winemaker at Shiloh Winery, of two groundbreaking wines that represent bold new directions for one of Israel's premier wineries.
What happens when traditional winemakers become students again? The answer lies in these two remarkable bottles: Shiloh's first-ever Tannat varietal and their inaugural Pinot Noir, both from the prestigious Secret Reserve line. These aren't just new wines—they're completely new expressions that challenge preconceptions about Israeli winemaking.
The journey of these wines is particularly poignant. Harvested in 2023, they were produced during one of the most challenging periods in Israeli history. Following October 7th, approximately 90% of Shiloh's workforce left to serve in the military, leaving just three people to complete the harvest and initial winemaking. That such exceptional wines emerged from such adversity makes their quality even more remarkable.
With the Tannat, winemaker Amichai Lourie takes a grape typically reserved for blending and transforms it into a standout varietal. Through careful barrel selection—aging first in neutral oak to tame its famously aggressive tannins, then finishing in American oak to "break the sharp corners"—he's created a beautifully balanced wine with complex aromatics that continue evolving long after opening.
The Pinot Noir represents an even more unexpected departure. Produced initially as a test batch and aged in delicate low-toast barrels, this light-bodied wine offers a fascinating contradiction: powerful, complex aromatics (featuring notes of strawberry, mint, and eucalyptus) coupled with subtle, layered flavors that unfold gradually. This creates what Shiloh's representative Itai describes as a "brain game" that keeps the wine engaging with each sip.
Listen as we explore the philosophy behind these wines—one where experimentation, humility, and openness to learning create space for innovation. These aren't wines for casual drinking; they're complex expressions that reward patience, attention, and appreciation—truly "wines for wine lovers."
For more information about Shiloh Winery, contact:
Amichai +972-50-342-2268
Main office: Office@shilohwinery.com
For the Visitor Center Reservations: +972-50-355-4764
Address: Shiloh Winery, Shiloh Industrial Zone, Israel
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
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
S. Simon Jacob (00:09):
Welcome to The Kosher Terroir.
I'm Simon Jacob, your host forthis episode from Jerusalem.
Before we get started, I askthat, wherever you are, please
take a moment and pray for thesafety of our soldiers and the
safe return of all of ourhostages.
Welcome back to anotherexciting episode of The Kosher
(00:31):
Terroir.
Today, I've got something trulyspecial to share with you.
Just a couple of weeks ago,after our Tanat episode, I
received a call from none otherthan Amichai Luria from Shiloh
Winery.
He invited me to taste twobrand new wines that are so
fresh they haven't even hit themarket yet.
(00:51):
We're talking about a singlevarietal to not and a
long-anticipated Pinot Noir fromShiloh's secret reserve line.
If you're driving in your car,please focus on the road ahead.
If you're relaxing at home,please open a wonderful bottle
of kosher wine, sit back, relaxand join me as we dive into this
(01:12):
exclusive tasting with Itaifrom the winery and explore the
craftsmanship and passion behindthese new releases.
You won't want to miss this.
So, itai, we're sitting in theShiloh Visitor Center New
Visitor Center, brand newVisitor Center.
That's so beautiful, it'sabsolutely spectacular.
(01:34):
And I'm here with my son Ovadiaand his wife Leila, and we came
specifically because Amichaitold us that they had bottled
two new special vintages a PinotNoir that's really special and
(01:56):
also the first Tanat, and I dida podcast a few weeks back
specifically about Tanat, and Ihadn't even known that Amich
High was going to make a Tannat.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemaker (02:08):
We also didn't know until a few
months ago that we're going torelease a wine.
Tannat wine.
Ovadiah Jacob (02:16):
Yeah, as a variety.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemaker (02:17):
We saw it is going to be a part of
our blends.
Yeah, and most of this batchgoes to another blends in the
winery.
Ovadiah Jacob (02:29):
Which blend does it go into?
Itay Metzger VP & Winemaker (02:31):
It goes to, also to the Privilege
and also because it's make itstronger, and also to the Adino
a few drops inside this blendand also to the adeno a few
drops inside this land.
But we felt that it's reallyit's not okay to remove it off
(02:55):
the table.
We need to keep few barrels andmake maybe for our experience,
just to see how it's going, howit's going to be, what is going
to be with that vintage and alsohow it's going to age.
Because of that we did kind ofresearch wine and we're very,
(03:22):
very happy of the results.
I can say that we upgraded itsbarrels just a few months before
the bottling to make a kind ofkick-up to the wine with
specific American oak barrels.
I was going to ask you what itmakes it work.
S. Simon Jacob (03:44):
Yeah, wow, yeah, yeah, wow.
Okay, I know it's the mosttannic of all the grapes.
Yeah, that's out there.
But if you make it well, youcan reduce the tannic content
and it can be really good.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemaker a (04:00):
I can say that in the first
season of the aging, the firstpart of the aging, we, amchai,
actually made the decision toput it in second or third.
Use barrels to make the toughtannins, let them low down,
(04:24):
because we wanted to lose thetannin levels to see another
layer of the wine, because it'slike to remove a cover of the
when you drink very tannic wineyou can't see after.
So we made make around plusminus 12 barrels and we just
(04:52):
left for the bottling just four.
So we have around 1,000 bottles.
That's it from this wine, very,very interesting wine, very
greeny, like Amichai Amichai,his policy wines.
As a winemaker, he likes greenywines.
(05:14):
Not all of the customers likeit too, but when you give him
the permission to do what hewants and what he likes as a
winemaker, he likes it to begreen.
This is the result.
