Eureka: A Wine to Go With Humous (K) 
 28.10.2009 ,
 By: Daniel Rogov

When Isaac Newton called out "Eureka" it marked his formulation of the theory of gravitation. This early evening, when I called out that same word it marked a no less serious discovery – the wine that matches humous, tchina, labane, yoghurt and eggplant salad.

Frankly, it had been a trying two days for me – bacon and eggs for breakfast, a 300 gram burger (with cheese and bacon) for lunch (that with French fries and a super-generous portion of fried onion rings) and a large grilled lobster for dinner yesterday. This morning it was French toast and this early afternoon it was a rather generous roast beef sandwich. Cholesterol and calories may or may not count but the stomach has its limits so this evening it was an assortment of humous, tchina, labane, yoghurt and eggplant salad, those served with nothing more than toasted pita bread.

I was not in the mood for beer and when I looked in the white wine frig it was a bottle of the 2009 Golan Moscato that stared back at me. What the heck….. I transferred the bottle to the freezer to bring it down to about 4 degrees Celsius, opened, poured and dug in. A true eureka moment!!! Served that well chilled, that considerably reducing the impact of the sweetness but allowing the wine to keep its bare frizzante note and its lemon, lime, grapefruit and white peach character, the wine went marvelously with my light snack. What can I say….must try this next time with falafel on a pita, that as I most enjoy it, with a bit of humous, a dash of tchina, shredded white cabbage, hot sauce (ideally harissa) and hot chili peppers on the side.

A more formal tasting note:

Golan Heights Winery, Moscato, Golan, 2009: The first wine released in the country from the 2009 vintage and exactly as it should be. With just the lightest hint of fizz and its generous sweetness set off nicely by natural acidity. Light- to medium-bodied, with generous lemon and lime grapefruit, green apple and white peach fruits, a distinctly fun wine that serves as well as an aperitif of as a dessert wine. Hard to believe but also a good match to humous, eggplant salad, and yoghurt, especially when served very, very well chilled. Drink now. NIS 40.Score 86. K