Michael Solomonov is the James Beard Award-winning chef who in 2008 opened his world-famous Zahav Restaurant in Philadelphia. He would chart his path in the Israeli culinary world following the death of his older brother, David, who killed by terrorist snipers on the Lebanese border in October of 2003. Just before David’s death, Michael, cooking at a well-known Italian eatery in Philly at the time, spent several weeks in Israel with his brother, who was on furlough and about to be released from his IDF service. In a spirit of Israeli brotherhood, David had volunteered for service on ..read more

When it comes to truly festive occasions, Purim runs unopposed. The joyful holiday is celebrated every year on the 14th day of the Hebrew month of Adar, this year on Saturday night, March 23 and continuing through Sunday, Mar. 24. The familiar adage, “They tried to kill us. We survived. Let’s eat,” once again fits the bill here. But to provide a little more depth, Purim is the commemoration of the salvation of the Jews from the hand of the evil Haman in ancient Persia. Our heroine, Queen Esther, ends up as the new wife of the Persian King Ahaseuerus and must take matters into her own ..read more

As Passover approaches, many of us perceive the countdown of the Festival of Freedom with a sense of dread and trepidation. The cooking. The cleaning. The buying. And equally for some of us, the choices for the perfect wine for the Seder. Passover is really a wine lover’s holiday. While many other forms of spirits are not acceptable on Passover due to their creation from grains, almost all kosher wine is, as well, kosher for Passover. Still, Passover produces the conundrum of choosing for quantity over quality. Remember, there are a mandated “Four Cups,” sandwiched around a full holiday meal w ..read more

The holiday of Shavuot — which starts Sunday night, May 16, and ends on Tuesday evening, May 18 — doesn’t universally carry the same star power as its Festival-siblings of Pesach and Sukkot. But in fact, Shavuot is one of the Big Three of the Chagim, or the Three Biblical Pilgrimage Festivals. What would Mel do? In English, we refer to Shavuot as “The Feast of Weeks,” referring to the seven weeks in which the Israelites traveled from Egypt to Mount Sinai to receive the Torah. According to Mel Brooks’ “History of the World, Part I,” had Moses not dropped the cumbersome Third Tablet, we’d have f ..read more

Consistently keeping an eye open for wines new to the U.S. market, or those I have not tasted in some time (or ever), I was intrigued to get my hands on a wine from Israel’s Yaffo Winery. The story of Yaffo Winery in the Elah Valley, Judean Hills, is an interesting one. Emek HaElah, “the Valley of the Elah,” takes its name from the terebinth tree native to the valley, and is mentioned as the encampment site of the Israelites as David fought Goliath. Pretty cool stuff, and why every piece of the Land of Israel has incredible history attached behind its wineries and people. Yaffo Winery tells it ..read more

Dr. Kenneth Friedman, Jmore’s Kosher Decanter, joined “The Upside” to talk about Passover wines for the upcoming holiday. Join Jmore and The Associated every week as we bring together some of Maryland’s most respected experts in their fields to answer your questions about the things that matter most in your life. Visit jmoreliving.com/upside for details and schedule. The post The Kosher Decanter’s Passover Wine Recommendations appeared first on JMORE ..read more

A strange New Year’s Eve is upon us, one unlike any other in our lifetimes. But one constant remains: The Bubbles Need to Flow! As many of us will celebrate with just our inner circle of loved ones this year, popping the perfect bottle of champagne or sparkling wine is even more important. I will go on record saying that bubblies should not be relegated only to the celebratory events in our life, but are a perfect accompaniment to a wide variety of other opportunities and will pair with just about any food of which you might dream. But New Year’s beckons, and with it the anticipatory pop of th ..read more

Like many Americans in the midst of this (seemingly never-ending) pandemic, you might find yourself sitting alone this Thanksgiving. Perhaps you are planning to be with your closest loved ones. Thanksgiving is the perfect time to reflect upon this difficult year and be filled with gratitude for our uncounted blessings, while equally filling ourselves with delicious food and beautiful wines. As I wrote last year, “For every malady in life, we are taught that God created a solution.” And this year, the solution is surrounding yourself with extended family (if possible) and copious amounts of win ..read more

We live in an age where the word “organic” is viewed with a mixture of interest and suspicion, since many of us know the term is often bandied about with little regulation. As it applies to wine, you’ll see varying terms such as “organic,” “biodynamic,” and “natural.” For the purposes of our exercise today, we will discuss organic wine. So what is “organic wine”? Depending on where you are in the world, this may have a wildly different answer. As we are discussing American wine, organic is defined as being produced from “organically-grown grapes without added sulfites.” It is a common misperce ..read more

Ever heard of icewine? It may not be what you think, but this wine is a worthwhile exploratory journey for the curious wine lover, and one that many non-wine lovers will find enjoyable. Icewine gets its name literally. The beauty and character of what makes icewine unique lies in its creation. Left on the vines through freezing temperatures and picked frozen, icewine, once fermented and bottled, is a special treat worth seeking. One of the world’s only true kosher icewines is currently produced by Tzafona Cellars in the Niagara Peninsula, the region responsible for 90 percent of all icewine in ..read more