He likes it to be more green.
Yeah.
S. Simon Jacob (05:32):
This was actually harvested when.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemake (05:34):
It's harvested 2023.
With most of our Secret Reservewines that we release this
summer Also, if we're talkingabout the Pinot Noir, it's also
from that year was a verydifficult year because in the
middle of the season, theharvest season, 90% of the
(06:01):
employees here are left to thewar, also me, and it was just
Amichai Avinoam, his son, andAaron, the winemaker, and one
second after Simchat Torah,there was here three, just three
(06:26):
workers, really workers here,because the other five left to
the war Went back into Neluhim,went back into.
Yeah, we started to come backjust middle of January.
Yeah, we started to come back.
Wow.
So tell me which one should wetaste first?
(06:47):
Middle of January yeah, westarted to come back, Wow.
So tell me which one should wetaste first.
I think we can taste the tannatfirst, because I think it
prepares us to the Pinot Noir,because if the tannat is greeny,
the Pinot Noir is extra greeny.
Also, with the aromas and theflavor are much, much important.
(07:12):
I want you to compare, ofcourse, also the aromas and also
the flavor and the color toothe color too.
S. Simon Jacob (07:22):
I love it.
Pray, pray, pray, pray.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemaker (07:28):
As you can see, it's much lighter
than the tannin, also because ofthe grapes.
S. Simon Jacob (07:36):
This is lovely.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemake (07:38):
Yeah , this is great?
S. Simon Jacob (07:39):
I hope so.
It's really nice.
I hope so.
This is really nice, reallynice.
I can taste it.
You know it definitely has thetannins.
It has strong tannins, but it'sbeen subdued, it's pretty
elegant.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemaker (07:54):
The idea behind the switch with the
barrels is also to break thesharp corners.
If you mean, what?
I say with the tannins and withthe flavors that we want to
clean from this wine.
Because of that, in the end ofthe process we put it in
(08:18):
American oak that is a littlebit spicy, a spicy oak that when
you put it, when you put thewine inside, it's a lot of cases
it's breaking sharps, the sharpcorners, Sharp corners, yeah.
S. Simon Jacob (08:38):
Sharp edges, edges Right Wow.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemake (08:44):
It's amazing, it's very beautiful
and, I think, unique color.
If we compare it to anotherbrand in Chilo Winery, it's much
deeper red purple.
It's deep red purple, yeah.
Ovadiah Jacob (09:06):
You can see on the lips of the wine it's…
Phenomenal legs, yeah.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemaker (09:09):
Not even sign of oxygen, yeah of
oxidation.
Yeah.
S. Simon Jacob (09:17):
Yeah, it's beautiful.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemaker (09:23):
I'm glad you made this as a
varietal.
S. Simon Jacob (09:27):
It's really cool as a varietal, as its own.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemake (09:31):
It's very interesting wine.
It's a very interesting grape.
The whole process when you'retalking about Pinot Noir or
Tannat or different varieties ofgrapes that we made it for the
first time, every time isreaching us with an experience
(09:54):
with different things, becausewe know how to make good
Cabernet with good grapes ofCabernet and when we give it in,
when we're taking anothervarieties, it's much more
complicated because we don'tknow what to do and how to do it
(10:15):
right.
I think we've got here abalanced wine, with the tiny
dominant acidities, but it'sstill on the balanced level.
Yeah it's definitely balanced,with a medium body, I think, and
(10:36):
this is really the tannat'ssupposed to be, with a medium
body and not with full bodybecause, like the tannins, when
you taste tannat, if it's withfull body or extra tannins, it
covers different flavors thatyou can't get if you leave it
(11:00):
like this.
When we do a kind of winemakingtest, we try to make it like
the extreme level of safety ofthis grape.
Because of that, for example,it's for the wine making process
(11:22):
that we, every spot on thetimeline of this wine, we leave
it just with himself.
Because when we learn anotheror new variety, a new grape, we
(11:43):
want to see how it's going andif we're gonna blend it with
another grapes and other wines,as we're doing all the time.
You know, if I want to fixacidity, acidity level, I can
mix a few drops of Barbera, forexample, to fix it.
It's it's it to fix it.
(12:04):
It's the best way to fix thingsat the wine.
But here, because we want tolearn what we have and what we
need to do, we separate ittotally.
So we keep the tannat away,even if most of the cases we do
(12:24):
some blends.
Here we wanted to keep it, tokeep it out.
S. Simon Jacob (12:29):
And the other one we're tasting is the new
Pinot Noir Pinot Noir for thefirst time 2023.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemake (12:36):
Also , for the first time in Shiloh
Winery, these grapes.
We never make the harvest ofthis grape and from the harvest,
amichai, of course, worked atthe vineyards the few months
that before harvest.
He made his homework about thisgrape.
(12:56):
When we collected to the wineryit was really exciting because
is everyone know that Pinot Noiris a elegant, dominant, very
legendary grape.
Like few cases, when we messwith with with new grape, we
(13:19):
want to keep it like the like,like the grape supposed, like
the wine is supposed to be.
Of course, when we learn a newwine, it's the same way.
Like the Tanat, we separate theother wines and we keep it
natural.
Natural, we try to make theminimum difference.
(13:41):
When we make it, to see thereal results.
It's like a lab test because wewant to see how it's going,
what it's going to be.
Ovadiah Jacob (13:53):
How did it come out from your perspective
Meaning is this what it'ssupposed to look like?
Is this close?
Itay Metzger VP & Winemaker a (13:57):
I tell you what before.
