Between the mention of kosher and the mention of Passover, you may ready to click the “x” on your computer screen to close the window, but don’t! I have some wine reviews that may surprise you…they definitely surprised me. As I mentioned in my post last week, The Cork Dork picked fine kosher wines for the Wine Blogging Wednesday topic. Since I liked the idea of finding good wines for this year’s holiday, I decided to taste “Kosher for Passover” wines—four, to be exact.
- 2005 Domaine Saint Benoit Laureline Chateauneuf-du-Pape (Mevushal)
- 2006 Bazelet HaGolan Cabernet Sauvignon
- Bartenura Prosecco (Mevushal)
- 2006 Baron Herzog Cabernet Sauvignon
For those new to kosher wines, it’s worth a quick look at what it means for a wine to be kosher, as there are two methods and the wines I tasted are a sampling of both. The first method for making kosher wine dictates how the wine is handled—throughout the entire wine making process, the materials can be handled only by an observant, orthodox Jew. The other method dictates how the wine is prepared—it must go through boiling or flash pasteurization. This method is necessary for strict kosher laws and the result is mevushal wine. Mevushal wine can be handled by anyone. With either method, in order for a wine to be “kosher for Passover,” it not only must be made using one of these two processes, but also must not come into contact with chametz (bread, grains, or leavened products). Once made, a rabbi must certify that the wine has been prepared in accordance with Jewish law (one of these two methods).
Now, onto the wines…
2005 Domaine Saint Benoit Laureline Chateauneuf-du-Pape (Mevushal)
When I saw that there was a kosher Chateauneuf-du-Pape, which is among my favorite wines, I could barely contain my excitement. It’s also probably no surprise that it was the first wine I opened, both with the purpose of having a glass and making charoset—a traditional Passover dish made with apples, walnuts, cinnamon, honey, and, of course, wine.
The 2005 Domaine Saint Benoit Laureline Chateauneuf-du-Pape was a blend of Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah, and Clairette grapes and was a mevushal wine. It had a nice, deep ruby color. Unfortunately, the great color did not match the rest of the wine. I was hit in the face with pungent medicinal strawberry and blueberry aromas, a smell that I did not enjoy. In the mouth, I was overwhelmed by a sour cherry flavor, which was followed by a hint of leather and a long finish of cherry cough syrup. For as little as I enjoyed the smell, I thought the taste was far worse.
Is this wine worth a glass after work? No…it’s not worth dirtying a perfectly clean wine glass.At almost $33, this wine is only a small step up from drinking Manischewitz and significantly more expensive.
Overall:
½ cork
Needless to say, this first wine made me a bit apprehensive about the remaining three wines.
2006 Bazelet HaGolan Cabernet Sauvignon
As I couldn’t use the Domaine Saint Benoit for my charoset, I opened bottle number 2—the 2006 Bazelet HaGolan Cabernet Sauvignon (winery, snooth). This Israeli wine is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and is not a mevushal wine.
The Bazelet HaGolan had a deep ruby color, with hints of garnet showing on the rim. The black fruit, particularly blackberry, aromas were delicious and were followed with a touch of toastiness. In the mouth, the black fruit flavors were intense and balanced with a hint of vanilla and olives, and nice tannins.
Is this wine worth a glass after work? Definitely! Regardless of whether or not you’re looking for a kosher wine, if you see this wine in the store, grab it; you won’t be disappointed. For $27, you might actually want to grab two bottles—one to enjoy now and one to let age a little, since I think this wine has some good development potential.
Overall:
4 corks
Bartenura Prosecco (Mevushal)
Several days into the holiday, I opened my one kosher sparkling wine—a Bartenura Prosecco. This mevushal Italian sparkler had a clear, gold color with large bubbles, although there weren’t a lot of them. On the nose, a pleasant medium-to-light yeasty smell was followed by a hint of fresh oranges. In the mouth, the Prosecco was more fizzy than bubbly. This sparkler was high in acid, which was exaggerated by the lime and grapefruit tastes. It’s a fairly simple tasting sparkling wine, but well-balanced and refreshing.
Is this wine worth a glass after work? Sure…you won’t be drinking anything out of the ordinary, but you’ll definitely have a decent, reliable glass of wine. For $14.50, this wine could be a good choice to accompany any tomato sauce-based dish. On its own, it was just ok, the type of wine that I would recommend if you were looking for a kosher sparkler. However, when paired with the high acidity of my matzo lasagna, the wine showed its true, vibrant colors. It was an enjoyable pairing that increased my opinion of the wine.
Overall:
3 corks
2006 Baron Herzog Cabernet Sauvignon
As Passover is coming to the end, I opened my last bottle of kosher wine last night—the 2006 Baron Herzog Cabernet Sauvignon. This California Cabernet is not a mevushal wine. Appearance wise, it had a medium-to-light purplish-ruby color. My bottle was slightly reduced, so the sulfur smells were unpleasant and overpowering. Behind the sulfur, I had a hint of black cherry. I tried decanting the wine, which helped a little, but not enough to make the wine anything other than just passable. In the mouth, there were stronger black cherry flavors, which were accompanied by spice, tobacco, and cedar.
Is this wine worth a glass after work? Eh…if you have a bottle on hand, drink it, but if not, I wouldn’t go searching it out. The wine is only $14, so if you’re looking for an inexpensive kosher wine and your choices are limited, this probably could work. However, if you can afford the upgrade, it’s worth paying a little extra for a wine like the Bazelet HaGolan.
Overall:
2 corks
**Special thanks to The Cork Dork for hosting Wine Blogging Wednesday! Clearly, there are some enjoyable fine kosher wines out there for Jews and non-Jews alike.
Hi,
I found your review of the Domaine St. Benoit Laureline Chateauneuf du Pape 2005 very interesting. I’ve tasted this wine a number of times over the years and I’ve enjoyed it every time. In fact, I just finished writing a review on my site (Domaine St. Benoit Laureline Chateauneuf du Pape 2005). As you will see, we had *very* different experiences. I would, in no way, compare it to Manischewitz, so I’m searching for a logical explanation as to our differences. The first thought that comes to mind is time. Since there’s no date on your review, I’m not sure how long ago this was posted. It’s possible that this was reviewed quite some time ago and the wine has improved with age. My second thought relates to a detail that you mentioned in your review: the wine is “mevushal”. The bottle that I have does not indicate that it is “mevushal”; this could easily affect the experience, especially if the wine was tasted 1 year+ after release.
By the way, great site…keep up the good work!
Jon
Hi Jon–
Clearly, we had very different experiences with the 2005 Domaine St. Benoit Laureline CdP, which I find very interesting. Having reviewed the wine over 2 years ago, it’s definitely possible that age has improved it. Maybe it’s worth my keeping an eye out for another bottle, just see if it’s a difference in our styles or if the wine really has improved. From looking at your website, though, I’m leaning towards the aging being a factor.
Thanks for stopping by and linking your website!