Kosher Wine

Guide Note

Kosher wine is produced according to various interpretations of the Jewish dietary laws that prohibit the consumption of certain products made by gentiles (other historical examples of which include wheat and oil), or from consuming wine that has been dedicated to an idolatrous god or touched by idolators. Kosher wine is also free of any additives or animal products that would run afoul of dietary restrictions.

Fast Facts

1. Sometimes made with Concord grapes
2. Often sweet
3. Contemporary kosher wines are available in a wide variety
4. Many grape varietals are now used
5. Quality has lately been increasing dramatically

While it is difficult, in this day and age, to be certain as to who might or might not be a worshipper of graven idols, it remains a fairly sure bet that wine produced by Orthodox Jews under rabbinical supervision meets both the letter and spirit of the kashrut. Unfortunately, rabbinical involvement in the fabled vineyards of France, Italy, and the U.S. has historically been minimal, while the winemaking culture at the vineyards of Manischewitz and other such kosher wine purveyors was less than fabled. Sadness was for many years rife among oenophiles of strict Jewish affinity -- which is a delicate way of saying that nobody thought kosher wines were any good. Hope, however, dwelled in a part of the kashrut that allows kosher wine to be touched by as many idolators as you want, as long as the wine is made mevushal, or boiled. This had formerly led to boiled wine. However, in recent years it has been interpreted as allowing wine to be 'cooked' at 90 degrees Celsius, preserving its character and leading to a renaissance in high-quality kosher vintages. Another dramatically positive development has been the growth of a mature and highly-polished Israeli wine industry.