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Short Cellar: Kosher Wine: Not Terrible Anymore |
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Written by Matthew Sullivan
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Thursday, 26 March 2009 |
The approach of Passover makes me think of Kosher wine. There is a story in the Talmudic literature of Rabbi Ishmael ben Yose, who emptied a goblet of wine in one swallow. His friend Rabbi Simeon asked, “Did not our teacher declare that a man who drains a glass in one swallow is a drunk?” Rabbi Ishmael replied, “Our teacher did not speak of this goblet, which is small, of your wine, which is sweet, or of my stomach, which is big.”
1700 years later, Kosher is still sweet, but it also has a reputation for being terrible. Sweetness is a venerable tradition, but does wine have to taste wretched to get a thumbs-up from the Supreme Being?
The answer is no. Neither sweetness nor badness has anything to do with it. Generally speaking, wine becomes Kosher simply when it is made by Sabbath observant Jews. It goes further and becomes Kosher for Passover by observing slightly stricter rules during production. These are not requirements that jeopardize the taste.
There is, however, a further qualification called Meshuval, in which the wine is bullet-proofed so it does not lose its status even when it is served by non-Jews. Meshuval wine used to be boiled (destroying most of the flavour) but now it is flash pasteurized – a process which some think is damaging, although others disagree. The renowned French winery Chateau du Beaucastal (reviewed here) uses flash pasteurization to improve its wines, and it's not even trying to be Kosher.
In recent years there has been a huge leap in the quality of Kosher wines as many Jewish people demanded higher quality and were willing to pay for it. It also helped that the wine industry in Israel has taken off, led by trailblazers like the Golan Heights Winery.
Here are my tasting notes for some of the Kosher wines that you can find in the LCBO for this Passover:
- Golan Heights Winery 2007 “Yarden Mount Hermon” ($19.90, LCBO #611293, Israel). Notes of blackberries predominate in this Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot blend. Although the palate is not terribly exciting, this wine does no harm. It’s mild, medium-bodied, and balanced. A great choice for picky relatives.
- Manischewitz Concord ($6.95, LCBO #5561) is a wine so bad it seems anti-Semitic. Pro: nearly free. Con: tooth decay.
- Carmel “Vineyard Selection” Sauvignon Blanc ($10.10, LCBO #610592, Israel). A dry, easy drinking and light-footed Sauvignon Blanc with no harsh acidity or exotic vegetative flavours. Not intense or complex but good for sipping on the patio.
- Beckett’s Flat “Five Stones” 2007 Cabernet Shiraz ($19.95, Vintages #58693, Australia) transcends good Kosher wine. It’s just good, period. It is ripe, complex and satin-smooth. The juicy, stewed blackberry flavour is complemented with a hint of toast and leather. I emptied my glass in one swallow.
Matthew Sullivan is a civil litigator in Toronto. He writes a weekly blog entry here on lawandstyle.ca. The Short Cellar column appears in the print edition of Precedent. Matthew can be reached at
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