Peppered Brisket, Honeyed Onions, and the 2016 Galil Mountain 'Ela' #WinePW #Sponsored

This is a sponsored post written by me in conjunction with the bonus May #WinePW Israeli wine event.

A wine sample was provided for this post and this page may contain affiliate links.

The Wine Pairing Weekend - #WinePW - group was offered the chance to explore wines from Yarden Wines* which represents two wineries: Golan Heights Winery and Galil Mountain Winery as well as a Yarden Wines label. Our bloggers were lucky enough to receive a variety of samples from these labels.

You can read Jeff's preview post: here. But the if you are reading this early enough, feel free to jump in on our May bonus Twitter chat. We'll be live on Saturday, May 23rd at 8am Pacific time for about an hour. Follow the hashtag #WinePW and be sure to add that to your tweets if you chime in so that we can see it. In the meantime, here are the posts that the bloggers have planned. They will all go live between Friday, May 22nd and early on Saturday morning before the chat. Cheers!

The Yarden Wines Line-Up

• Terri at Our Good Life pairs Grilled Mahi Mahi and Gilgal Sauvignon Blanc.
• Gwendolyn at Wine Predator posts The Eternal Light Shines in Galilee: Yarden Merlot, Pinot Gris.
• Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm matches Lamb Stuffed Eggplant and a perfect Wine from Galilee.
• Deanna at Asian Test Kitchen offers Yarden Wines Paired with Japanese Surf ‘nTurf.
• Rupal at Syrah Queen is Off the Beaten Path – Two Wines From Israel’s Galilee Appellation.
• Linda at My Full Wine Glass writes Of Israeli Wines, Long-ago Memories,and Harvey’s Takeout.
• David at Cooking Chat shares Pairings for Gilgal Sauvignon Blanc from Israel.
• Payal at Keep the Peas pairs Israeli Wine with the Diverse Cuisine of the Diaspora.
• Nicole at Somm's Table pours Memories of Golan Heights Winery with a Side of Meatball Shakshuka, Part I...part two coming soon.
• Jennifer at Vino Travels writes Pairings with Wines from Israel.
• Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla matches Peppered Brisket, Honeyed Onions, and the 2016 Galil Mountain 'Ela'.
• Pinny of Chinese Food and Wine Pairings is Enjoying Gilgal Cab Sauvignon - Merlot and Yarden Pinot Gris with Grilled Wagyu Steak, Alaska Sockeye Salmon and Poke Ahi Tuna Bowl.
• Susannah of Avvinare is Visiting Israel for Memorial Day Through Yarden Wines.
• Jeff at Food Wine Click! has a Two Fisted Wine Pairing with YardenWines.

 In the Glass

Israeli wine? Now that's not something I hear everyday. I'm going to start with a little bit of winemaking history from the land of the bible. Viticulture has existed in the region since biblical times. In fact, in the book of Deuteronomy, vines are listed as one of the seven blessed crops in the land, "a land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of olive trees and honey" (Deuteronomy 8:8).

Israel's location placed it on a historic trading route between Mesopotamia and Egypt. And, in addition to goods, that commerce brought winemaking know-to to the area. During the Roman empire, wine from Israel was exported to Rome. In fact, historically Israeli wine has almost always left the area; when the Egyptians ruled the region, taxes were often paid in the form of wine.

I received two bottles of wine from Yarden Wines - this 2016 Galil Mountain 'Ela' and a 2019 Gilgal Sauvignon Blanc. You'll see the Sauvignon Blanc paired with an elderflower cake with strawberry buttercream soon! But here's a photo as a sneak peak...

This post, however, focuses on the 'Ela' from Galil Mountain Winery which is located in the Upper Galilee mountain range. Galil's chief winemaker, Micha Vaadia, was trained as an electrical engineer before he moved to studying horticulture. After earning his bachelor's degree, Vaadia went on to attend the enology program at the University of California at Davis. And, before returning to his native Israel, he held winemaking positions in California, New Zealand, and Argentina.

This red wine is a blend of 62% Syrah, 33% Barbera, and 5% Petit Verdot. And with a suggested retail price of just under $20, it's a delicious, affordable wine. Pouring a deep purple color, one the nose I got fruit at the forefront with underlying notes of spices and coffee. On the palate, the wine has a full mouthfeel with some sold tannins that soften into an almost salted caramel decadence. What a fun, expressive wine!

On the Plate

Wanting to play on the hints of pepper and clove in the wine, I decided to make an oven-roasted pepper-rubbed beef brisket. This is one of my favorite ways to prepare brisket as it's largely hands off and the result is simply mouth-watering. I pulled out the collection of peppercorns that D had gotten in his stocking for Christmas.

And I opted for a mix of the Indian green peppercorns, Sarawak white peppercorns, and Brazilian pink peppercorns. Note that this brisket roasts for six hours, so if you want to serve it for dinner, plan your time accordingly.

Ingredients

Brisket

• 1 brisket (I used a 4-1/2 pound piece)
• 3 T mixed peppercorns, ground
• 1 t ground cumin
• 1 t sweet paprika
• 2 t freshly ground sea salt
• dash of ground coriander
• dash of ground cardamom
• Also needed roasting pan with roasting rack, foil

Onions

• 1 organic red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 organic leeks, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 2 T butter
• 1 T olive oil
• 2 T raw honey
• 1 T water or wine

Procedure 

Brisket

The night before, or first thing in the morning, prepare the rub. Combine all spices and mix thoroughly until well blended. Pat the brisket dry, then coat the brisket on all sides with the spice rub. Refrigerate for as many hours as you can; I ended up leaving them for 8 hours. Although you can let it rest for as little as an hour, if needed.

Right before you want to cook them, preheat the oven to 290 degrees. While the oven heats, take the brisket out of the refrigerator to warm up.

Place the brisket on top of the roasting rack in the pan and cover with foil. Place in the oven. Roast for 6 hours. Remove the foil and raise the heat on the oven to 400 degrees F. Return brisket to the oven for an additional 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing.

During the final hour of cooking, prepare the onions.

Onions
Melt butter in a large, flat-bottom pan in the olive oil over low heat. Stir in the onions and leeks. Let cook until they begin to turn translucent. Stir in the honey and water or wine, depending on your preference. Continue to cook until the onions are soft and caramelized.

To serve, spoon honeyed onions onto a serving platter. Top with sliced brisket. Serve immediately.

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*Disclosure: I received sample wines for recipe development, pairing, and generating social media traction. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the organizer and sponsors of this event.