A few weeks ago, two months ago, we brought here a few
winemakers from the area, fromIsrael, to taste a very, very
big Pinot Noir taste.
We brought more than 12 brandsof Pinot Noir, five from Israel,
(14:22):
two of us, two samples of ourPinot Noir with final blend and
with good barrels, and alsoanother five brands from Israel,
and we tasted it, talked aboutit.
Negotiation also, of course,about the flavors, about the
taste, about the aromas.
(14:42):
I think our two samples wasdefinitely in the top five and
it wasn't the big Pinot Noirthey ever tested, but it was a
real Pinot Noir and also verysurprising aromas.
(15:02):
Yeah, the aromas, yeah, thearoma is.
One of the winemakers said it'sa cannabis aroma.
Ovadiah Jacob (15:13):
Yeah, I don't know that I smell that, but I
definitely get totally differentaromas than I get from the
stronger, fuller body.
S. Simon Jacob (15:21):
Yeah, this is the color you want, want.
Ovadiah Jacob (15:24):
This is the color of pinot noir this is the color
.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemake (15:26):
It's a light color, perfect, and
because of the color and thebody we it was hard decision if,
if we can stable it as asecurity reserve.
The Reserve brother Right,because all of the brothers in
this edition of the Secretary ofthe Reserve are at least medium
(15:52):
, medium plus body and fullcolors, strong aromas and very
elegant swine also aromas andvery elegant wines.
Also here is the case that wedecided to put inside, to put it
in in the Secret ReserveEdition, because it was so
(16:14):
special and so elegant wine thatwe cannot ignore it.
We have to put it in the SecretReserve Edition.
It's the first time that wechanged the bottle, the glass
bottle, in this series, becausewe're using basically just for
(16:34):
the Bordeaux type of the bottleand here we cannot do it.
This is a Burgundy bottle.
Yeah, it's one of the Bourgognevariety, of course, so we
needed to do it.
This is a Burgundy bottle.
Yeah, it's one of the Bourgognevariety, of course, so we
needed to do it.
I think it's a very interestingwine, a lot of layers of
flavors and when you leave it inthe glass for 30 minutes you
(16:57):
can feel different flavors.
S. Simon Jacob (17:00):
Very cool.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemake (17:01):
It's really not a Shiloh type wine.
It's totally different fromeverything we did until now.
Both of them are, yeah, both ofthe wines, but the Tannat I can
.
I can make the connection with.
Ovadiah Jacob (17:14):
The fruit is still.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemake (17:15):
Yeah , it's still very fruity and
it's still round, it's still.
It's still deep red, it's stillwith kind of medium body and
it's still Shiloh signature, thePinot Noir.
We hope it will be Shilohsignature too, but it's not our
(17:35):
regular wines.
Ovadiah Jacob (17:36):
I could taste this without the label and tell
you that's a Shiloh wine.
So 100% Okay, it's good.
S. Simon Jacob (17:41):
No, but the Pinot is really lovely.
Yeah, we're drinking itstraight from opening it.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemaker (17:47):
So actually, I'm sure it's, I'm
sure it's going to and, as wetold, it's one of the best
variety to to aging, to a longaging, Even in, even if you
speak about Israel as a warmcountry, warm weather, a lot of
(18:08):
varieties, a lot of grapes arenot supposed to be aging for I
don't know decades.
But here, as also Shivi Drori,the Gvaot winemaker, told us,
it's a good potential.
It's a very good potentialspecific in our Pinot Noir.
He tasted also and he said it'swith a good potential for aging
(18:33):
, for long aging, we hope.
Right.
Amazing, I can say about thePinot Noir also, is the decision
of the barrels in the processof wine making.
The decision about the barrelsis, I think, maybe the second
big decision which kind ofbarrels?
(18:54):
What is the toasting level withthe barrel, if we want full
toasting barrels or without thehuts the sides.
We want full toasting barrelsor without the huts the sides?
And here we decide to put it invery, very delicate and elegant
(19:16):
and low level of toastingbecause we wanted to see what we
have.
What we really have, withoutflavors from the barrels or from
another varieties.
We want to see the pure PinotNoir, what we have, and I think
the result is very, veryinteresting, and also pure Pinot
Noir because of that.
S. Simon Jacob (19:39):
It's complex.
It has a lot of differentflavors going on.
It's very enjoyable, especiallyif you let it air a little bit,
and it's really beautiful.
It's got all sorts of layers init.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemake (19:57):
It's really good and what I also
like in this wine that the aromais so strong when you taste it.
S. Simon Jacob (20:07):
You are confusing, yeah that's what I
was going to say, because it'skind of game.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemake (20:11):
It's kind of game you smell like
strong aroma and when you tasteit it's tiny, tiny, tiny flavors
that you need to research inyour mouth.
This is one of the big reasonsthat I like to drink this wine,
because it's kind of game.
I drink wine all the time,wines all the time, and this
(20:35):
game I can say it's a kind ofgame to smell one thing and
taste something different.
I very like it and I can findit in other wines also, also
with Shida wines and also withdifferent wineries that I tasted
.
I think this brain game alsomakes this wine very unique.
Ovadiah Jacob (21:00):
I'm even almost picking up like a mint.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemaker (21:03):
Is that?
Ovadiah Jacob (21:04):
right, Mint eucalyptus.
Yeah, yeah, eucalyptus.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemake (21:08):
This is the, and when we tasted on
the barrels it was stronger andI liked it so much because it's
a really different thing.
But our winemaker that wetalked about with it, amichai
himself, also was not so surethat the customers also gonna
(21:32):
like it because it's sodifferent than the other.
