Spring holidays call for special wines

With Passover starting tonight and Easter on Sunday, this is a good week to think about pairing wine with festive meals.

Tonight many Jews will be attending a Passover Seder, the ritual festival meal that features such traditional foods as chicken soup with matzo balls, gefilte fish and brisket. Some hosts offer a choice of wines. Guests sometimes bring bottles as well, creating a good opportunity to sample a variety of offerings.

Because the meal usually starts with the soup and fish, white wine is nice to have on hand. I stopped at The Wine and Cheese Place, 7435 Forsyth Boulevard, knowing I could count on advice from one of my wine gurus, Paul Hayden.

He suggested the 2006 Gamla Sauvignon Blanc from Israel, selling for $11.99. Gamla is owned by the Golan Heights Winery, which produces the well-respected Yarden label.

If you have the misconception that kosher wine has to taste like grape-flavored pancake syrup, try this Sauvignon Blanc. You'll be in for a pleasant surprise. This white is delicious. And regardless of whether it's kosher, $11.99 is a good price for a wine of this quality.

If I hadn't known where the Gamla came from, I would have guessed Bordeaux. Although this wine is 100 percent Sauvignon Blanc, it has that bit of round fruitiness often found in a Bordeaux blend that combines some Semillion with Sauvignon Blanc.

The Gamla has a bit of herb on the nose, but it is not aggressively herbaceous or grassy like a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. This is a well-balanced crisp, clean wine that begins with stone fruit flavors and ends with a refreshing citrus finish. It would pair well with chicken, fish and lighter dishes at any time of the year, not just Passover.

For Easter meals, my colleague Joe Bonwich suggested I try a Syrah, which the Australians call Shiraz. Hayden pointed to the 2007 Thorn-Clarke Terra Barossa Shiraz selling for $14.99. He said it would stand up to richly flavored lamb and would also go with pork.

This is a luscious, soft and fruity wine that's medium to full-bodied. It is a jammy Shiraz that tastes of plums, spice and a tad of vanilla from oak aging. It has a rich mouth-filling creaminess, and it ends with a long, smooth finish.

Wine Advocate gave this wine 89 points as a Best Value Under $20. The wine would also pair well with grilled meats and vegetables and tangy tomato sauces.