Cohesiveness between food and wine menus excites me when I dine at other restaurants.ĭo you find people are hesitant to try these unfamiliar wines?Īt first people were mostly uninterested in our Middle Eastern offerings. In my mind it would be bizarre to cook Middle Eastern food and serve hardly any or no wines from that part of the world. I want to ensure that every aspect of the dining experience at Galit is indicative of our identity as a restaurant. Why did you think this niche wine list was important for standing out in the restaurant scene? How has the response been? I love that Eddie uses this wine and others to bring the history of Middle Eastern winemaking into the modern-day conversation. Mersel's Phoenix Skin Contact Merwah is made from 150 year old merwah vines, native to the region. To me, they execute a great example of what Cab Franc can be while the terroir shines through and keeps its identity as a wine from the Middle East. The Cab Franc from Margalit is a terrific food wine for us at Galit, and has a proven track record of aging well. What did you like about these certain varieties? Over the years the importers and producers have seen how much demand for their wines has grown at Galit and they no longer need convincing. He introduced us to Eddie Chami at Mersel in Lebanon, who is making beautiful wines, sometimes with native varietals and using ancestral and/or experimental methods. The owner, Jason Bajalia, helped us get a lot of our initial list in place and we have grown with his guidance. I've been working alongside Terra Sancta Trading Company for several years. We would buy Margalit Cabernet Franc by the case and it was always our celebration wine at anniversaries, birthdays, and at our wedding. When I was working in Tel Aviv, my girlfriend- now wife- flew to Israel and the first thing we did was take a bus to Hadeira, where Asaf Margalit picked us up and brought us to the winery for a private tasting. Can you share how you met a few of these producers and what it was like convincing them to export to you in Chicago?
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