Kosher, is a Yiddish word (Jewish or Hebrew), which means “pure”. This term is used to describe food and drink which have been made in accordance to the requirements of Jewish religion.
The whole winemaking process, from looking after the vines, the harvest, the fermentation process, the ageing and the bottling process must be supervised by a qualified person, that’s to say, a Rabbi.
Some of the conditions which must be complied with are: the vineyards must be at least four years old; the grapes must be harvested by hand and be carefully sorted, rejecting any grapes which are not healthy and are perfectly ripe. Only the Rabbi is allowed to manipulate the wine as well as the pressing of the skins and only stainless steel fermentation tanks may be used. All bottles must be brand new and made under supervision of the Rabbi who will then guarantee the origin of the bottles.
In fact, kosher wine is no different from any conventional wine in terms of the winemaking processes and grape varieties. What makes them special is the need to have the Rabbi’s acceptance and guarantee that the wine has been made according to demanding kosher quality control.
