Matayer was born during that one time, in 2021, upon selecting juice from Galilee via shipped barrel samples to create a fit 2018 red blend from Israel. We had to really lean in on our experience and imagination to commit to this five-year project. All the love to Gal and Matar Winery for this beautiful collaboration 💜 Finally the wine has made it to New York!
It took me a while to think of the right name. I kept coming back to the fact that Matar makes some of the finest kosher wines. These guys are having fun combined with expertise and altitude. It’s a well-known brand I didn’t want to hide. Then there’s Moishe Mayer, a powerful voice in kosher wine and one of my favorite clients.
Matar. Mayer. Matayer.
And now, the best part of the story.
While dreaming of windmills, whirls and wine, I found Todd Germann on Instagram via #windmillart. I immediately reached out. His reply, “What’s your favorite Seinfeld episode?” I responded that such a question is like asking, what’s your favorite band? However, at the same time, the episode in the Hamptons is very special… “You gotta see the baby!!” I proved my realness.
A real friendship began immediately 💜 An artist willing to barter with another artist for booze and some cash.
Todd is a genius, an architect turned full-time artist and hedonist. He was a pleasure to work with and is a treat to have as a friend. I’ll never forget my time in Rhinebeck to pick up the art🍻💜
My problem with this project is the quality and color of the label. A private label’s final design and print are often out of our hands. It works more often than not…but in this case, I anticipated a thicker, matte paper where the iconic Matayer windmill was in a more elevated red foil. Dreaming further, I’d have included lacquer on some of the flows as well. I also had hoped for a more true-to-color print.
But you know, each human involved in this project is quite special to me, so the fact we all created a wine that tastes fantastic and looks sharp while enjoying the ride is good enough for me. And so, l’chaim, dear Tal, Gal, Moshe and Todd! 🍷💜🙏
