Send a Text Message to The Kosher Terroir

Light a candle and pour a glass—this is the story of a Sephardic family reclaiming Spanish terroir through kosher wine, one amphora at a time. We head to the high hills outside Valencia with Armando Caracena-Molco of Viña Memorias to taste old-vine Bobal and Macabeo that wear history on their sleeves and clay on their skins. Unico, their flagship red, comes from pre-phylloxera vines planted in 1903 and is raised entirely in tinajas—handmade clay vessels whose makers, in a remarkable twist, have stamped them with a Star of David for generations. It’s memory, craft, and place converging in a single bottle.

We dig into why these wines feel different: altitude between 700 and 900 meters, calcareous-clay soils, Mediterranean winds, and dry farming that lets deep roots do the work. Amphora vs oak becomes a masterclass in texture and purity—amphora delivers micro-oxygenation without wood flavors, allowing Bobal’s red-fruited intensity and polished tannins to shine. Then we contrast that with Finca Cerezal, a French-oak-aged Bobal that shows the grape’s elegant side, and Memorias del Rambam, a classic American-oak expression that nods to Spain’s traditional profile while honoring Maimonides.

Sparkling lovers get a treat: Requena’s altitude-driven Cava made from old-vine Macabeo, method tradicional, and extended lees aging. Expect pinpoint bubbles, almond pastry on the nose, stone fruit and citrus on the palate, and a clean, persistent finish that invites head-to-head comparisons with champagne. We talk disgorgement dates, why most Cava skips malolactic fermentation, and how precision bubbles can shift expectations in the kosher market. We close with Alcunia, a still Macabeo aged in amphorae on fine lees, bone-dry, saline, layered, and quietly powerful.

Across every glass runs the same current: unity and return. A mother from Aix-en-Provence, a father of the land, brothers spread across continents, and a choice to make kosher wines that speak clearly of Valencia’s heights, clay, and light. If you’re ready to discover Bobal, rediscover Macabeo, and taste a story that loops from exile to home, press play and join us at the table. If you enjoyed the journey, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more curious drinkers can find us.

Contact Details
Armando Caracena-Molco WhatsApp +34686452612

• Viña Memorias Winery, Calle Carretera de Madrid, San Antonio, Spain
• +34669043007
• contact@vinamemorias.com

Support the show

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

Send a Text Message to The Kosher Terroir

A desert can teach you patience, and in the Negev that lesson tastes like lifted acids, fine textures, and wines that refuse to be rushed. We sit down with winemaker Ya'acov Oryah of Pinto Winery to explore how short ripening windows, careful skin management, and precise oak work can turn heat and dryness into elegance on the table.

We start with whites—Chardonnay that drinks with Sauvignon-like snap, Chenin that grows more aromatic with time, and Gewürztraminer rehabilitated through whole-cluster pressing and blending. Viognier gets a rethink too: tropical and perfumed, yet restrained enough to drink, not just sniff. Ya'acov explains why he builds components with finesse instead of brute force and why oak should be a supporting actor that integrates slowly in the bottle. Then the Reds flip expectations. Grenache shows a pale robe with real weight and grip, while the hard-press batch surprises with greater charm than austerity. Malbec, not Cabernet, emerges as a Negev success story, and the reasoning tracks back to climate, skins, and timing.

From there, we dive into the geeky heart of the cellar. An unracked white ferments in its murk, embraces reductivity, and evolves into something layered after gentle barrel time. The once undrinkable Grenache ’22 returns transformed, proof that reduction can convert to complexity if you wait. We also unpack biodynamics and vineyard biodiversity—less dogma, more soil, life, and balance—and how these practices tend to correlate with better tasting wines. Ya'acov’s “ME” series brings it home: multiple harvest dates and varied fermentations (vat, oak, carbonic, skin contact, unracked) within the same vineyard lot, recombined into a single, seamless voice. It’s hyper-terroir, not anti-terroir.

Dessert and fortification get their spotlight: an orange dessert Gewürztraminer, a fortified Pinot experiment, and the showstopper—an 18-year barrel-aged Muscat that smells like maple, vanilla, and dried forest floor. Along the way, we confront aging myths: tannin and acid are shields, but it’s the wine’s dry extract and time that truly build its complexity. The larger picture is thrilling—Israeli wine leaning into creativity, precision, and patience. If you care about texture, restaurant-friendly balance, and wines that reward time, pull up a chair.

Enjoyed this deep dive? Follow and subscribe, share with a friend who loves wine, and leave us a review with your favorite moment from this tasting.

Ya'acov Oryah Winemaker

Pinto Winery
Office@pintowinery.com
108 Zvi Bornstein St., Yeruham, 80500000
+972-547-635-451

Support the show

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

Send a Text Message to The Kosher Terroir

A wrong turn on a long road trip led to a tasting room door, a harvest job, and a life reset. Meet Gideon Marcus, a 23-year-old Oleh who traded the Manhattan Shabbat table for punch-downs, press cycles, and vineyard dust—first at Covenant in California, then across Israel from the Judean Hills to the Negev’s high-contrast desert.

We dive into the kind of winemaking you only learn by doing: sorting fruit at dawn, pulling samples of fresh Viognier juice, and discovering how an aged Syrah can drop you into a mossy forest with one breath. Gideon shares what mentors like Jeff Morgan and Sagie Kleinlehrer taught him about tasting widely, keeping meticulous notes, and blending with a purpose. We explore why Israeli wine is more than mountain myths: valleys that channel cold night air like natural AC, limestone that lies inches from the roots, and microplots picked by exposure rather than postcode.

The Negev becomes a character in the story, with scorching days and chilled nights that preserve acidity and unlock surprising aromatics. Gideon reflects on visionary approaches like Yaakov Oryah’s “multiple expressions” fermentations and the quiet courage it takes to hold bottles for years before release. Along the way, we confront a winemaker’s paradox: follow the data or trust your senses? The answer lives somewhere in the dance between lab sheets, fieldwork, and the final blend in your glass.

This conversation is about terroir, yes—soil, climate, and clones—but also about identity, risk, and building a future in a country that feels different after October 7. If you’re curious about Israeli wine, aging potential, and the craft choices that shape flavor and longevity, you’ll find a full pour here. Enjoy the ride, then subscribe, rate, and share—with a friend who loves bold bottles and even bolder stories.

For more information, please contact:

Gideon Marcus: WhatsApp +1-646-207-2645

Gideon’s Profile: linkedin.com/in/gideon-marcus-17b562b8

Support the show

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