As everyone knows wine is simply the result of grape fermentation. However, kosher wine is not ordinary wine by any means. With a strict adherence to the laws of Kashrut, kosher wine makers aim to bring the discerning customer a wine that is sanctifying, healing, and edifying. This may sound like an astounding claim to make about any alcoholic beverage, but be aware that kosher wine is not just any alcoholic beverage. Kosher wine is in a league of its very own.

Indeed, the art of kosher wine makers is unique and painstaking. Their goal is to create a wine prepared and aged according to strict precepts of Jewish law (halacha). It is no surprise that the same qualities that make wine kosher continue to be integral to the winemaking industry of today. And, don’t anticipate any changes. The law that has guided the making of wine for the past 2,767 years is not up for revisions.

So, what exactly makes wine kosher? Well, the process of winemaking itself begins with the birth of the vine. Even as the grapes are allowed to ripen to perfection, their unique purpose and role in creating Kosher wine becomes apparent. During the full six years of a vine’s life, it grows on a field by itself and no other species are allowed in close proximity to it. This imposed isolation speaks to the “royalty” of the vines intended for Kosher winemaking and shows how the winemaker protects them until they ripen to maturity.

In fact, there are strict laws that govern every aspect of growth and development of each grape that will ultimately be used in the production of kosher wine. Only older vines can be used in winemaking as the younger ones are allowed to fully develop … until they too are ready to produce premium wine.

To confirm to the strict laws of Kosher wine making, all other materials that may possibly come into contact with the wine are subject to uncompromising scrutiny. All the tools, places of storage, and equipment used in kosher wine production must adhere to strict guidelines of Kashrut. Neither animal products, nor gelatin, or egg whites, that are normally used in the regular wine industry, are allowed in kosher wine making. As a remnant of the days when the Bais Hamikdash (Temple in Jerusalem) stood, kosher wine makers pour out 1% of the wine symbolic of the 10% tithe that had to be paid to the Temple. Finally, during each seventh year, winemaking is placed on temporary hold to let the earth and the vines rest until the following year.

Finally, every part of the winemaking process is meticulously monitored by Orthodox Jewish scholars versed in Talmudic law, and the wine becomes kosher only upon their solemn vow that all the laws of Kashrut have been followed to the letter.

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