Top 10 Kosher Wines

It used to be that kosher wines sold in America were those "foxy" sweet wines made from indigenous grapes. But in recent years, the number of dry, fine wines available on the marketplace has increased by leaps and bounds. In order for a wine to be kosher, no non-kosher animal products can be used in the making of the wine and it must be made in a facility that is kept entirely kosher. There are a few other strict laws but none that would really affect the quality of the wine. In order for a wine to be mevushal — remain kosher even if opened by a non-Jew — it must be flash pasteurized. There has always been concern that this process will affect the final product, but a study at UC Davis proved that any changes in the wine made by this process are undetectable.

All in all, the steps taken to make a wine kosher are not dissimilar to the steps any winemaker would take to ensure a high-quality wine. As a result, the growing number of kosher fine wines on the market are beginning to compete with their non-kosher counterparts. When in doubt that a wine is kosher, just look for the word "Kosher" or the letter 'K' symbol on the wine label. Wines labeled "Kosher for Passover" are made under even stricter conditions. Kosher for Passover wines are usually labeled as such, or will bear a letter 'P' next to the 'K' symbol. For those attending a Passover Seder, note that all wines labeled "Kosher for Passover" are Kosher, but not all Kosher wines are Kosher for Passover.