In the current divestment/boycott movement that is growing, we can't forget about the occupation of the Golan Heights. The residents (the indigeneous ones) of the region call themselves Syrians and would like the Golan Heights, occupied since 1967, to be returned to Syria.

The article belowed appears on page 8 of section 7 of the Tribune today. In an otherwise decent article about the increasing quality of kosher wines the writer neglects to mention that one of the wines featured, 1999 Yarden Cabernet Sauvignon, comes from the occupied Golan Heights (in Katzrin) and another, 2000 Barkan Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve comes from the West Bank (in the Barkan Industrial Zone near the Ariel settlement).

Drop a note to the writer, Bill Daley wdaley (at) tribune.com and the editor Ann Marie Lipinski ctc-editor (at) tribune.com and let them know that plugging products that come from the settlements isn't exactly kosher.

Gaining respect

As appreciation of wine grows, demand for better kosher bottlings increases too

Bill Daley, Tribune food and wine reporter
Published April 20, 2005


For thousands of years Passover has marked the deliverance of the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. Yet when people gather after sundown Saturday for that ancient ritual of remembrance and thanks, the kosher wine poured may not be all that traditional.

While sweet, jammy wines still hold nostalgic charm for many, oenophiles will be able to celebrate the holiday with a number of very good wine options because kosher wines are being made with all the top varietal grapes.

"Even if they don't keep kosher for the rest of the year they want a kosher wine [at Passover] that doesn't taste kosher," said Keith Youngmann, wine manager of Binny's in Highland Park. "There's a market for it."

Nationally, sales of kosher wine have been rising slowly, to $28.2 million in 2004 from $26.4 million in 2001, according to ACNielsen, a provider of consumer and marketplace information. ACNielsen reported 2 percent of households in the United States purchased kosher wine in 2004.

What makes a wine kosher? Several steps must be met, according to "Rogov's Guide to Israeli Wines" (The Toby Press, $14.95), by Daniel Rogov, an Israeli wine critic. Among the requirements: use of kosher tools and storage facilities from the onset of harvest; allowing only Sabbath-observant Jews to come in contact with the wine from the moment the grapes reach the winery; and using only kosher-certified materials in the production and clarification of wine.

"For many years, wines that were kosher had a justifiably bad name," Rogov wrote bluntly. "The truth is that those wines were not so much consumed by knowledgeable wine lovers as they were used for sacramental purposes."

"With kosher wines now being made from the most noble grape varieties in state-of-the-art wineries by talented winemakers, there need be no contradiction between kosher laws and the production of fine wine," he added.

Herzog Wine Cellars recently opened what it bills as the largest facility on the West Coast for producing kosher-certified wines in Oxnard, Calif. The reason: increasing popularity of Herzog wines among not only kosher consumers but non-kosher and non-Jewish consumers, according to Eitan Segal, director of public relations for Royal Wine Corp., Herzog's parent company.

The year-round appeal of kosher wine is a point Segal emphasized repeatedly; they aren't just for Passover anymore.

"Kosher wines are on par or better than many non-kosher wines," he said. "It's a good time for people who aren't even Jewish to go out and taste some great wine."

Segal believes wine shops should display kosher wines under their regional category, California or Italy, say, rather than lump all kosher wines in its own section.

"Many people think of kosher wine as its own category but it's not a separate profile," he added.

Another assumption Segal battles is the belief that kosher wines are more expensive. There's wine at all price points from all regions of the world.

He's right, kosher wines are made in Israel, of course, as well as California, France, Italy, South Africa, Australia and all the major wine regions. Yet one can see why consumers might think kosher wine is more expensive.

Binny's, for example, sells a kosher Chateau Leoville Poyferre for $130. The non-kosher version is $85; Youngmann said the price difference reflects the cost of making a kosher wine.

"You need a different bottling line. You have to have a rabbi there," the Binny's wine manager said, naming just a few of the technical components that go into certifying a wine as kosher.

Yet, like Segal, Youngmann stressed that there are kosher wines for every budget, including wines selling for $10 or less that are perfect "for a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday wine drinker who wants a kosher wine."

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Classic Bordeaux flavors

Gone are the days when the only kosher wines on the market were those jammy beverages produced by Manischewitz or Mogen David. Today, kosher wines are made with all the top varietals and in styles that offer the same flavor profile one expects with non-kosher wine.

An informal tasting of six kosher cabernet sauvignons from Israel and California revealed wines produced in a classic Bordeaux style. One wine, labeled as "mevushal" or pasteurized (a process that allows a wine to retain its "kosherness" even if handled by a non-Jewish person--a waiter, for example), had the slightest jammy quality, perhaps a reflection of the spot heating it underwent. All six were kosher for Passover. And all went down well with panelists.

2000 Barkan Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

From Israel's second largest winery, this wine earned a perfect "10" rating from one taster who described it as quintessentially cabernet sauvignon. Besides nice notes of fruit and black pepper, there's plenty of tannic muscle to this baby."The flavor is almost abrasive," another panelist wrote, "but I like the pain."

(3 corkscrews) $19

1999 Yarden Cabernet Sauvignon

This Israeli wine is made mostly from cabernet sauvignon grapes with a little cabernet franc and merlot blended in. The wine is smooth, with a ripe, sweet flavor of berries and cherries underscored by darker hints of smoke, chocolate and incense. Good viscosity.

(2 corkscrews) $22

2000 Herzog Cabernet Sauvignon Special Reserve

From California's Napa Valley, this cab packed plenty of tannins and a hint of cooked fruit. Very aromatic, with almost a smoky scent that carried into the wine's long finish.

(2 corkscrews) $30

2001 Weinstock Cellar Select Cabernet Sauvignon

This Napa Valley red is mevushal, meaning it has been pasteurized. The wine comes on softly, suggesting ripe berries, green peppers, prunes and earth. The tannins are there, though, balancing the wine.

(2 corkscrews) $18

2002 Dalton Cabernet Sauvignon

From the Galilee region of Israel, this aromatic wine entices with the scent of oak, cherry and green pepper. Very smooth, the wine's fruit gives way to spice, which gives way to a dusty, slightly astringent finish.

(2 corkscrews) $23

2000 Segal's Cabernet Sauvignon Special Reserve

Produced by Askalon Wines in Israel, this is a bright, fruity wine with lots of grape and cherry flavors. One panelist described it as a Bordeaux "wannabe."

(2 corkscrews) $15

Sources: We found these wines at Binny's Ivanhoe Castle and Que Syrah Fine Wines. Not every wine may be in stock at your local stores; prices may vary from store to store. Prices are rounded off.

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(4 corkscrews) Excellent

(3 corkscrews) Very good

(2 corkscrews) Good

(1 corkscrew) Fair

(No corkscrews) Poor

Hear Bill Daley on WBBM Newsradio 780 at 6:21 p.m. and 10:22 p.m. each Tuesday and 7:52 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.

wdaley (at) tribune.com






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