Beruria the Tannait: A Theological Reading of a Female Mishnaic Scholar

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Known as the heart of darkness, the region of Madiran is responsible for highly expressive red wines, focusing on the rare, dark variety of Tannat. However, today in Uruguay, producers have selected different clones which produce smoother tannin wines with more elegance.

Vinification Process: Made by combining two different Italian winemaking techniques, Barolo Chinato (where wine is infused with herbs) and Marsala (fortified with grape spirit). In most cases, especially with the premium ranges, the wine is aged for several years in oak barrels to soften these tannins. It’s ‘robust, brooding and tannic enough to pair well with full-flavoured meat dishes, but has plenty of ripe dark fruit to balance the power’, said Decanter’s Amy Wislocki. Tannat tastes range from red to black fruit with a decent dose of black licorice, vanilla, dark chocolate, espresso, and smoke alongside a signature note of cardamom and brown spices. Tasting Note: Complex nose with tobacco leaf, spice, raspberry and cassis fruits; smooth and elegant on the palate with lovely refreshment, underpinned by the plum and dark chocolate character of Tannat.Despite the shocking astringency that high tannin wines have when they’re young, it’s one of the key traits that allows red wines to age well for decades. Try out some of the unique Tannat blends on offer with Alto de la Ballena’s blend with Viognier; Artesana’s blend with Zinfandel; Campotinto’s blend with Cabernet Franc; Hacienda del Sacramento’s blend with Merlot; El Capricho’s blend with Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon; and H. The region’s entire reputation is built around the full-bodied, Tannat-based red wines that are produced here.

These robust traits make Tannat a great choice for aging mid to long term, as wines soften over time. An addition is sometimes given after a name to denote significance or to differentiate between two people with the same name. Tannat’s resistant nature — able to handle heavy rain and drought, while always delivering acidity, colour and aroma — meant it survived throughout the 20th century, always adding value to a grower’s vineyard, even alongside the busty hybrid varieties that were popular throughout much of the 20th century. Early rabbinic Bible exegesis was preserved in tannaitic texts compiled in the second century CE or later, but is likely to contain much earlier material.The region of Madiran plays a significant role in how red wines from these lesser-known regions are perceived. Micro-oxygenation (aka “microOX” or “microbullage” in French) – is the process of introducing teeny, tiny amounts of oxygen during the winemaking process to soften the overbearing structure and make the wines more approachable at a younger age.