Yeah, maybe it's too muchdifferent.
So we decided to mix the wholebatch together with the barrels
and it's made the aroma a littlebit lower.
It's taken it lower, it's stillthere, but it was much stronger
(21:52):
Overwhelming.
Yeah, okay, it's a delightfularoma really.
Ovadiah Jacob (21:56):
Yeah yeah, yeah, you're right, the aroma is
powerful.
The flavors are subtle, but thearoma is powerful.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemake (22:02):
Yeah , yeah, I think this is one of
the brilliant things in thiswine.
S. Simon Jacob (22:07):
I like the flavors.
The fruit is still there, it'sstrawberry.
It's beautiful fruit and it'svery light.
It's not a ripe fruit, right,it's much lighter, but it's not
like it's diluted.
It's not an anemic wine yeah,it's very pronounced fruit and
(22:27):
it's just very elegant.
It's really nice.
Ovadiah Jacob (22:30):
Do you harvest these grapes at a different
point in the maturity cycle, orare they you know?
Itay Metzger VP & Winemake (22:35):
This vineyard.
It's a specific vineyard thatcame here just for one year
Because we asked for a favorfrom one of our growers.
It's to see if we want to Plant, To plant and to buy Pinot Noir
(22:57):
.
If we didn't know if we likethe wine, we didn't know how
it's gonna be.
We didn't know how it's goingto be.
Ovadiah Jacob (23:06):
So what's the mascarna?
Itay Metzger VP & Winemaker a (23:09):
I think the mascarna is Good job.
We're going to do it.
We're going to do it.
We definitely want to do it.
I think this kind of flavor Ican say it's this style of wines
(23:29):
are.
We're missing it because Shilohwines known as big bombastic
wines, and we want to say thatyeah, we know, we know how to
make also very elegant, light,but not anemic wines.
Pinot Noir is a good examplefor that.
S. Simon Jacob (23:49):
It's really interesting, it's really, both
of these are like a special tourde force of trying to do
something new at Shiloh, andit's they're beautifully,
beautifully, they're reallynicely on the path.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemaker a (24:06):
I think when Amichai decided to
collect new grapes to the wineryfor our research to make the
best wine that we can get, weall the time try to to build
ourselves as, as students andnot as winemakers that know
everything.
(24:26):
And when Amichai tries newthings, he's not afraid to ask
other people and otherwinemakers and other lab people
that know better than him whatwe need to do, what we're doing
wrong, what we're doing rightand what we need to do different
(24:47):
.
I think this point is one ofthe best things that winemakers
can decide to ask other peopleand not afraid to fail.
But nobody want to fail.
Fail right, but if you don'task people that did it before.
S. Simon Jacob (25:12):
Yeah, no, you know I'm going back to this to
not now, and the aromas comingoff of it are just crazy.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemake (25:20):
It's such a good one, the aromas
coming off of it are just crazy,yeah, and before we bottle it,
before we decided to bottle it,of course we make full taste of
Tanat wines.
It was difficult to get, toeven get any.
S. Simon Jacob (25:36):
Yeah, I know, there's only a few in.
Itay Metzger VP & Winema (25:37):
Israel .
Yeah, yeah.
So we tasted three or four oreven five samples of Tannat
wines.
Two of them was a blend with90% and above of Tannat wines
and Tannat grapes.
But it was a very interestingand learning thing to see what
(26:01):
the result can be.
S. Simon Jacob (26:02):
I've tasted maybe three tannats and this is
really amazing.
It's really delicious.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemaker a (26:10):
I think our mistake was a good
mistake to make the decision toput it in in old barrels,
basically, and not in new.
Because if we put it in newbarrels of the start, the start
of the beginning of the process,as we actually doing in this
(26:31):
level wines I think we waslosing a lot of aromas and taste
that came out right now.
And if we we put it in anotherstyle of barrels, I think it was
a mistake.
It was a mistake.
So our real mistake to put itin an old barrel was a
(26:55):
successful.
A successful.
I tasted it one more time andit's different.
Now I know it's different.
Now the Pinot Noir is different, now Also the Pinot and also
the Tanat.
S. Simon Jacob (27:05):
Because they're opening up Now.
We drank them very early afterwe opened them, but now they're.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemaker a (27:13):
I think it's with the Tanat.
I can smell now a kind of nutsaroma.
It's stronger now.
Ovadiah Jacob (27:20):
Yes, Well, amichai did say, I think, on
your podcast that you'resupposed to open it for several
days.
He said open it up Thursdaynight or something and drink it
throughout Shabbat and by of thelights.
S. Simon Jacob (27:29):
I don't know if he was talking about these two,
but yes, you could try that withthis easily, easily.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemaker (27:34):
You will take these bottles with
you and taste it in the evening.
I would love to in the dayafter.
They're amazing, yeah, amazing,yeah, thank you.
Thank you, no problem, anytime,my pleasure.
I think it's gonna be better atthe evening.
Yeah, take it, taste it and letus know what you think.
S. Simon Jacob (27:52):
Thank you.
Thank you for being on theKosher Terroir.
These are not just like pickingup a bottle of Cabernet and
drinking it.
These have such interestingflavors and expressions with
them.
For a person who wants to tastedifferent wines and is excited
(28:14):
about the experience, these aretwo wines that they definitely
have to taste, because it'sreally different and elegant and
lovely and complex.
Yeah, the complex, there's somany tastes that you get going
on here.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemake (28:34):
It's a wine for wine lovers.
