What Makes a Wine Kosher?

Photo by Aaron Ovadia on Unsplash

Kosher wine is made just like other table wine, with an extra set of rules to make it consistent with Jewish dietary law. In order for a wine to be deemed kosher (Yiddish for "proper" or "fit"), it must…

• Be made under the supervision of a rabbi

• Contain only kosher ingredients such as the yeast and the fining agents

• Made with equipment that has been certified by a rabbi to make kosher wines

• Be free of preservatives or artificial colors

• Be handled from start to finish by Sabbath-observant Jews

• Producers of Concord-based wines (such as Manischewitz) that are sweetened with corn syrup must produce special "kosher for Passover" bottlings which are labeled as such

• Some kosher wines are heated as part of the production process. These wines are known as ‘mevushal’ which literally means the wine was ‘cooked’

• Kosher wines will have certification symbols. One of the most common looks like a ‘U’ in a circle Ⓤ, suggesting that it’s certified by Union of Orthodox Rabbis. A ‘K’ in a circle Ⓚ indicates it’s kosher, a ‘K’ in a circle with a ‘P’ Ⓚ-P is kosher for Passover, a ‘K’ in a star, cRc and Hebrew ‘ר‎כש ’ are also indicators that the wine is kosher.

So, in summary, kosher wines don’t necessarily taste any different from non-kosher wines, or have higher or lower quality; they simply must be produced in accordance with a set of Jewish dietary laws.

L’Chaim! Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Domaine Bousquet Virgen Red Wines

Domaine Bousquet Virgen Red Wines

Virgen wines are the first Argentine no-sulfites-added USDA-organic-certified wines to launch in the U.S., from Uco Valley-based Domaine Bousquet, Argentina’s largest exporter of organically grown wines.

Named for the virgin land where the Bousquet’s built Domaine Bousquet, this wine is a nod to the continued commitment by the winery to protect and preserve.

Some may associate the natural, no-sulfites-added wine movement with small-production, impossible-to-find, cloudy, funky and inconsistent wines. But not so with this Virgen wine. It is balanced, fresh and approachable: vegan, no oak, and great value for the price!

“We only tackled this project once we were confident that we could manage the challenges of making top-notch organic, no-sulfites-added wines. We also wanted to make sure that these wines remained true to our house style: elegant, with bright, clean, fruit flavors.” – Domaine Bousquet co-owner Anne Bousquet

Virgen Natural Malbec ($13) - This wine is produced from 100% Malbec that is fermented with 50% indigenous yeasts and 50% selected yeasts for 10 days in stainless steel. It is medium purple in color with red-fruit aromas and a hint of herbs. On the palate, this medium-full bodied wine has fresh tasting fruit flavors of red plum on the front-end and blackberry on the back. It has very light tannin, good acidity and a nice finish.

Virgen Natural Cabernet Sauvignon ($13) - This wine is produced from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon that is fermented with 50% indigenous yeasts and 50% selected yeasts for 10 days in stainless steel. It is deep ruby in color with aromas of black cherry and green peppercorn. On the palate, this medium-bodied wine has fresh berry fruit flavors of blackberry, boysenberry and black cherry. It has medium tannin, nice acidity and a medium-long finish.

These wines are both USDA Organic, Vegan friendly, gluten free and have no sulfites added. And, a super value! This makes them a great fit as this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wines of the Week. Cheers!

---

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received these samples at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Samples Provided by Domaine Bousquet Winery via Creative Palate Communications

Where Do All the Amazing Aromas and Flavors in Wine Come From?

Photo by Mauro Lima on Unsplash

Some may be surprised to learn that there are only two ingredients in wine: grapes and yeast.  Yet, white wines can be described as having flavors that include lemon, lime, grapefruit, apple, peach, pear and orange. And red wines can be described as having flavors of cherry, raspberry, strawberry, blackberry, blueberry, plum and fig.  And then there are descriptions of vanilla, butterscotch, caramel, chocolate, tobacco, leather, and even tar, just to name a few.  But, if wine is only made from grapes and yeast, how do wines get all those other flavors? 

When you sip a wine, you are getting information from your tongue, nose and nasal passages. And while there are only the four tastes being detected by your tongue there are a multitude of aromas being detected by your nose and nasal passages. The aromas get released by the wine through the alcohol, which is lighter than air, and evaporates easily from your glass. Your brain then puts together the information on the tastes and smells of the wine and equates them with tastes and smells that you already know. Thus, those amazing little grapes are able to cause your brain to sense additional fruit flavors without even a trace of the fruits actually being in the wine.

