The 2008 MERLOT is a pleasant wine, with some ripe tannins on the finish and good flavor, primarily a touch of sweet vanilla and licorice, although with air an herbal nuance pops up, too. There is not much concentration or structure, but in its modest price range, it is not a bad choice for a sweet-ish, friendly wine, particularly if encountered young. It does not evolve as well as the regular Cabernet with air, but it is nice early on. Drink now-2012 Recanati, one of Israel’s larger wineries, makes all Kosher wines. The Yasmin lineup is also Mevushal. The regular bottlings—the “Diamond” series, because of the diamond on the label—is the next step up, followed by the Reserves and the Special Reserve. The “reserves” are where the best intersection of quality and price begins—they are reasonably priced and structured like moderately serious wines. Well made in general, they provide some easy drinking bang for the buck. This, in fact, is the best collection I’ve seen from Recanati. The Special Reserve is actually special and justifies that big, fat bottle, and the regular reserves are pretty nice values.Importer: Palm Bay International, Port Washington, N.Y.; tel: (516) 721-5123.

A fresh red, with good cut to the dark plum, blackberry and dried berry flavors. The long finish features mocha and dark chocolate. Kosher. Drink now through 2013. 2,500 cases imported.??–KM??Region: Israel / Galilee Select to Add