S. Simon Jacob (28:37):
Yeah, it definitely is a wine lover's
wine, both of them, it's not a,it's not just for drinking, and
also it's not a.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemake (28:43):
It's .
This is not a, it's not justfor drinking.
I think it's not.
Not and also it's not, I thinkis the better way to taste it.
It's not with a meal, it's just.
You could tell us this and andyou can find along of the taste,
you can find different flavorsthat came out with the oxygen.
I think it's what makes it veryunique, interesting and wine
(29:07):
for wine lovers.
Thank you, thank youno-transcript.
S. Simon Jacob (58:17):
This is Simon Jacob, again your host of
today's episode of the KosherTerroir.
I have a personal request nomatter where you are or where
you live, please take a momentto pray for our soldiers' safety
and the safe and rapid returnof our hostages.
Please subscribe via yourpodcast provider to be informed
(58:39):
of our new episodes as they arereleased.
If you're new to the KosherTerwa, please check out our many
past episodes.
Welcome to The Kosher Terroir.
I'm Simon Jacob, your host forthis episode from Jerusalem.
Before we get started, I askthat, wherever you are, please
take a moment and pray for thesafety of our soldiers and the
safe return of all of ourhostages.
Welcome back to anotherexciting episode of The Kosher
(00:31):
Terroir.
Today, I've got something trulyspecial to share with you.
Just a couple of weeks ago,after our Tanat episode, I
received a call from none otherthan Amichai Luria from Shiloh
Winery.
He invited me to taste twobrand new wines that are so
fresh they haven't even hit themarket yet.
(00:51):
We're talking about a singlevarietal to not and a
long-anticipated Pinot Noir fromShiloh's secret reserve line.
If you're driving in your car,please focus on the road ahead.
If you're relaxing at home,please open a wonderful bottle
of kosher wine, sit back, relaxand join me as we dive into this
(01:12):
exclusive tasting with Itaifrom the winery and explore the
craftsmanship and passion behindthese new releases.
You won't want to miss this.
So, itai, we're sitting in theShiloh Visitor Center New
Visitor Center, brand newVisitor Center.
That's so beautiful, it'sabsolutely spectacular.
(01:34):
And I'm here with my son Ovadiaand his wife Leila, and we came
specifically because Amichaitold us that they had bottled
two new special vintages a PinotNoir that's really special and
(01:56):
also the first Tanat, and I dida podcast a few weeks back
specifically about Tanat, and Ihadn't even known that Amich
High was going to make a Tannat.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemaker (02:08):
We also didn't know until a few
months ago that we're going torelease a wine.
Tannat wine.
Ovadiah Jacob (02:16):
Yeah, as a variety.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemaker (02:17):
We saw it is going to be a part of
our blends.
Yeah, and most of this batchgoes to another blends in the
winery.
Ovadiah Jacob (02:29):
Which blend does it go into?
Itay Metzger VP & Winemaker (02:31):
It goes to, also to the Privilege
and also because it's make itstronger, and also to the Adino
a few drops inside this blendand also to the adeno a few
drops inside this land.
But we felt that it's reallyit's not okay to remove it off
(02:55):
the table.
We need to keep few barrels andmake maybe for our experience,
just to see how it's going, howit's going to be, what is going
to be with that vintage and alsohow it's going to age.
Because of that we did kind ofresearch wine and we're very,
(03:22):
very happy of the results.
I can say that we upgraded itsbarrels just a few months before
the bottling to make a kind ofkick-up to the wine with
specific American oak barrels.
I was going to ask you what itmakes it work.
S. Simon Jacob (03:44):
Yeah, wow, yeah, yeah, wow.
Okay, I know it's the mosttannic of all the grapes.
Yeah, that's out there.
But if you make it well, youcan reduce the tannic content
and it can be really good.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemaker a (04:00):
I can say that in the first
season of the aging, the firstpart of the aging, we, amchai,
actually made the decision toput it in second or third.
Use barrels to make the toughtannins, let them low down,
(04:24):
because we wanted to lose thetannin levels to see another
layer of the wine, because it'slike to remove a cover of the
when you drink very tannic wineyou can't see after.
So we made make around plusminus 12 barrels and we just
(04:52):
left for the bottling just four.
So we have around 1,000 bottles.
That's it from this wine, very,very interesting wine, very
greeny, like Amichai Amichai,his policy wines.
As a winemaker, he likes greenywines.
(05:14):
Not all of the customers likeit too, but when you give him
the permission to do what hewants and what he likes as a
winemaker, he likes it to begreen.
This is the result.
He likes it to be more green.
Yeah.
S. Simon Jacob (05:32):
This was actually harvested when.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemake (05:34):
It's harvested 2023.
With most of our Secret Reservewines that we release this
summer Also, if we're talkingabout the Pinot Noir, it's also
from that year was a verydifficult year because in the
middle of the season, theharvest season, 90% of the
(06:01):
employees here are left to thewar, also me, and it was just
Amichai Avinoam, his son, andAaron, the winemaker, and one
second after Simchat Torah,there was here three, just three
(06:26):
workers, really workers here,because the other five left to
the war Went back into Neluhim,went back into.
Yeah, we started to come backjust middle of January.
Yeah, we started to come back.
Wow.
So tell me which one should wetaste first?
(06:47):
Middle of January yeah, westarted to come back, Wow.
So tell me which one should wetaste first.
I think we can taste the tannatfirst, because I think it
prepares us to the Pinot Noir,because if the tannat is greeny,
the Pinot Noir is extra greeny.
