Made from pomegranates, new wine specialty is the perfect choice for Valentine’s Day tasting
By JANE MILZA
Rimon Winery, a new Israeli winery and producer of fine pomegranate wines, has released an exotic new dessert wine, claiming it to be ideal for Valentine’s Day.
A known aphrodisiac and symbol of temptation and pleasure, the pomegranate –sometimes called the forbidden fruit of the Bible — has been transformed into a lush, full-bodied dessert wine.
“Rimon’s dessert wine is beautiful, alluring and sexy,” said Yoav Gilat, managing partner of Cannonball Wine & Spirits, the exclusive distributor for Rimon Winery. “It offers all that wine lovers desire from a dessert wine on Valentine’s Day and more.”
PURE FRUIT
Made from pure pomegranate, the wine contains three times the antioxidant power of red wine or green tea, plus a wealth of vitamins and minerals. “Not only do Rimon wines retain many of the healthful qualities of the pomegranate, they also are high quality, gold medal-winning wines with exceptional clarity, rich color and unique aromas and flavors,” said Gilat.
LOTS OF SEEDS, JUICE
With its profusion of seeds and sweet red juices, the pomegranate has long been considered by many cultures as a symbol of abundance, pleasure and temptation. “Some even believe that it was a pomegranate, not an apple, that tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden,” said Gilat.
Unlike other pomegranate alcoholic beverage products on the market, Rimon wines, which include dessert, dry and port-style wines, are not flavored alcohol. They are actual wines made by virtually the same processes as grape-based wines. The pomegranates are harvested at optimum ripeness and crushed for their juice, which then is fermented at low temperatures in stainless steel tanks to preserve the fruit’s natural and healthful qualities. After fermentation, the wines are aged in French oak barrels.
UNIQUE FLAVORS
The unique flavors of the wines, according to Gilat, are derived from a new variety of pomegranate developed by father and son Gaby and Avi Nachmias, owners of Rimon Winery. The Nachmias family, a third generation farming family in Israel’s Upper Galilee, has cultivated a “super fruit” that is sweeter, deeper in color, and richer in vitamins and antioxidants than other pomegranate varieties.
“They are the only pomegranates in the world that have enough natural sugars to produce wine on their own, without any additives,” said Gilat. “We are delighted to introduce our dessert wine to American wine lovers this Valentine’s Day.” Rimon Winery also makes pomegranate dry wine and port-style wine, which will be available in the United States in spring 2008.
Rimon Winery wines include: Rimon Winery dessert wine (500ml) at $36 per bottle, dry wine (750ml) at $44 and a port-style wine (750ml) at $48.
These unique Chocolate and Pomegranate Truffles are made with Rimon wine. The wine producer suggests pairing the truffles with Rimon dessert wine or Galilee Port.