May 1, 2009 – Anatot Tasting

It was a small crowd that showed up last Friday for our tasting with Anatot, but we had a lovely time just the same. I suppose we should have known better than to schedule the tasting for the Yom Ha’atzmaut weekend, but it was the only date that worked for us around then.

One couple was already waiting when we got under way shortly after 10:00, but nothing after that until all of a sudden a bunch of people appeared starting at 13:00. Some of these were friends of Arnon, the winemaker, and others were new folks who had seen our signs and fliers. From 13:00 till 15:00 we had a small but steady stream of visitors. All in all about 30 people came, which isn’t bad for our first event of the season and for a weekend when many people were away.

Arnon opened five wines for tasting including his Shani, Alpha, and Notera blends, and his Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot varietals. All of these wines are eminently drinkable though I preferred the varietals this time. The Merlot (this is the wine that won a medal in the recent Eshkol Hazahav competition) was outstanding though it took a couple of hours after opening to reach its peak. Arnon didn’t bring enough of this as it sold out rather quickly. Not surprising since he didn’t raise the price after winning the medal. Looks like I’ll have to take a trip to Anatot to get some for myself (if there’s any left at all).

Dina also did reasonably well selling cookies and breads, though we did have quite a bit left over. Not to worry, it certainly won’t go to waste.

We particularly enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere this time. People sat around sipping, munching, and schmoozing, and we made a few new friends.