Aging wine in oak barrels also adds many other dimensions to the flavors in wines. Oak barrels can add flavors of vanilla, butterscotch, coconut, toffee, caramel, butter, mocha, coffee and smokiness. 

So, yes, wine is made from grape juice and yeast but can have a multitude of wonderful flavors. Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Sandy Giovese Vino Rosso

Sandy Giovese Vino Rosso ($35)

Amy Ezrin, the founder of Sandy Giovese wine was training to be an opera singer and ended up living in Italy for 8 years. She states she “…was an ‘okay’ singer, but I was really good at speaking Italian and tasting wine, so I became a wine importer. I often joked that my alter ego was Sandy Giovese, a play on the name of one of Italy’s greatest red grapes, Sangiovese.”

This Sandy Giovese Vino Rosso is…

• Moderation Friendly - Want just a glass? No need to open a bottle. The box is fresh for 1 month or more

• Better for the Planet - Bag-in-box is the lowest environmental impact. Just one-tenth the carbon footprint of one 750 ml glass bottle

• Organically Farmed - Made from 100% organically-farmed grapes

• Budget Friendly - 1 box = 4 bottles of wine. That’s the equivalent of just $8.75 per bottle. Comparable wines cost at least twice that in glass bottles!

This Sandy Giovese Vino Rosso is a blend of 85% Sangiovese (the classic grape used to produce Chianti wines) and 15% Trebbiano (a native Italian white wine grape that adds refreshing acidity). It is medium ruby in color with aromas of red fruit and herbal notes. On the palate it has the classic Sangiovese flavor of red cherries. It’s medium bodied with good acidity and finishes light and refreshing.

I said it before and I’ll say it again…If you are on the fence with respect to box wine, here’s your reason to hop off and pick one up! This makes the Sandy Giovese Vino Rosso a great fit as the Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

ABV: 12.35%, RS: 2.80 g/L, Total Acidity: 5.2 g/L, pH: 3.47

---

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sample Provided by Sandy Giovese Wines via Savona Communications

Wine -- Too Warm? Too Cold? Or Just Right

Photo by Kevin Kelly on Unsplash

I recently ordered a glass of red wine at a nice restaurant. It came in a large wine glass and was a generous pour. But, upon taking my first sip it was obvious that it was much too warm.

The temperature at which a wine is served matters.  And here's why.  The 'proper' serving temperature will ensure that you get the best experience from your wine.  Serve it too cold or too warm and you can loose a lot of the wine's character.

This is partly due to your nose and how a wine's aroma works along with its taste. And, aroma is greatly affected by the wine's temperature.  A cold wine will have less of an aroma because fewer of the volatile compounds will be released from the wine. Conversely, a warmer wine will easily release these compounds and give you an opportunity to experience the wine's full aroma.

Then there's the way a wine tastes.  Serving a white wine too cold will mute its fruit flavors. White wines taste best when they are served cool because of their acidity and negligible tannin. The fruit flavors are zippy and bright and a bit of a chill will enhance this.  But full bodied white wines that have been aged in oak (e.g., Chardonnay) are best served not quite so cool to allow you experience the flavors that oak imparts.

Serving a red wine too cold will emphasize its acidity, bitterness and tannin. But serving a red wine too warm can make it seem heavy, lifeless and emphasize the alcohol, yielding a burning sensation in your throat.

So, here are some general guidelines for the 'proper' serving temperatures of wines:

• Sparkling Wine: 42° - 50° F

• Light Whites: 46° - 54° F

• Full Bodied Whites: 54° - 60° F

• Rosé: 45° - 55° F

• Light Reds: 50° - 54° F

• Medium Reds: 57° - 63° F

• Full Bodied Reds: 59° - 65° F

Here are a couple quick rules-of-thumb on chilling wine.  Sparkling wine can be stored and served directly from a kitchen refrigerator. With white wine, place it in your kitchen refrigerator 30-60 minutes before serving. Or, if it's been stored in a kitchen refrigerator, remove it 30 minutes before serving.  For red wines, put them in a kitchen refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving. This way, your white wines will be cool but not too cold and your reds will be slightly cooled and not too warm. Cheers!