With Passover — and Seder feasts — right around the corner, it’s time to fill the cellar with kosher wine.
For those not in the know, kosher wine is just like non-kosher wine except for how it is handled. In the vineyard, grapes for kosher and non-kosher wines are raised and harvested identically. Once the grapes are crushed and the vinification process begins, however, every aspect of the winemaking — and serving — must be handled by a Sabbath-observant Jew. Winemaking must also be done so under the supervision of a Rabbi. Any additional ingredients used in the winemaking, such as yeast, must be kosher and all the winemaking equipment must be rabbinically certified.
For an additional step, some wines, known as mevushal, are cooked for sterilization. In past years this usually meant boiling the wine, but increasingly these days the unfermented grape juice or wine is flash pasteurized and then aged. Mevushal wines may be handled and served by non-Jews.
While in the past kosher and mevushal wines got a bad rap, much has changed of late. Here are four kosher wines to drink this April.
RELATED: Interested in all things wine? Check out Westchester Magazine’s Wine and Food Festival June 6-10!
Covenant, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
Covenant makes wine out of both Israel and California. This wine serves as a true expression of the Napa Cabernet style, with its dark fruit notes of plum and cassis, as wrapped up in the toasted notes and butterscotch that come from oak barrel aging.
Find It: Zachys
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Laurent-Perrier, Cuvée Rosé Brut, Champagne
Who knew their bubbles also come in kosher? Fresh, bright rose in color, and full of spice, raspberry, and strawberry, this Champagne makes for great Passover (or anytime) celebrating.
Find It: Rochambeau Wines & Liquors in Dobbs Ferry
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Psagot, Edom, Israel
Made of Syrah, Petite Sirah, and Mourvèdre grown in Israel’s Judean Hills, the Edom (meaning “red” in Hebrew) has a palate rich in dark berries and currants, with a slight spice note too.
Find It: Westchester Wine Warehouse
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Shiloh, Secret Reserve, Israel
With its nose full of dark fruits and tobacco, and a palate rich in black plum backed by powerful-but-not-overpowering tannins, this Cabernet Sauvignon is a mevushal worth drinking.
Find It: Westchester Wine Warehouse
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