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Start with a blank hillside and imagine building flavor from the ground up. That’s our approach as we step into the vineyard and treat terroir like architecture—every choice about climate, soil, genetics, and geometry locked in for decades, with no cellar fix to save a bad foundation. With the added weight of Orla delaying fruit for years, kosher wine demands that we get the blueprint right before a single root touches the soil.

We zoom out to Macro Terroir and translate climate into chemistry using growing degree days, altitude, and the diurnal swing that preserves acidity. Then we let the landscape do its work: slopes for drainage and airflow, aspects that dial power or finesse, and coastal influence and wind that can both protect and stress. From there, the ground beneath our boots becomes a toolkit. Soil physics drives deep rooting and concentration; soil chemistry fine-tunes metabolism. Limestone’s calcium preserves brightness by blocking potassium uptake. Clay lays down muscle and tannin. Volcanic substrates drain fast and often yield savory tension and a hint of salinity.

Genetics turn the site into a tailored machine. Rootstocks become our transmission: 1103P for drought, 41B for active limestone, SO4 to restrain wild vigor. Scion clones shape voice and texture. We’re blending in the field long before we blend in the cellar. Finally, we set north–south rows for even light, tight or wide spacing to manage competition and mechanization, and trellis decisions that create microclimates.

By the end, you’ll see why great wine is engineered, not simply grown. If you’re a wine lover, student, or just a curious drinker, this is a masterclass in how altitude, aspect, soil, rootstock, and trellis design shape acidity, tannin, aromatics, and longevity—especially vital for kosher wineries operating under unique timelines and constraints. Enjoy the blueprint, then join us next week as we manage the canopy and fine-tune the skin.

If this deep dive gave you a new way to see the vineyard, subscribe, share the show with a wine-loving friend, and leave a review telling us which vineyard choice you’d optimize first.

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Thursdays 6:30pm Eastern Time on the NSN Network and the NSN App

Send a Text Message to The Kosher Terroir

What if the most important flavor in your glass isn’t because of the grape variety, but the choices made in the cellar? We pull back the curtain on the winemaker’s toolbox and walk through twelve pivotal moments that can turn identical grapes into wildly different wines—one a velvet cloak, another a sharp suit of armor. From the first clip at harvest to the final stir of lees, we map the forks in the road that define aroma, texture, and age-worthiness.

We start with the picking window, where sugar, acid, and phenolic ripeness dance on a knife’s edge, then move to sorting philosophies that trade rustic charm for precision polish. Whole cluster or destemmed berries set the wine’s frame; cold soak builds color and perfume without bitterness. Yeast choice becomes a bet on soul versus security, and the fermentation vessel—concrete, steel, or wood—shapes oxygen, movement, and mouthfeel. Temperature management protects delicate florals in whites and fuels structure in reds.

Refinement brings a deeper view of the winemaking craft: extended maceration to smooth tannins through polymerization, press fractions to compose the blend, and malolactic decisions that steer from apple-bite to creaminess. Finally, how oak and lees define a wine’s long arc, balancing toast, micro-oxygenation, umami richness, and longevity. Along the way, we share field stories from the Galilee, the Judean Hills, and beyond that reveal the art, risk, and timing behind each call.

By the end, you’ll taste with new eyes—reading texture, spotting spice, and hearing the maker’s voice whisper through the fruit. If you enjoy this deep dive into how choices shape character, follow the show, share it with a friend who loves wine, and leave a quick review to help others discover it.

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 vineyard can tell the truth faster than a headline. We sit down with David M. Weinberg to uncork a deeper story of Israeli wine—one that runs from Jacob’s blessing and Solomon’s vines to modern terraces in the Judean Hills and the Galilee. David is a veteran columnist and WSET Level 3 wine professional who has walked rows with growers, tasted through the country’s microclimates, and wrestled with narratives like “winewashing.” Together, we explore why a glass from Israel can feel more like a sign of return than a PR gloss.

We trace the arc from ancient amphorae and prophetic promises to the renaissance of vineyards after centuries of desolation. David shares how Tanakh, Talmud, and Halacha elevate wine from beverage to blessing—linking joy to holiness, song to gratitude, and harvest to hope. We talk Tu B’Av and festival music, why blessings matter, and how the metaphors of the vine shape bonds at home and with God. Along the way, you’ll hear vivid accounts from early Carmel Winery shipments to today’s boutique producers and the living pulse of markets where the Shechinah feels as close as ripe fruit.

We also step into the mystical: Ginosar’s legendary grapes, Eden’s forbidden fruit, and Purim’s paradox of ad d’lo yada. Can drinking blur lines—or help redraw them with courage and clarity? With kavanah and moderation, wine becomes a tool for discernment, a way to temper ego and let gratitude speak. By the end, the Israeli vineyard emerges as more than an industry; it’s a compass pointing toward joy, presence, and a future that tastes like blessing.

If this journey resonates, pour yourself a glass, hit play, and share the episode with a friend. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us: what does a meaningful glass look like to you?

For More Information:

David M. Weinberg: is a think tank director, columnist and lobbyist who is a sharp critic of Israel’s detractors and of post-Zionist trends in Israel. W'Set3 credentialed wine aficionado and Tour Guide.

You can read more and Contact David at https://davidmweinberg.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