From American Eagle's 'Good Genes' to Great Wines: Leading Philanthropist Takes Mayacamas Into the Kosher Market

Mayacamas 2021 Chardonnay. (Courtesy of Jules Polonetsky)

The 2025 American Eagle ad campaign with Sydney Sweeney stirred plenty of controversy. My October column turns to a different family legacy for the company's executive chairman, Jay Schottenstein, an observant Jewish businessman and leading philanthropist who is taking Mayacamas Vineyards into the kosher market.

Mayacamas sits high in the mountains above Napa, where the terroir is rocky, dry and famously demanding, with cool mountain air, mineral soils and stressed vines that give the wines their character. I explain what makes the estate special and why a kosher Mayacamas is a significant step for kosher Napa wine.

Read the full column in Washington Jewish Week: From American Eagle's 'Good Genes' to Great Wines: Leading Philanthropist Takes Mayacamas Into the Kosher Market

At the Season of Harvest: Understanding Wine's Foundations

(Photo courtesy of Jules Polonetsky)

Before I studied wine seriously, I assumed Bordeaux and Chianti were grapes, that screw caps meant cheap wine and that "pencil shavings" was a dare rather than a tasting note. My October column, written at harvest season, covers the foundations that cleared up my confusion.

I explain terroir, how vineyard choices like pruning, bud counts and trellising shape what ends up in the bottle, and how the work in the cellar builds on all of that. A little of this knowledge makes every glass more interesting.

Read the full column in Washington Jewish Week: At the Season of Harvest: Understanding Wine's Foundations