{"id":2979,"date":"2014-04-25T01:51:56","date_gmt":"2014-04-25T08:51:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=2979"},"modified":"2014-04-27T13:40:53","modified_gmt":"2014-04-27T20:40:53","slug":"there-are-many-reasons-to-visit-summerhill-pyramid-winery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2014\/04\/25\/there-are-many-reasons-to-visit-summerhill-pyramid-winery\/","title":{"rendered":"There are many reasons to visit Summerhill Pyramid Winery"},"content":{"rendered":"

Left to right, Ari Cipes, Rabbi Shmuly Hecht and Ezra Cipes have joined forces to help make Summerhill Pyramid Winery’s Tiferet, the only kosher uncooked wine in Canada. (photo from\u00a0summerhill.bc.ca<\/a>)<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The rolling hills and verdant valleys of British Columbia\u2019s Okanagan region are home to more than 200 wineries, many of which are internationally renowned and award-winning. In fact, a number of Canada\u2019s most prestigious wineries call this region home \u2013 Mission Hill, Cedar Creek, Sumac Ridge, to name a few \u2013 with one singled out as \u201cB.C.\u2019s most visited winery\u201d by Tourism Kelowna.<\/p>\n

There are several possible reasons for Summerhill Pyramid Winery\u2019s popularity. It could be the incongruous sight of the enormous, dazzling white pyramid towering over the central terrace (more on that later). Perhaps it\u2019s because of the estate\u2019s Peace Park or the quality of its 100 percent organic vineyard. Then there\u2019s the winery\u2019s most recent offering, Tiferet <\/em>(Hebrew for beauty\/glory), a new, top-of-the-line kosher wine whose very name reflects the exceptional landscape from which it was created.<\/p>\n

Summerhill Pyramid Winery was founded by native New Yorker Stephen Cipes, who moved to the Okanagan with his young family in 1986 and felt an immediate spiritual connection with the land. The developer-turned-vintner purchased Summerhill Vineyards, replanted the existing table grapes with winemaking European grapes and set to work. Located on Kelowna\u2019s Lakeshore Wine Route, the mid-size winery has been producing organic, award-winning wines ever since, making a name for itself in European capitals.<\/p>\n

Now, three of Cipes\u2019 four sons are involved in managing the family business. Chief executive officer Ezra Cipes spoke with the Jewish Independent<\/em> from his office, which overlooks the magnificent, blue waters of Lake Okanagan.<\/p>\n

The immediate question at hand was why the winery had decided to produce a kosher wine, especially an extremely limited edition one (1,200 bottles) with a hefty price tag ($100 per bottle). Cipes explained that he was inspired by his friendship with Okanagan Chabad Rabbi Shmuly Hecht and a desire \u201cto share the beauty of natural, uncooked wine with Hecht and all Sabbath observant Jews.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
Left to right, Stephen Cipes, Ari Cipes, Rabbi Levy Teitlebaum and Rabbi Shumly Hecht taste the 2012 crop of grapes. (photo from summerhill.bc.ca<\/a>)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cipes and Hecht formed a deep bond while \u201cstudying texts together and drinking mevushal<\/em> [cooked] wine together,\u201d Cipes explained. \u201cNone of [the cooked kosher wines] can compare with living, uncooked wine, and I realized that Rabbi Hecht did not know the pleasure of living wine. There was none available to share with him, so we decided to make it ourselves, and we set out to make it as beautiful as possible. We used the best grapes of the vintage, bought the best barrels from France and now, a year and a half later, I am pleased to say that the wine we made exceeded my expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kosher winemaking is somewhat complicated. Governed by the same kashrut laws pertaining to food (prepared under supervision of a rabbi, containing only kosher ingredients, using rabbinically certified equipment), kosher wine is further divided into two categories: uncooked and cooked. Although both are considered equal with respect to kashrut, their production and final result couldn\u2019t be more different.<\/p>\n

To qualify as kosher uncooked wine, the wine\u2019s entire production \u2013 from \u201cvine to wine\u201d in vintner vernacular \u2013 must be handled exclusively by Sabbath-observing Jewish males. And that includes pouring. Understandably, it is well-nigh impossible for commercial producers to comply with these conditions and most opt to make the cooked category of kosher wine, if they produce such wine at all. Kosher cooked winemaking allows non-Jews of both genders to handle production and serving, however, the other regulations are no less strict. For a wine to qualify as kosher cooked, it must be heated to 1850F, which, well, cooks it. And therein lies the rub.<\/p>\n

