Another helpful article from Wine Spectator

There's yet another great article on kosher wine (and this time cooking!) over at winespectator.com. A nice taste of molasses-cured salmon or pomegranate braised lamb shoulder with fava beans paired with a nice glass of kosher wine seems like the perfect way to wrap up this week-o-kosher wines extravaganza here at mywinenews. Follow the link and enjoy the weekend!

http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Features/0,1197,4334,00.html

A far more comprehensive kosher wine guide than I could ever provide

So as I mentioned before, I'm dedicating this week to the growing field of kosher wine. From manischevitz to flash pasteurization, I'm doing my best to learn and report on the subject. Wine Spectator put out an article this week that talks at length about kosher wine varieties and even gives some suggestions on the better names to buy. If you're preparing for passover next week, this is an article you should be sure not to miss. Follow the link below and revel in how much more professional wine enthusiasts know than a lowely pleb like me!

http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Features/0,1197,3722,00.html

Flash Pasteurization

Flash Pasteurization is a method of heating wine to a temperature acceptable for making Mevushal varieties that's become very popular in recent years. Basically, the process heats the wine to the temperature necessary to make it kosher, but avoids simmering or boiling the grapes.

The main issue most people have with the traditional Mevushal process is that heating the wine to such high temperatures is harmful to the wines integrity and flavor. Flash pasteurization has become the number one way to sort of skirt the problem - heating the wine without ruining the flavor. The process may have helped to make kosher wine a lot more palatable, but the idea is still being met with some resistance by Jews whom associate kosher wine with the more traditional pinkish, tea colored varieties.

Mevushal Wine

Mevushal wine is a kosher variety that remains kosher even if it's handled and served by non-Jews or Jews that don't observe the Sabbath. To be considered as Mevushal, a wine must be heated to 185 Degrees Farenheit. This process has been troublesome in the past, because generally, exposing wine to high temperatures for an extended period of time can threaten or even ruin a wine's character and flavor. In recent years the industry has developed some interesting techniques that cut back on this problem. Tomorrow I'll discuss the most used method, flash pasteurization.

Kosher Wine

Every time I go to the wine store I see a few more varieties of "kosher wine." It got me thinking, what's really the difference . . . I mean, what exactly makes a wine kosher? After doing some research, it turns out that there's really not that much difference at all. Kosher wine is made pretty much the same way as non-kosher table wine (technically speaking, anyway). The biggest difference, as far as I can gather, in the way the wine is actually made is that all kosher wine has to be 100 % free of preservatives and artificial coloring.

The main difference between kosher wine and your average table wine is the way it is handled. First of all, from the vine all the way to the bottle, it must be completely handled by Sabbath observing Jews.

There are several other differences and interesting facts about kosher wine, but I'm going to hang onto them . . . Next week I'll be doing a week-long feature on kosher wine, in honor of Passover. Stay tuned for anything and everything you ever wanted to know about kosher wines!