For sure: Red wines you can’t miss

The recurring dilemma about holiday meal menus is: How far can one go from the mainstream? Has anyone ever dared to omit a traditional dish from a family holiday meal menu?

I still don’t dare. And not because of me, but because there will always be someone for whom it won’t be a holiday without that specific dish.

It’s the same with wine. You can go wild as much as you like with new, intriguing wines, but the main thing is that there will also be a classic Cabernet Sauvignon on the table, so that we feel there is something stable in this life.

To check my own alcoholic pillars for the upcoming holiday, I went back to the box—this time in the good sense of the word—and with three new bottles worth paying attention to.

Anyone who follows me (editor’s note: Those who don’t follow Talia should reconsider their priorities) may think I’m a broken record. But I’m fine with that.

Still, if anyone has doubts, I recommend they check for themselves each bottle in the Essence series from Teperberg Winery, from Chenin Blanc to Pinot Gris and from Malbec to Merlot, and see for themselves that I’m not wrong. These are tasty and friendly wines at completely fair prices.

This Cabernet Sauvignon I especially loved this year. It has depth and presence, yet it is not domineering or heavy, a pillar of any meal.

Another series you can’t go wrong with is the Vineyards series from Carmel Signature, the premium wine brand of Carmel Winery. This is a series of wines based on selected vineyards planted in Israel’s best sub-regions. And honestly, how wrong can you go with a quality Israeli Cabernet Sauvignon?

This is a bottle that anyone who loves Cabernet Sauvignon or red wine in general will adopt as a holiday favorite. Made from Upper Galilee grapes, it has a festive crimson color, it is complex but not heavy, one of those wines that time in the glass during the meal makes it develop and taste even better.

As part of its 30th birthday celebrations, the Galilean Dalton Winery launched a special series that distills the family heritage of the winery’s founders and owners, the Haruni family.

The new Cabernet Sauvignon in the series, which also came out in a festive and special package, will suit very well those who especially love a classic and dominant Cabernet Sauvignon in every sense of the word.

It has juiciness and a deep color, as well as a za’atar aroma that constantly reminded me of the Israeli connection—and what could be more fitting and festive than that?