United Distributors Introduces Teperberg Israeli Wines In Georgia
Passover is all about traditions. Besides the telling of the story of the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and the ritual foods displayed on the seder plate, there’s bubbie’s gefilte fish, your mother’s brisket, Aunt Sarah’s sponge cake and, of course, that Concord grape wine.
But who says you can’t start new traditions with updated products? For example, instead of that (some say) cloyingly sweet, deep purple New York-produced wine, this year why not try something produced in the land it took the Israelites 40 years to reach after they were freed from slavery?
Atlanta-based United Distributors, which represents a portfolio of spirits, beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages in Georgia and Alabama, just introduced varieties of wine in Georgia produced by Teperberg 1870, Israel’s oldest privately-owned winery. These fine wines are kosher for Passover and year-round use and are available now at several retail outlets in metro Atlanta.
The kosher wine market has a built-in customer base of Jews who observe kashrut (kosher dietary laws), but that’s not why United decided to add the Teperberg wines to its portfolio of products, which also includes Manischewitz kosher wines.
“People interested in fine wine want to try wines from a global [marketplace],” said Michael A. Venezia, United’s corporate director of education.
Italy and Spain, both Mediterranean countries like Israel, are already known for producing fine wines. The region is “blessed environmentally with sunshine and dry [climate],” Venezia said. In addition, Israel’s irrigation systems are technologically advanced. “[Through] drip irrigation, every grapevine gets the proper amount of water to make it happy, and happy vines make happy wines,” he said, adding that Israeli vintners have learned their trade in vineyards worldwide and have chosen to go back to Israel.
Increasingly, consumers are interested in how foods they consume are produced. For those looking for organically-grown products, “Kosher raises the bar. It’s beyond organic,” said Venezia.
In kosher wine, all ingredients must come from an approved source and cannot contain any animal by-products or components. No chemical fertilizers or pesticides are applied to the soil or grapevines; the wine contains no additives. From crushing to bottling, all kosher wines are under the constant supervision of rabbis.
Venezia says there is a learning curve among retailers when a new line of wines is available, and the curve is steeper when a kosher wine is offered to a retailer who does not have a large kosher clientele.
“It’s a question of time and space,” said Venezia. “The retailer has a limited amount of time to do business [with a distributor’s sales person] and a small window of time to be educated [about a new product].” In addition, the retailer has to find shelf space for new products.
United introduced its Teperberg products at the distributor’s recent annual tasting for its retail clients. To introduce Teperberg to the Atlanta Jewish community, it was served at the opening night of the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival and will be served at the upcoming American-Israel Chamber of Commerce Eagle Star awards event.
“If a buying decision is going to be made, and if there’s interest in wine from Israel, we hope the consumer will ask the retailer,” Venezia said.
After United decided to add a wine from Israel to its portfolio, Venezia went on an Israel junket sponsored by the Israel Trade Commission. He attended the IsraWine Expo in Tel Aviv, visited wineries throughout the country for tastings and met with winery principals.
Criteria Venezia used in selecting an Israeli wine included product accessibility and varietal correctness. For the former, an importer was required to bring the wine to the United States; United is a wholesaler and does not import beverages. For the latter, “The wine had to look, feel, taste and smell like others from California, New York and international [wineries] and could stand on its own in a global market mix,” said Venezia.
Teperberg wines are imported to the U.S. by Allied Importers of Long Island, N.Y. “I would say that so far it’s been a good and proficient introduction into the [Georgia] market, sort of a tease of some of the wines the winery has produced,” said Shai Ghermezian of Allied. “The feedback has been great when meeting with retailers and restaurateurs. Some were actually surprised that Israel is producing such great wines. We’re extremely happy and appreciative of all the time, effort and work United Distributors has put into the wines. The wines would be going nowhere without them.
“[The positive feedback] reinforces the notion that the quality of kosher wines has improved tremendously in the last 10 years or so and all parts of the industry -- wholesalers, [retailers] and consumers -- are now seeing that,” Ghermezian added.
United offers three Teperberg varieties: Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Meritage (a Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc). They are available at Kosher Gourmet, Alon’s, Whole Foods in Toco Hills, the Wine Shop in Marietta, D’Vine Wine Bar and Shop in Dunwoody and the Johnson Ferry Road at Shallowford Road Kroger in East Cobb. The suggested retail price is $21.99.
Venezia is confident that Teperberg wines distributed by United will be good sellers among general and as well as kosher consumers.
“Wines are like people. They come from different places, in different sizes, shapes and colors, and with different personalities,” Venezia said. “If you’re a citizen of the world, you’ll want to become friends with as many people as possible. The same goes for wines.”
For information about Teperberg 1870 wines, visit www.teperberg1870.co.il
Photo: Michael Venezia, corporate director of education for United Distributors, which introduced Israel's Teperberg 1870 kosher wines in Georgia.
By Fran Memberg exclusively for www.AtlantaJewishNews.com
