TRADITION
LOCKER ROOM
THE KIDDUSH CLUB
Cabernet Sauvignon:
The Grape of a Century
(Nearly)
T
Western Michigan University, right, faces Eastern Michigan University on Nov. 17, 2010.
Blocking the Shots, On and Off the Field
2010 National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame inductee seeds hope
for WMU football program.
No. 1
Ben Ami Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
By Brad Cohen
here is an ancient Jewish proverb attributed
to Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai, a sage who was
skeptical of diversion: "If you are planting a tree
and are told the Messiah has arrived, first finish
planting the tree — and then go out and greet
him."
Dave Cohen, defensive coordinator of the
Western Michigan University football team, has a
similar motto:"O.N.E.," meaning, "Only now exists:'
In addition to inspiring his team, the motto is
meant to strengthen players' relationships to act
in concert.
As of now, the Western Michigan Broncos are
just a young football team that ended a rough
season, including a loss to bitter rival Central
Michigan University for the fifth straight year.
Still, Cohen knows the situation could be worse.
Two weeks after finish-
ing the 2009 season — his
fourth — as the head
football coach of Hofstra
University on New York's
Long Island — Cohen
received word that Hofstra
would be terminating its
football program. The 20
starters set to return for
a promising 2010 season
would never take the field.
Cohen, 44, spent last
December worrying about
the futures of many of
the 85 players whom he
promised to take care of
before they left home to
come to Hofstra. He had
to help find new schools
for the ones who wanted
to continue playing foot-
ball.Ten coaches who left
their homes and previous
positions to join Cohen at
Hofstra also were out of
a job.
And, of course, there
was his family to worry
about. After living 10
houses down from his in-laws, he had to uproot
his wife and kids. They left New York, the place Co-
hen and his wife grew up and his children learned
to call home, and headed for Kalamazoo.
"I don't want to be that guy who keeps moving
my kids around,"Cohen said."I'm miserable every
time they [have to] move, and I'm not going to
sacrifice my family for my profession!'
But Cohen needed a job, and Western Michi-
gan head coach Bill Cubit had just fired defensive
coordinator Steve Morrison.
Cohen first developed a relationship with Cubit
when Cubit worked with players at the University
of Delaware summer sports camps Cohen had run.
Later, they met on the field when Cohen's Hofstra
team played the WMU Broncos in 2009 in a game
T
18 December 2010
his month we look at Cabernet Sauvignon, the quint-
essential red wine grape that, until getting dusted
-, by zippier cousin Merlot in the 1990s, was the most
widely cultivated premium red wine grape of the 20th
century.
And, as an extra special, super-duper bonus for our
readers, all wine offerings served during this special Holi-
day edition of Kiddush Club are kosher.
While many Red Thread readers may not require their
wines be kosher, the fact is that today's kosher wines
are more than just the syrupy sweet variety many of us
remember as kids sitting around the Shabbat table.
Basically, these Cabs aren't your zayde's Manischewitz!
We also chose wine this month because the Kiddush
Club thought it important to broaden our tent and
include potent potables for those who prefer libations in
more than 1-ounce quantities.
To help with our street cred, we sought out Michael
Descamps, the head sommelier at Plum Market in West
Bloomfield. To his friends, he is known as Mick — and
anyone who can tell us what wine to pair with a juicy New
York strip is a friend of ours! Mazel tov!
Red Thread's five picks of great Cabernets for your table
- or when traveling to a home where the hechsher (kosher
certification) is as important as the taste, are:
I to THREAD
the Broncos won 24-10.
The timing worked out for Cohen when the de-
fensive coordinator position opened up at WMU,
and he found himself in his first NCAA Division 1
coaching job, which he insists was never a goal at
the top of his list.
"I've noticed no difference other than the
stadiums are bigger, and there are more fans,"
Cohen said, comparing coaching in Division 1 and
Division 1-AA.
"Really, my biggest goal is to coach college foot-
ball for an athletic administration or a head coach
who believes in family values, cares about the kids
— which Coach Cubit does — while making sure
it's in an area and environment in which my family
can be happy!'
Cohen insists Western Michigan and Kalamazoo
fulfill all his goals; but to
ensure a long tenure with
the Broncos, Cohen and
the coaching staff have a
lot of work to do.
"Right now we're play-
ing with four freshman
and four sophomores;'
Cohen said."We're inherit-
ing a defense that was
struggling, and change
takes time:'
A 2010 inductee into
the National Jewish
Sports Hall of Fame
and Museum in Suffolk
County, N.Y., Cohen is no
stranger to implementing
change.
In two stints as a defen-
sive coach at the Univer-
sity of Delaware, prior to
coaching at Hofstra, Co-
hen helped the Blue Hens
reach five postseason
appearances, including a
2003 NCAA Division 1-AA
championship.
Between his stints at
Delaware, Cohen served
as defensive coordinator for New York's Fordham
University, helping the Rams to a 2002 league
championship just three seasons after going 0-11
in his first year.
Past success may be promising for Broncos fans,
but in the results-based reality of college football,
only "now" exists.
While it's Cohen's first year with the team, Cubit
has produced mixed results in six seasons with the
Broncos. Another loss to Central Michigan, and
finishing without a winning season for the third
time in four years, has frustrated fans.
If Cubit, Cohen and the rest of the Broncos
coaching staff don't want to spend another year
"waiting for the Messiah;'they must improve this
off-season. FIT
$10
Don't let the fact it's mevushal (pasteurized) throw you
off. As Mick says, it's not like the old days where boiled
wine was akin to punishing your taste buds. This wallet-
friendly bottle will please finicky connoisseurs with its
easy-to-drink versatility. Pair this bottle with seared meat
that isn't too fatty, like veal or grilled chicken.
No. 2
Galil Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
$17
Richer and smoother than Ben Ami, Galil Mountain
comes to you by way of the Galil Mountain Winery in
Israel's Upper Galilee region. Mick says its taste is more
Napa than Israeli (and he assured us that's not a slam on
the Holy Land). This offering is creamy and full-bodied
and pairs well with saucy short ribs or other proteins in
braising liquid.
No. 3
Segal's Special Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
$16
For those who are looking for a drier yet creamier red
(and you know who you are — as we have little clue what
those adjectives mean), Mick suggests this mid-price
bottle of dark red that will enhance your New York strip or
other meat of the fatty persuasion.
No. 4
Yiron by Galil Mountain
$22
Produced by Israel's Galil
Mountain Winery, this Cab is
made with a higher selection of
Cabernet grapes; Mick says it's a
little more "showy," but not in a
'my-dad-can-beat-up-your-dad'
way. The subtle blend of Merlot
and Shiraz grapes that are
infused with its Cabernet
brethren give this wine an
identity complex you'll enjoy
drinking. Mick says it's perfect
in that it's a low-$20s bottle that
tastes twice as expensive. We
like that. Enjoy with grilled Iamb.
No. 5
Barkan Altitude Series +624
$34
More complex than our other
picks, layered with drier tan-
nins, Mick says this wine tastes
"special."The most expensive of-
fering here, Barkin is a blend of
well-integrated fruit and a nice
"lingering finish;' Mick explains.
(Good to the last drop, perhaps?)
It goes well with any red meat as
well as strong cheeses — we just don't encourage you to
eat the two together.
— By Red Thread Staff
www.redthreadmagazine.com