Also, with the aromas and theflavor are much, much important.
(07:12):
I want you to compare, ofcourse, also the aromas and also
the flavor and the color toothe color too.
S. Simon Jacob (07:22):
I love it.
Pray, pray, pray, pray.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemaker (07:28):
As you can see, it's much lighter
than the tannin, also because ofthe grapes.
S. Simon Jacob (07:36):
This is lovely.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemake (07:38):
Yeah , this is great?
S. Simon Jacob (07:39):
I hope so.
It's really nice.
I hope so.
This is really nice, reallynice.
I can taste it.
You know it definitely has thetannins.
It has strong tannins, but it'sbeen subdued, it's pretty
elegant.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemaker (07:54):
The idea behind the switch with the
barrels is also to break thesharp corners.
If you mean, what?
I say with the tannins and withthe flavors that we want to
clean from this wine.
Because of that, in the end ofthe process we put it in
(08:18):
American oak that is a littlebit spicy, a spicy oak that when
you put it, when you put thewine inside, it's a lot of cases
it's breaking sharps, the sharpcorners, Sharp corners, yeah.
S. Simon Jacob (08:38):
Sharp edges, edges Right Wow.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemake (08:44):
It's amazing, it's very beautiful
and, I think, unique color.
If we compare it to anotherbrand in Chilo Winery, it's much
deeper red purple.
It's deep red purple, yeah.
Ovadiah Jacob (09:06):
You can see on the lips of the wine it's…
Phenomenal legs, yeah.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemaker (09:09):
Not even sign of oxygen, yeah of
oxidation.
Yeah.
S. Simon Jacob (09:17):
Yeah, it's beautiful.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemaker (09:23):
I'm glad you made this as a
varietal.
S. Simon Jacob (09:27):
It's really cool as a varietal, as its own.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemake (09:31):
It's very interesting wine.
It's a very interesting grape.
The whole process when you'retalking about Pinot Noir or
Tannat or different varieties ofgrapes that we made it for the
first time, every time isreaching us with an experience
(09:54):
with different things, becausewe know how to make good
Cabernet with good grapes ofCabernet and when we give it in,
when we're taking anothervarieties, it's much more
complicated because we don'tknow what to do and how to do it
(10:15):
right.
I think we've got here abalanced wine, with the tiny
dominant acidities, but it'sstill on the balanced level.
Yeah it's definitely balanced,with a medium body, I think, and
(10:36):
this is really the tannat'ssupposed to be, with a medium
body and not with full bodybecause, like the tannins, when
you taste tannat, if it's withfull body or extra tannins, it
covers different flavors thatyou can't get if you leave it
(11:00):
like this.
When we do a kind of winemakingtest, we try to make it like
the extreme level of safety ofthis grape.
Because of that, for example,it's for the wine making process
(11:22):
that we, every spot on thetimeline of this wine, we leave
it just with himself.
Because when we learn anotheror new variety, a new grape, we
(11:43):
want to see how it's going andif we're gonna blend it with
another grapes and other wines,as we're doing all the time.
You know, if I want to fixacidity, acidity level, I can
mix a few drops of Barbera, forexample, to fix it.
It's it's it to fix it.
(12:04):
It's the best way to fix thingsat the wine.
But here, because we want tolearn what we have and what we
need to do, we separate ittotally.
So we keep the tannat away,even if most of the cases we do
(12:24):
some blends.
Here we wanted to keep it, tokeep it out.
S. Simon Jacob (12:29):
And the other one we're tasting is the new
Pinot Noir Pinot Noir for thefirst time 2023.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemake (12:36):
Also , for the first time in Shiloh
Winery, these grapes.
We never make the harvest ofthis grape and from the harvest,
amichai, of course, worked atthe vineyards the few months
that before harvest.
He made his homework about thisgrape.
(12:56):
When we collected to the wineryit was really exciting because
is everyone know that Pinot Noiris a elegant, dominant, very
legendary grape.
Like few cases, when we messwith with with new grape, we
(13:19):
want to keep it like the like,like the grape supposed, like
the wine is supposed to be.
Of course, when we learn a newwine, it's the same way.
Like the Tanat, we separate theother wines and we keep it
natural.
Natural, we try to make theminimum difference.
(13:41):
When we make it, to see thereal results.
It's like a lab test because wewant to see how it's going,
what it's going to be.
Ovadiah Jacob (13:53):
How did it come out from your perspective
Meaning is this what it'ssupposed to look like?
Is this close?
Itay Metzger VP & Winemaker a (13:57):
I tell you what before.
A few weeks ago, two months ago, we brought here a few
winemakers from the area, fromIsrael, to taste a very, very
big Pinot Noir taste.
We brought more than 12 brandsof Pinot Noir, five from Israel,
(14:22):
two of us, two samples of ourPinot Noir with final blend and
with good barrels, and alsoanother five brands from Israel,
and we tasted it, talked aboutit.
Negotiation also, of course,about the flavors, about the
taste, about the aromas.
(14:42):
I think our two samples wasdefinitely in the top five and
it wasn't the big Pinot Noirthey ever tested, but it was a
real Pinot Noir and also verysurprising aromas.
(15:02):
Yeah, the aromas, yeah, thearoma is.
One of the winemakers said it'sa cannabis aroma.
Ovadiah Jacob (15:13):
Yeah, I don't know that I smell that, but I
definitely get totally differentaromas than I get from the
stronger, fuller body.
S. Simon Jacob (15:21):
Yeah, this is the color you want, want.
