I’m back in the burbs for a bit more family time and to tip my hat to Rosh Hashonah before the next big departure.

This seemed to be as appropriate a topic as any for today, as every year at this time (and in the spring, around Passover) people start to ask me what’s up with kosher wine. Some also take the opportunity to bash Israeli wine, which is pretty easy sport given most of what’s on the market here… I have heard there’s some good stuff available domestically (wine has been made there on and off for several millennia, after all), but it’s also interesting to note that the best Israeli wine I’ve tasted so far, Bravdo, wasn’t even certified kosher. This may have changed with the latest release – I was told a year or so ago that they were moving towards certification as quickly as they could. In the market for Israeli wine, though, that’s just good business sense.

How can wine even BE kosher? We’re talking about something agricultural here, on top of which there is a rapidly growing organic movement that is starting to really gain momentum in the wine world. Not to even mention biodyamics….I’m going to see how long I can last without getting into that one on here, but if you’re really curious (and/or bored) the link will take you to wikipedia’s biodynamic agriculture page. One could make a seemingly logical statement that if it’s organic or biodynamic, it’s GOTTA be kosher….

Now that I can be objective about it - my father having finally ceded the fight during last year’s high holidays, in a quiet but complete reversal - I thought I’d finally take the time to do some proper research into what makes wine kosher, and if there’s any substance to it at all.

What I learned is pretty fascinating, if also pretty damn silly… it turns out that grape products are the ONE exception to the law of kashrut that all fruits and vegetables are kosher. (thank you to the good people at jewfaq.org. and yes, that is a real site)

However, this has little to do with the actual winemaking process and everything to do with WHO is carrying it out - more importantly, who they pray to. Believe it or not, the most important factor in wine being kosher is that it was not touched by pagan hands!

Despite the place that wine has in many Jewish observances (Passover, anyone?) the fact that it was also used for pagan rituals made the ancient Jews very wary…. they were unable to consume anything that might, hypothetically, have been used in the practice of idolatry. So to my ancestors wine touched by pagan hands was as traif as pork.

I guess nobody ever treated them to prosciutto wrapped figs, either.

Nowadays, I don’t think many would accuse the French of being pagans. Nor the majority of Italians, Spaniards, Germans, Argentines, or Americans…

I should mention that there are other strict rules governing kosher wine, the most comprehensive list I found was at gemsinisrael.com, a site apparently run by the Israeli tourism board. I’ll let you read about these on your own if you want.

I’m sure it won’t surprise anybody to learn that some of the laws of kashrut are a little antiquated (read: utterly random). Not to criticize those with more faith than I (if anything, I’m slightly jealous), but to the best of my knowledge, there aren’t too many premium wines around today that use bull’s blood as a fining agent, or who’s marketing strategies are aimed at Wiccans.

So, my fellow Hebes, drink up.

September 11th, 2007 | vino