Exposure to such high temperatures significantly compromises the wine\u2019s flavor and texture and, while most producers now use flash-pasteurization techniques to minimize the damage, there is simply no way around it. \u201cWine is a living thing…. By cooking the wine, we are destroying the wine,\u201d Cipes\u2019 explained matter-of-factly. The dilemma facing kosher wine vintners is best summed up as having to choose between quality and quantity, taking into account the obvious economics that accompany those choices.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
Rabbi Levy Teitlebaum and Rabbi Shmuly Hecht manage the grape-crushing process. The wine\u2019s entire production \u2013 from \u201cvine to wine\u201d in vintner vernacular \u2013 must be handled exclusively by Sabbath-observing Jewish males. (photo from summerhill.bc.ca<\/a>)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Which brings us back to Tiferet, whose kosher uncooked status partly explains its steep price. Cipes acknowledged the challenge of producing uncooked wine and described Tiferet\u2019s creation as \u201ca labor of love.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
Pressing of the wine post fermentation. (photo from summerhill.bc.ca<\/a>)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe complication is that only the hands of Sabbath-observant Jews could touch the wine, equipment or any unsealed vessel containing the wine,\u201d he said. \u201cWe had to make the wine away from our regular wine cellar, and without the trained hands of our regular team. But otherwise, it was the most simple and natural process: crush the grapes, allow the fermentation to happen … press the juice from the skins … age in barrels, blend the barrels … allow the solids to settle … rack the wine … and seal it in a bottle. Rabbi Shmuly or myself was there every single day except for Shabbos, checking the temperature of the room or performing some task. For such a simple process, the quality of the wine comes from the quality of the fruit, the careful handling, and creating the correct conditions for the fermentation and maturation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tiferet was made with a relatively new \u201cmeritage\u201d blend (merit\/heritage), a delicate balance of Bordeaux-inspired grape varieties \u2013 merlot (60 percent), cabernet sauvignon (20 percent) and cabernet franc (20 percent) \u2013 cultivated in the semi-arid conditions of an Osoyoos organic vineyard and then brought to Summerhill to be turned into something that sounds much more than a run-of-the-mill premium wine.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaking [Tiferet] with the rabbis changed its way,\u201d Cipes said, trying his best to explain his sense that something else was at work during the creation of Tiferet. \u201cIn a way, the wine made itself, there was some magic that happened there. It\u2019s hard to put my finger on it … a certain element of magic happened naturally that wouldn\u2019t have happened otherwise … it was the work of the elements, and of natural forces beyond our control. We can only take credit for partnering with these forces to create this incredible wine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
Only 1,200 bottles of Tiferet were made.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The description of Tiferet on Summerhill\u2019s website diverts sharply from adjectives usually associated with wine flavor and aromas. Forgoing the more mundane \u201c\u2018fruity\u201d or \u201ccrisp,\u201d Summerhill goes out on a metaphorical limb declaring, \u201cTiferet has the aroma of baby\u2019s breath and the flavor of mother\u2019s milk.\u201d (If you\u2019re wondering, as did I, the reference is not to genus Gypsophila, most commonly found in English country gardens!)<\/p>\n

On the telephone, Cipes struggled to articulate the sensory sensations evoked by this wine. \u201cIt has a sweet milkiness … an unusual flavor, a sweet dairy note that doesn\u2019t linger for long … it\u2019s almost an effervescence. The texture is … full- bodied, soft and kind of silky in your mouth, elegant, fresh, fruity. There\u2019s an added complexity to the wine,\u201d before returning to the rather odd-sounding, \u201cIt\u2019s like baby\u2019s breath.\u201d Tiferet wine, Cipes concluded, is for a drinker who \u201cwant[s] to have an experience of beauty.\u201d With my request for a sample politely but firmly declined, and a price tag sadly out of reach, I\u2019ll just have to take his word for it.<\/p>\n

But, wait. What about the promise for more about that huge, looming pyramid, rivaling only the great pyramids of Egypt for alignment and precision? And the new-age-sounding Peace Garden? You\u2019ll have to visit the winery in person to learn more \u2013 and, while you\u2019re there, could you bring me back a bottle of that magic?<\/p>\n

Nicole Nozick <\/strong>is a Vancouver-based freelance writer and communications specialist.<\/em><\/p>\n

(Tiferet, $100 per 750-millilitre bottle, is available only through the winery: summerhill.bc.ca\/product\/2012-tiferet<\/a>.)<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Left to right, Ari Cipes, Rabbi Shmuly Hecht and Ezra Cipes have joined forces to help make Summerhill Pyramid Winery’s Tiferet, the only kosher uncooked wine in Canada. (photo from\u00a0summerhill.bc.ca) The rolling hills and verdant valleys of British Columbia\u2019s Okanagan region are home to more than 200 wineries, many of which are internationally renowned and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2940,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[863,860,861,856,859,858,855,862,857],"class_list":["post-2979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local","tag-kosher-wine","tag-lakeshore-wine-route","tag-mevushal","tag-okanagan","tag-shmuly-hecht","tag-stephen-cipes","tag-summerhill-pyramid-winery","tag-tiferet","tag-tourism-kelowna"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2979","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2979"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2979\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2940"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}