As a follow up to Friday’s post about how Shabbat provides an excellent opportunity for all – Jew, non Jew, religious, non-religious – to experience new wines and explore one’s personal tastes, I mentioned that I was serving the Galil Mountain 2006 Merlot. Just to prove my point more about how Shabbat is an excellent opportunity to explore wine, it’s worth noting that personally I usually finish one bottle per Shabbat (Friday night/Saturday morning and Havdallah ceremony of ending Shabbat on Saturday night), but this week we had guests for dinner. As a result, and because the Galil Mountain is an excellent wine (although the 2006 Merlot could use another year or two of aging), we finished that on Friday night. So, I had to open up another bottle for Saturday. I decided that, since there were no guests and it was getting cold (in fact, it is currently raining and I finally feel like winter has begun in Jerusalem), I decided to finish my last bottle of Gamla Sauvignon Blanc 2006. It’s a light, fruity wine that is so apropos for those hot summer days, or even Jerusalem Septembers and Octobers. I happened to get a great deal of 4 for 100NIS (about $25) before Rosh Hashana, and had one more left. A good Sauvignon Blanc, but certainly not the most sophisticated of wines. However, coming from the Golan Heights Winery, it’s a sure winner. But that’s OK, because every week is a new opportunity to try one or more bottles of Israeli wine. I hope you will join me and explore this new wine region.