Planning a kosher celebration? Got the meal planned but need some help finding a delicious kosher tipple to serve alongside? Wine expert Annie Shapero is on hand with her picks of the world’s best kosher wine. All together now, l’chaim!
Delicious Kosher Wine from Around the World
Kosher wine doesn’t have to ruin your meal anymore, in fact, some are downright delicious!
The following wine selections have been rigorously collected from folks in the know. Every year the selection improves. Some are complex and perfect to meditate over, others are lightweight and mood-lifting. I’ve divided them by country – as opposed to color – and unless otherwise noted, wines are Kosher but not Mevushal.
Kosher Wines from Italy
Falesco Ferentano: Made from an indigenous grape called Roscetto (found primarily in the central Italian region of Lazio, Italy), this dry white wine has pleasant sunny notes, warm hay, minerals, and wild flowers; it finishes long with a little spice.
Falesco Marcilano: If you can track down a bottle of this, the older the better. A combination of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, this red wine has a deep, rich, red color. It is warm and exudes ripe fruit notes of marmalade and juicy berries with a nice tannic finish.
Kosher Wines from France
Drappier Brut Champagne Carte Blanche: What’s a celebration without bubbly? Start or end your meal in style with a proper Champagne. This stylish bottle comes from the well-regarded Aube region and combines the classic blend of Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Fine perlage, toasty aromas, and a clean snappy finish will keep everyone looking forward to the year ahead.
Barons Edmons Benjamin De Rothschild Haut Medoc: A well-rounded and classic Bordeaux, this kosher wine (made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot) is aged for a year in oak barrels. It offers the usual ripe red fruit, graphite and a little spice.
Chateau De La Tour (2004 on): Treat yourself with this Burgundy, which could run you upwards of 100 dollars. It is, however, a masterpiece of terroir and elegance. Made from coveted cru vineyard The Clos Vougeot (which has been producing Pinot Noir for about a millennium), the nose is not for the timid. There’s a whole olfactory panorama encompassing red berries, forest floor, mushrooms and wet stones. If you’re serving say, a taleggio-laced wild mushroom risotto, this is your perfect match.
Kosher Wines from the USA
Hagafen Chardonnay: If you like your Chardonnay full of tropical aromas and vanilla spice, this is for you. A classic Napa Chardonnay, aged in barrique, it’s bursting with exotic fruit and finished creamy and overcast with oak.
*Mevushal.
Kosher Wines from Spain
Elvi Wines Cava Brut: Spain’s answer to Champagne is CAVA, and this traditional bubbly is made in the same way, re-fermented in the bottle and then aged for a year before release. Made from the classic cava grape varieties: Perellada, Macabeo, and Xarello, it offers fresh toasty aromas, fruit and floral notes. It’s the perfect beginning to your meal, and an ideal kosher wine to kick off any celebrations.
Ramon Cardova Rioja 2012: Ramon Cardova is a can’t-fail. 100 percent Tempranillo harvested from old vines, makes this Rioja both traditional and satisfying. Its red fruit notes, earthiness and spice, and medium body go wonderfully with roast meats.
Read more from Annie Shapero – Passover Wine: Four Ideas For Your Seder Sommelier
About the Author
Annie Shapero is a certified sommelier and the founder and CEO of DiVino, a wine education and communications consulting company in NYC as well as the co-creater of Nez Bar scent blog.
She returned stateside after nearly a decade of living and travel-writing in Italy.
Her work took her to tiny towns and humble trattorias where local food and wine traditions had grown up together, and to vineyards where generations of winemakers carried the torch of tradition through centuries.
She learned that while there are “rules” about what to drink and when, the spirit of wine goes far beyond its scent and flavor profile, and especially its price. Wine embodies place and time, an occasion, and even a feeling.
Storytelling comes naturally to Annie, and she truly believes that to know is to love, and to love something or someone is to want to know more. She is currently producing a 21-part online video wine school series to be published on her YouTube channel, to share what she knows and loves with the world, or at least the Internet.