Ovadiah Jacob (15:24):
This is the color of pinot noir this is the color
.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemake (15:26):
It's a light color, perfect, and
because of the color and thebody we it was hard decision if,
if we can stable it as asecurity reserve.
The Reserve brother Right,because all of the brothers in
this edition of the Secretary ofthe Reserve are at least medium
(15:52):
, medium plus body and fullcolors, strong aromas and very
elegant swine also aromas andvery elegant wines.
Also here is the case that wedecided to put inside, to put it
in in the Secret ReserveEdition, because it was so
(16:14):
special and so elegant wine thatwe cannot ignore it.
We have to put it in the SecretReserve Edition.
It's the first time that wechanged the bottle, the glass
bottle, in this series, becausewe're using basically just for
(16:34):
the Bordeaux type of the bottleand here we cannot do it.
This is a Burgundy bottle.
Yeah, it's one of the Bourgognevariety, of course, so we
needed to do it.
This is a Burgundy bottle.
Yeah, it's one of the Bourgognevariety, of course, so we
needed to do it.
I think it's a very interestingwine, a lot of layers of
flavors and when you leave it inthe glass for 30 minutes you
(16:57):
can feel different flavors.
S. Simon Jacob (17:00):
Very cool.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemake (17:01):
It's really not a Shiloh type wine.
It's totally different fromeverything we did until now.
Both of them are, yeah, both ofthe wines, but the Tannat I can
.
I can make the connection with.
Ovadiah Jacob (17:14):
The fruit is still.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemake (17:15):
Yeah , it's still very fruity and
it's still round, it's still.
It's still deep red, it's stillwith kind of medium body and
it's still Shiloh signature, thePinot Noir.
We hope it will be Shilohsignature too, but it's not our
(17:35):
regular wines.
Ovadiah Jacob (17:36):
I could taste this without the label and tell
you that's a Shiloh wine.
So 100% Okay, it's good.
S. Simon Jacob (17:41):
No, but the Pinot is really lovely.
Yeah, we're drinking itstraight from opening it.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemaker (17:47):
So actually, I'm sure it's, I'm
sure it's going to and, as wetold, it's one of the best
variety to to aging, to a longaging, Even in, even if you
speak about Israel as a warmcountry, warm weather, a lot of
(18:08):
varieties, a lot of grapes arenot supposed to be aging for I
don't know decades.
But here, as also Shivi Drori,the Gvaot winemaker, told us,
it's a good potential.
It's a very good potentialspecific in our Pinot Noir.
He tasted also and he said it'swith a good potential for aging
(18:33):
, for long aging, we hope.
Right.
Amazing, I can say about thePinot Noir also, is the decision
of the barrels in the processof wine making.
The decision about the barrelsis, I think, maybe the second
big decision which kind ofbarrels?
(18:54):
What is the toasting level withthe barrel, if we want full
toasting barrels or without thehuts the sides.
We want full toasting barrelsor without the huts the sides?
And here we decide to put it invery, very delicate and elegant
(19:16):
and low level of toastingbecause we wanted to see what we
have.
What we really have, withoutflavors from the barrels or from
another varieties.
We want to see the pure PinotNoir, what we have, and I think
the result is very, veryinteresting, and also pure Pinot
Noir because of that.
S. Simon Jacob (19:39):
It's complex.
It has a lot of differentflavors going on.
It's very enjoyable, especiallyif you let it air a little bit,
and it's really beautiful.
It's got all sorts of layers init.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemake (19:57):
It's really good and what I also
like in this wine that the aromais so strong when you taste it.
S. Simon Jacob (20:07):
You are confusing, yeah that's what I
was going to say, because it'skind of game.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemake (20:11):
It's kind of game you smell like
strong aroma and when you tasteit it's tiny, tiny, tiny flavors
that you need to research inyour mouth.
This is one of the big reasonsthat I like to drink this wine,
because it's kind of game.
I drink wine all the time,wines all the time, and this
(20:35):
game I can say it's a kind ofgame to smell one thing and
taste something different.
I very like it and I can findit in other wines also, also
with Shida wines and also withdifferent wineries that I tasted
.
I think this brain game alsomakes this wine very unique.
Ovadiah Jacob (21:00):
I'm even almost picking up like a mint.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemaker (21:03):
Is that?
Ovadiah Jacob (21:04):
right, Mint eucalyptus.
Yeah, yeah, eucalyptus.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemake (21:08):
This is the, and when we tasted on
the barrels it was stronger andI liked it so much because it's
a really different thing.
But our winemaker that wetalked about with it, amichai
himself, also was not so surethat the customers also gonna
(21:32):
like it because it's sodifferent than the other.
Yeah, maybe it's too muchdifferent.
So we decided to mix the wholebatch together with the barrels
and it's made the aroma a littlebit lower.
It's taken it lower, it's stillthere, but it was much stronger
(21:52):
Overwhelming.
Yeah, okay, it's a delightfularoma really.
Ovadiah Jacob (21:56):
Yeah yeah, yeah, you're right, the aroma is
powerful.
The flavors are subtle, but thearoma is powerful.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemake (22:02):
Yeah , yeah, I think this is one of
the brilliant things in thiswine.
S. Simon Jacob (22:07):
I like the flavors.
The fruit is still there, it'sstrawberry.
It's beautiful fruit and it'svery light.
It's not a ripe fruit, right,it's much lighter, but it's not
like it's diluted.
It's not an anemic wine yeah,it's very pronounced fruit and
(22:27):
it's just very elegant.
It's really nice.
