Kosher wine: Facts that you may not know about kosher wine

With holiday celebrations happening all over the world, kosher wine is often served. What makes kosher wine different from another wine bottle on the shelf?

Looking through a wine shop, kosher wine may not filled numerous aisles. While some people think that a wine becomes kosher when blessed by a rabbi, that belief isn’t correct. To be labeled kosher, the purity guidelines must be followed through the entire winemaking process. As grapes enter the winery till the wine is bottled, the process must follow strict purity guidelines. No rabbi blessing can replace those guidelines.

The purity process doesn’t affect the taste of the wine, itself. Truthfully, a side by side taste testing wouldn’t show a particular taste difference. Actually, some kosher wines outperform non-kosher wines.

Kosher wines aren’t just for those people who practice kosher laws. More and more vintners are producing kosher wines. From South Africa to Chile and California to Italy, these wines can be found in various varietals around the world.

Here are some facts that you may not know about kosher wine.

1. Kosher doesn’t necessarily mean Israeli wine: To be certified as kosher, the wine must follow certain standards, not just be from Israel. Only 30% of the Israel wines are kosher. Still, these Isreali wineries produce the majority of the country’s wine.

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2. Your favorite wine might be kosher: While some people specifically look for kosher wines, other people might unknowingly be buying kosher wines. For example, Bartenura is the famous Moscato in the blue bottle. This extremely popular Moscato is also kosher. People enjoy this particular wine because it appeals to them taste wise, not just because it is kosher. Now in an unexpected situation, you might have a kosher wine on hand.

3. Drinking wine can be a good deed. In Jewish customs, wine is a part of the ritual or celebration. From holiday meals to weddings, wine is predominately featured. Even just drinking wine can be considered a good deed, or a mitzah. Mazel!

Have you had a kosher wine? What kosher wines do you recommend?