Here it is: my first kosher Riesling, with an alcohol level of 13.5%. It has me worried. Not because it is kosher. Rather because I can feel the alcohol after just one glass of the 2007 Gamla White Riesling.
This Riesling from the Golan Heights is much bolder than its pale straw color and medium intensity of grapefruit and dried apple aromas suggested. There is even some residual sugar left in the wine, which would have resulted in an even higher alcohol level if fermented out dry. We should be thankful for sweetness.
The Golan Heights are Israel's coolest wine region (whatever that means) and the two vineyards on which the grapes for the Gamla were grown, lie between 400 and 1200 meters (1300 - 3900 feet). High and cool enough to grow Riesling, but it is not going to be in the Kabinett style, as we can see.
I could not taste the alcohol as much, though. The winemaker at the Golan Heights Winery was able to tame a wild horse in his cellar. And its enticing aromas of dried apple and grapefruit must have pleased the rabbi. Overall a full-bodied Riesling with a soft mouthfeel that probably should be drunk within the next two years.
The high alcohol does not make the Gamla an ideal partner for food, but this inexpensive Riesling pairs well with many different kinds of cheeses, thanks to the medium acidity level and balanced residual sugar.