Ya'acov Oryah
David SilvermanThere are a few wineries in Israel that produce orange wines, or white wines that have a long maceration on the skins, but no other producer devotes as much time to macerating white wines on their skins than Ya’acov Oryah. Actually, he is one of the most well-respected white winemakers in the country, not only for the wines he makes for a medium sized winery called Psâgot but his personal wines simply named Ya’acov Oryah are extremely intriguing. He makes a handful of small production skin macerated whites that through skin maceration under modern winemaking practices he gives “the full expression of the white grape from Alpha to Omega.”
Beginnings of an Innovator
Ya’acov Oryah was raised in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish family yet he was always curious to connect with as much of the outside world while still adhering to core values. When he was young he worked in construction while receiving a degree in engineering as well as going deeper into religious studies that mainly focused on the Kabbalah (esoteric school of thought that originated in Judaism). In the winter of 2004 he “discovered that wine appreciation is something that can be learned” and he attended a class and then later that same year he found out he could take a winemaking course which he did as well; his first wines were made in 2004.
Rows of Vines on the Field in Golan Heights, Early Spring
GettyWhen it comes to asking Ya’acov what made him get into winemaking he honestly can’t say the exact reason. He can only say that once he started to learn about wine and winemaking he was “gripped with deep curiosity” and said he “needed” to know all about it. But there were many trials and tribulations along the way for Ya’acov as he is a person who not only wants to stay true to his vision for the wine but he also publicly called out some illogical practices in the Israeli kosher wine world; he paid a price for openly questioning the system but, luckily, he was able to get past it as it would have been a shame to waste such talent and commitment.
In 2007, he started a small winery, Asif, with a partner and he hired a consultant to teach him how to make white wines as he was fascinated by Burgundy whites. That year he made two white wines: varietal Chardonnay and a Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc blend. He submitted both of them to Israel’s Golden Cluster Competition (Eshkol Ha'Zahav) and he won first and second place. Despite Israel being known for red wines, winning top places in that competition was “encouraging” to Ya’acov’s desire to make white wines and his portfolio of wines quickly became white wine dominant.
Skin Macerated White Wines
Ya’acov has been fascinated by skin macerated white wines from the moment he took his first winemaking course. He said that he couldn’t understand why they gave so much attention to the importance of the skins in red wine but completely ignored it and threw out the skins for white wines. He kept asking winemakers why they threw out the white skins and no one could exactly answer his question. “So without answers I started to experiment”, noted Ya’acov and he made his first skin macerated white wines along with his first wines at his initial winery in 2007.
Wine with an Orange Glow
GettyWhat is interesting is that it was never a marketing idea to make orange wines and he didn’t first learn about the term until a well-known Israeli wine critic, Daniel Rogov, told him about the term “orange wine” and talked about the other winemakers making such wines. And so for Ya’acov, his desire to make these wines comes from an authentic place of curiosity and trying to get the most out of the wines instead of following a trend.
Yet Ya’acov’s curiosity never ceases as there have been an endless amount of “small changes” over the years with his wines. “At first I made wines following a formula”, expressed Ya’acov and then through time a deeper “understanding” developed within him over years so he could start to trust himself in the moment.
At first he thought it was best to make blends but he realized with the skin macerated whites that the blend was difficult to understand by consumers as most people are not familiar with white varieties in their skin macerated state. And so he changed to only making single varieties, such as Sémillon, in regards to these wines and this was the path to introduce various white grapes in their full, indiviudal expression to wine drinkers. He also changed the maceration time from two and a half months to three weeks as the long macerations showed more of the process than the varietal expression of the grape.
Alpha to Omega
In Ya’acov’s skin macerated mission to find the missing pieces of the puzzle that are not completely there for conventional white wines, he finds that the major challenges have to do with the lack of examples out there. There is no common practice for skin macerated white wines that can be followed from the vineyards to the cellar and so every year he experiments and references results with those he has had in the past. He is not a “natural” winemaker and he doesn’t use amphora clay vessels which both have a built-in following but his passion is to simply express each white grape variety in its complete state although it is anything but simple.
And so Ya’acov has created his own cult following by taking wine connoisseurs on his same journey of discovering a grape’s true essence and along the way he has won the title of Israeli White Winemaker of the Year and has gained a devoted following here in the U.S.. His journey of discovery is far from over as he has gotten very familiar with the handful of white grapes he macerates on their skins and their deeper expression and he feels that his next step is to give more focus to the future of his blends. Ya’acov says, “Once the components are understood, the beauty of a blend can be more appreciated.” And those are certainly words to live by as life is so much fuller and more rewarding when every aspect of it is understood or at least one tries to spend a lifetime understanding it. And that is what Ya’acov’s Alpha to Omega skin macerated white wines are about... trying to understand and experience the whole by not leaving anything out.
Ya'acov Oryah 'Alpha Omega' Skin Macerated White Wines; Roussanne, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and ... [+]
Cathrine ToddAll of the wines are kosher and are sold by Liquid Kosher, a place that specializes in sourcing high quality, small production kosher wines. I would suggest decanting these wines for at least an hour and enjoying them slowly for the rest of the night.
2018 Ya’acov Oryah ‘Alpha Omega’ Skin Macerated Chardonnay: 100% Chardonnay from the Golan Heights. Baked apple pie with baking spices and a round, lush body that seemed decadent yet also refreshing with bright acidity and hints of seashells intertwined in the rich fruit flavors.
2018 Ya’acov Oryah ‘Alpha Omega’ Skin Macerated Chenin Blanc: 100% Chenin Blanc from the Judean Plains. Smoldering hay with juicy stone fruit that had a sharp-edged acidity that was absolutely thrilling with citrus blossom wafting in the head for several seconds.
2018 Ya’acov Oryah ‘Alpha Omega’ Skin Macerated Roussanne: 100% Roussanne from the Upper Galilee. A very textural wine that expressed dried flowers with candied orange peel and a fierce salinity that had grilled nectarine flavors and it just kept getting more mineral the longer it stayed in the glass.
2018 Ya’acov Oryah ‘Alpha Omega’ Skin Macerated Sémillon: 100% Sémillon from the Golan Heights. Honeysuckle and smoky minerality on the nose with a focused palate with lots of vitality that had flavors of peach skin and citrus lift on the finish.
Other wines tasted:
2018 Ya'acov Oryah 'Soulmate'
Cathrine Todd2018 Ya’acov Oryah ‘Soulmate’: 55% Chardonnay from Golan Heights and 45% Chenin Blanc from Judean Plains. Lots of zingy quince flavors and intense minerality with juicy green mango on the palate and bright acidity with plenty of weight on the mid-palate to balance the freshness.
2018 Ya'acov Oryah 'The Silent Hunter'
Cathrine Todd2018 Ya’acov Oryah ‘The Silent Hunter’: 60% Sémillon from Golan Heights and Judean Plains and 40% Chenin Blanc from Judean Plains. The first taste gives honeycomb and wet stones with extra layers of lanolin with tart green apple flavors and a mouthwatering finish.
2017 Ya'acov Oryah 'Eye of the Storm' (Red Wine)
Cathrine Todd2017 Ya’acov Oryah ‘Eye of the Storm’ (Red Wine): 42% Syrah, 36% Grenache, 11% Mourvèdre and 11% Cinsault all from the Judean Plains. A beautifully perfumed nose with lilacs and rose water that had a vibrant red cherry note with hints of roasted nuts and white pepper.
July 01, 2020 at 11:36AM
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Orange Wine Producer In Israel Focuses On Full Expression Of Grape - Forbes
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