KOSHER WINE

Kosher wine is wine produced according to the Halacha, Judaism's religious law, specifically, the Jewish dietary laws regarding wine. The laws regarding kosher or 'kashrut' for wines are more strict and complex than that of other foods and beverages, leaving many wine consumers confused.

Below is a summary of what makes a wine kosher and an explanation of some of the terms used when defining kosher wine. It is worth mentioning that the Orthodox branches of Judaism are very strict about complying with the Kashrut laws whereas the Conservative Jews are less strict, and Reform Jews usually do not observe these laws at all.

According to Orthodox Judaism, because of wine's special role in many non-Jewish religions, the Kashrut laws specify that wine cannot be considered kosher if it might have been used for 'idolatry' for example, produced by a non-Jew.

The production of kosher wine must be carried out in accordance with the correct Jewish laws. Kosher observance starts in the fields. A vineyard belonging to a Jew in Israel may not be harvested in its first three years ('Orla') i.e. grapes from new vines can not be used for making wine until after the fourth year. There is also a strict prohibition on growing other fruits and vegetables between the vines.

There are many laws pertaining to the upkeep of vineyards which must be respected, such the sabbatical seventh year, meaning that every seventh year ('Shmitta'), the fields must be left fallow, and giving of tithes ('Ma'aserot' and 'Trumot') which today is expressed as pouring out about one percent of the wine. This is a symbolic remnant of the ten percent tithe paid to the Temple in Jerusalem in days gone by. During the grape harvest, only Sabbath observant Jewish males are allowed to work in the vineyard and collect the grapes, to work in production of the wines, or to handle the equipment during the winemaking process. For a wine to be kosher, strict regulations for the ingredients, equipment, tools, winemaking storage facilities, and the production process must be followed, and only Sabbath observant Jews are allowed to work in the winery.

Wine is made from the juice of pressed grapes to which yeast has been added. The resulting wine is cloudy and needs further treatment. The winemaker has a number of tools for dealing with this, including filtration and the additional use of fining agents. Fining agents are compounds that are used to help improve the clarity of the wine and they can also remove bitterness. Some winemakers may use compounds such as casein (a dairy compound) or gelatin (an animal by-product). These two animal-based products will severely compromise the Kashrut of the wine. During the production of kosher wine, no animal products may be used. Kosher wine makers use a clay-like substance called bentonite as a fining agent. Bentonite is often used for clarifying white wines by pulling suspended particles to the bottom of the barrel. Egg whites are used in red wines.

There are two levels of kosher wine. The first includes the restrictions outlined above, while the second, known as 'mevushal' (meaning cooked or boiled) utilizes an additional process. Orthodox Rabbis specify that only observant Jews may be involved in the production of kosher wine, thus ensuring the religious integrity of the wine for its use in Jewish ritual. This is important since Kashrut law stipulates that in order for a wine to retain its being kosher once opened and poured by a non-Jew, the wine must be 'mevushal'.

Contrary to popular opinion, 'Mevushal' does not make the wine more kosher. However, it does make the wine unfit for non-Jewish rituals and as a result, Orthodox rabbis permit its use in environments where non-Jews come into contact with kosher wines, such as in kosher restaurants and in catering halls. A wine that is produced in this manner retains its religious purity, regardless of who opens or pours it.

Traditionally, the 'Mevushal' process was followed literally by bringing the wine to a boiling point, causing air bubbles to rise to the surface. During this boiling most of the mold on the grapes is killed, and the tannins and flavors of the wine are greatly altered. The result was typically a weak wine. Rather than being full red in color, it often displayed an opaque, pink tone. Later, the process was modified to require only that wine be heated to 90 degrees C (194 degrees F). At this temperature, the wine is not bubbling, but it is cooking, in the sense that it will evaporate much more quickly than usual. This managed to reduce some of the damage done to the wine, and has a lesser effect on flavor.

Recently, a process called flash pasteurization has come into fashion. In this process, the wine moves in a controlled, continuous flow while subjected to temperatures of 71.5 degrees C

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60 degrees F) to 74 degrees C (165 degrees F), for about 15 to 30 seconds, a ratio expressed as pasteurization units. This method avoids causing the juice of the grapes to simmer or boil, and is said to have a minimal effect on flavor, at least to the casual wine drinker. Ironically, relatively flavorful flash pasteurized wines faced resistance in the market as observant Jews had come to associate kosher wine with the traditional pinkish, tea-colored wines.

Interestingly, a study at the University of California at Davis has proven that it is not possible to consistently taste the difference between non-'mevushal' and 'mevushal' wine.

Contrary to the strict opinion of the Orthodox Jews, the Conservative Judaism has a more lenient approach. In the 1960's a Committee on Jewish Law and Standards approved a legal ruling by Rabbi Israel Silverman on the subject of kosher wine.

Silverman notes that some classical Jewish authorities believe that Christians are not considered idolaters, and that their products should not be considered forbidden in this regard. He also noted that most wine-making in the United States is fully automated. Thus, he concluded that wines manufactured by this automated process may not be classified as wine 'manufactured by gentiles', and thus are not prohibited by Jewish law. A later addition to this rule was done by Rabbi Elliot Dorff who noted that not all wines are made by automated processes. He conceded that there is no reason to believe that the production of such wines is conducted as part of pagan religious practice. Most wines have no non-kosher ingredients and though some wines use a non-kosher ingredient as part of a fining process, the inclusion of any non-kosher ingredient within the wine occurs by accident, and in such minute quantities that they are nullified. All wines made in the USA and Canada may be considered kosher, regardless of whether their production is subject to rabbinical supervision.

However, it was noted that this is a lenient view and that synagogues should hold themselves to a stricter standard and use only wines with a rabbinical supervision, preferably wines from Israel.

There is a misconception about kosher wine, that its taste is not as good as that of non-kosher wines. However, that is simply not true. In the old days kosher wines were all made from Concord grapes. Concord grapes are low quality varietal which is used today mostly for making raisins. They are certainly not good for making quality wine. A good kosher table is not complete without a good wine. Today, master winemakers are using classic techniques and every variety of grapes to make tremendous wines all around the world that also happen to be kosher. They're no longer mutually exclusive concepts. A quick glance at the bottle's label will clearly indicate whether the wine is kosher or not. There is an amazing variety of excellent kosher wines that are being produced in Israel.