Kosher wine

The wine itself has been around for nearly 5,700 years. For thousands of years, Kosher wine has existed as well, which is produced according to Jewish dietary laws. There are specific rules as to how wine can achieve the status of being Kosher – it does not happen on accident.

From the start, the entire process must be observed by Sabbath-observant Jews. In order for that process to even begin, it must only include true Kosher ingredients. While the wine is being made it must be handled carefully and must be kept free from contact with grain, bread, and dough. Should it come into contact with anything that it should not, the entire contents must be dumped and the process started a new.

While this process is more demanding than non-Kosher winemaking processes, the demand for wine made this way has been increasing. The 1980s saw a revival of Israeli wine productions, although the production on this wine does not just happen in Israel.

Wine is not just another beverage for Jews, it holds a long and important history in Judaism.

Kosher wine is reԛuired for nearly all Jewish holidays. The emphasize this, it should be noted that four cups of wine must be had by each person for Passover Seder. There are substitutions for wine if it is not available, however, it still remains that wine is the first and foremost choice as it has been for thousands of years.

There are a few elements that are reԛuired for a wine to be truly Kosher. It goes further than just the basics of the process having been observed by Sabbath-observing Jews. For example, the law Yayin Nesekh, a wine that has been poured to an idol, is important. Also, Stam Yainom, which is the wine that has been touched by someone who believes in idolatry or produced by non-Jews.

Kosher wines come in various types. While there is a process for Kosher wine, it is not so specific that there is only one, “recipe”. There are reds, whites, sparkling, Moscato, etc. So, while certain aspects that make a wine Kosher and therefore different from other wines, Jewish people still enjoy their various types of wine and the importance of it to their faith Kosher wine is called “kosher”, or “kosher lemehadrin”, while an unkosher wine is called “nesech”, and that means a wine that has been produced by not Jewish workers. According to the “halacha”, even the pouring of the wine into glasses must be done by a Jewish person. The only exception to that is for cooked wines – those become kosher as soon as the wine temperature is greater than 75 degrees (Celsius), even if a non-Jewish person handled it.

When shopping for a kosher wine for the Passover, one must pay special attention to the kind of the “hechsher” and see that the product is also kosher for Passover (Pesach), meaning that there are no “hametz” materials involved in the process, that is – materials such as wheat flour and dough.