Ovadiah Jacob (22:30):
Do you harvest these grapes at a different
point in the maturity cycle, orare they you know?
Itay Metzger VP & Winemake (22:35):
This vineyard.
It's a specific vineyard thatcame here just for one year
Because we asked for a favorfrom one of our growers.
It's to see if we want to Plant, To plant and to buy Pinot Noir
(22:57):
.
If we didn't know if we likethe wine, we didn't know how
it's gonna be.
We didn't know how it's goingto be.
Ovadiah Jacob (23:06):
So what's the mascarna?
Itay Metzger VP & Winemaker a (23:09):
I think the mascarna is Good job.
We're going to do it.
We're going to do it.
We definitely want to do it.
I think this kind of flavor Ican say it's this style of wines
(23:29):
are.
We're missing it because Shilohwines known as big bombastic
wines, and we want to say thatyeah, we know, we know how to
make also very elegant, light,but not anemic wines.
Pinot Noir is a good examplefor that.
S. Simon Jacob (23:49):
It's really interesting, it's really, both
of these are like a special tourde force of trying to do
something new at Shiloh, andit's they're beautifully,
beautifully, they're reallynicely on the path.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemaker a (24:06):
I think when Amichai decided to
collect new grapes to the wineryfor our research to make the
best wine that we can get, weall the time try to to build
ourselves as, as students andnot as winemakers that know
everything.
(24:26):
And when Amichai tries newthings, he's not afraid to ask
other people and otherwinemakers and other lab people
that know better than him whatwe need to do, what we're doing
wrong, what we're doing rightand what we need to do different
(24:47):
.
I think this point is one ofthe best things that winemakers
can decide to ask other peopleand not afraid to fail.
But nobody want to fail.
Fail right, but if you don'task people that did it before.
S. Simon Jacob (25:12):
Yeah, no, you know I'm going back to this to
not now, and the aromas comingoff of it are just crazy.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemake (25:20):
It's such a good one, the aromas
coming off of it are just crazy,yeah, and before we bottle it,
before we decided to bottle it,of course we make full taste of
Tanat wines.
It was difficult to get, toeven get any.
S. Simon Jacob (25:36):
Yeah, I know, there's only a few in.
Itay Metzger VP & Winema (25:37):
Israel .
Yeah, yeah.
So we tasted three or four oreven five samples of Tannat
wines.
Two of them was a blend with90% and above of Tannat wines
and Tannat grapes.
But it was a very interestingand learning thing to see what
(26:01):
the result can be.
S. Simon Jacob (26:02):
I've tasted maybe three tannats and this is
really amazing.
It's really delicious.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemaker a (26:10):
I think our mistake was a good
mistake to make the decision toput it in in old barrels,
basically, and not in new.
Because if we put it in newbarrels of the start, the start
of the beginning of the process,as we actually doing in this
(26:31):
level wines I think we waslosing a lot of aromas and taste
that came out right now.
And if we we put it in anotherstyle of barrels, I think it was
a mistake.
It was a mistake.
So our real mistake to put itin an old barrel was a
(26:55):
successful.
A successful.
I tasted it one more time andit's different.
Now I know it's different.
Now the Pinot Noir is different, now Also the Pinot and also
the Tanat.
S. Simon Jacob (27:05):
Because they're opening up Now.
We drank them very early afterwe opened them, but now they're.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemaker a (27:13):
I think it's with the Tanat.
I can smell now a kind of nutsaroma.
It's stronger now.
Ovadiah Jacob (27:20):
Yes, Well, amichai did say, I think, on
your podcast that you'resupposed to open it for several
days.
He said open it up Thursdaynight or something and drink it
throughout Shabbat and by of thelights.
S. Simon Jacob (27:29):
I don't know if he was talking about these two,
but yes, you could try that withthis easily, easily.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemaker (27:34):
You will take these bottles with
you and taste it in the evening.
I would love to in the dayafter.
They're amazing, yeah, amazing,yeah, thank you.
Thank you, no problem, anytime,my pleasure.
I think it's gonna be better atthe evening.
Yeah, take it, taste it and letus know what you think.
S. Simon Jacob (27:52):
Thank you.
Thank you for being on theKosher Terroir.
These are not just like pickingup a bottle of Cabernet and
drinking it.
These have such interestingflavors and expressions with
them.
For a person who wants to tastedifferent wines and is excited
(28:14):
about the experience, these aretwo wines that they definitely
have to taste, because it'sreally different and elegant and
lovely and complex.
Yeah, the complex, there's somany tastes that you get going
on here.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemake (28:34):
It's a wine for wine lovers.
S. Simon Jacob (28:37):
Yeah, it definitely is a wine lover's
wine, both of them, it's not a,it's not just for drinking, and
also it's not a.
Itay Metzger VP & Winemake (28:43):
It's .
This is not a, it's not justfor drinking.
I think it's not.
Not and also it's not, I thinkis the better way to taste it.
It's not with a meal, it's just.
You could tell us this and andyou can find along of the taste,
you can find different flavorsthat came out with the oxygen.
I think it's what makes it veryunique, interesting and wine
(29:07):
for wine lovers.
Thank you, thank youno-transcript.
S. Simon Jacob (58:17):
This is Simon Jacob, again your host of
today's episode of the KosherTerroir.
I have a personal request nomatter where you are or where
you live, please take a momentto pray for our soldiers' safety
and the safe and rapid returnof our hostages.
Please subscribe via yourpodcast provider to be informed
(58:39):
of our new episodes as they arereleased.
If you're new to the KosherTerwa, please check out our many
past episodes.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com