By Donald H. Harrison
OCEANSIDE, California – The press release stated that “Excelencia Kosher Brut” is “perfect not only for celebrating important occasions” but is a “most versatile wine for pairing with food.”
So we waited for an occasion with an interesting kind of food to test out this sparkling Spanish wine produced from Macabeo grapes by Freixenet winery near Barcelona.
Instead of Spanish food, we chose Greek food – chicken kabobs, steak kabobs, rice, salad, hummus, pita and other luncheon choices all catered by Daphne’s California Greek Restaurant and brought to the clubhouse of the Ocean Hills Country Club.
The occasion for the small luncheon was my father-in-law Sam Zeiden’s 96th birthday. The assembled guests were drawn both from our family and from among the residents of Ocean Hills and environs.
Not everyone participated in the taste test. But among the mostly Jewish crowd who did raise their glasses to wish “Papa” a hearty L’Chaim, there was a diversity of reaction to what Freizenet describes as its “cava of delightful complexity, boasting aromas of ripe pear and green apple, with crisp acidity that balances long and elegant fruit and floral notes.”
I went around the tables collecting quotes from the guests in the following order:
Peggy Goodman of Oceanside commented that the wine was “very dry—a little too dry for me. It was so dry I couldn’t pour it!”
Rona Mellman said the wine “grows on you. At first it is a little flat, but as you keep drinking it is good!”
Her husband, Bob Mellman, described the wine as “very good, very fizzy as you start out and as you go on, it becomes smoother and better.”
Paula Sassi of San Diego, on the other hand, said “it is bubbly, bitter and not Italian.”
Muriel Kaplan of Oceanside said “at first I didn’t care for it, but as you let it grow on you, it gets better. But I don’t want to drink so much of it that I would get squishy.”
Said her sister, Vivian Blackstone: “I liked it. At first it was a little different, strange to the palate, but very quickly it grew on me. I liked it. It’s a well-known brand. People who like champagne but don’t want to spend a lot on it buy Freixenet.” The standard retail price, by the way, is $18 per bottle.
“It’s too dry,” said Bea Goldberg of San Diego. I would like it a little less dry.”
Her husband, Abe Goldberg, declared flatly: “I don’t like dry wines.”
Gail Umeham said “I tasted it and I didn’t like it. I really didn’t like the taste. I’d rather use my calories on something else.”
On the other hand, her husband, Okoronkwo Umeham, took a second taste of the wine. He said “It is smoother now. I like it better now on the second gulp. I wouldn’t suggest any improvement.”
For the record, the birthday honoree said he enjoyed it. The fruitiness reminded him a bit of sangria.
Like some of the others, I found the first swallow a bit disarming. But after the initial taste shock, I found myself enjoying it.
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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com