Tulip Winery’s “MAIA” Red

To make this Shabbat a Delight, consider putting a bottle of Tulip Winery’s “MAIA”  on your table. It is available as a White, Pink, or Red, but for this week we are featuring the Red. It is a blend of varietals (grapes) Carignan, Mourvedre, and Syrah which all are perfectly matched for Israel’s Mediterranean climate. Each was fermented separately before blending. On the nose, there is the hint of smokiness which comes from aging 8 months in French Oak Barrels, and on the palette it’s lite, fruity, smooth, and well balanced. The MAIA Red is considered a medium bodied wine with soft tannins and has a silky finish. 

The MAIA wines are a boutique concept created  by Roy Itzhaki, owner and CEO of the Tulip Winery, and Tulip’s winemaker David Bar Illan.  It is located on the same property as Tulip, but in a different house, with a different wine-making approach, and different grape varietals. Their goal with MAIA was to create a line of wines that represent both the Mediterranean terroir and way of life. To help them in this endeavor, they brought in two Greek consultants, Yiannis Paraskevopoulos, a winemaker, and Prof. Kostas Bakasietas, an agronomist and expert in Mediterranean viniculture.  With their help the MAIA line has grown to produce over 25,000 bottles and is available at select wine shops world wide. 

Two things Israelis enjoy are spending time with friends and enjoying delicious food and wine. Their Mediterranean style meals are lite, fresh, and tasty; cooked with olive oil, lemon, and rosemary. Maia wines make an excellent accompaniment to a fish or meat meal, and as stated on the back of the bottle “Recommended to Drink in Good Company”.

Tulip and MAIA are located in Kfar Tikva, a village for special needs adults who are actively employed at the wineries and whose assistance is even more valued during these challenging times. Since Oct. 7th, Tulip and MAIA have been struggling as the CEO, the Assistant Winemaker, and other workers have been serving in the IDF on and off for months. 

This Shabbat, let’s remember our friends that are fighting for the safety of their country by putting their MAIA Red on your table, and be sure to enjoy with “Good Company” as they intended.

MAIA Wines are available at Total Wines throughout the US, and Tulip Wines can be found online at Kosher Wine Warehouse, Free Shipping with a purchase of $99. Use the code ISRAELWINEGIRL for 10% off your entire purchase.