If your first thought when you hear the phrase “kosher wine” is Manieschevitz… let us set you straight: kosher wine is about much more than the sweet Concord grape wine you remember from your childhood Passover seders.
Many of us think that the Mevushal method of making wine and “kosherizing” is the sum total of kosher wine world. Just to recap, Mevushal (Hebrew for cooked or boiled, but it’s typically flash-pasteurized) is “unfit for idolatrous use and will keep the status of kosher wine even if subsequently touched by an idolater. … Mevushal wine is frequently used in kosher restaurants and by kosher caterers so as to allow the wine to be handled by non-Jewish or non-observant waiters.” (Source: Wikipedia’s entry on Kosher Wine)
The rest of kosher wine is defined this way: “...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. The wine must contain only kosher ingredients (including yeast and fining agents), and it must be processed using equipment rabbinically certified to make kosher wines. No preservatives or artificial colors may be added. The wine can only be handled — from the vine to the wineglass — by Sabbath-observant Jews, unless the wine is mevushal.” (Source: The Wine Spectator)
Wine lovers don’t drink Mevushal wine for any reason other than its sacramental purposes. The rest of this article focuses on non-Mevushal wine-buying.
Fortunately, there’s plenty of great non-Mevushal kosher wine out there for wine enthusiasts who keep kosher. A lot of it is produced in Israel where they have a robust premium wine industry, but it’s also produced in California, South Africa, and even Bordeaux. Here are the online stores we recommend if you are shopping for kosher wine for delivery in the United States.
This online kosher wine store is part of an ecommerce group specializing in products for Jewish people. They offer a tremendous selection of gifts at Judaica.com and a top-notch selection of kosher wine at both KosherWine.com and JWines.com. They make shopping for kosher wine easy, whether you’re buying it for yourself or as a gift. You can filter by Mevushal or Not Mevushal as well as Kosher for Passover, and like any proper online wine store, you can filter by region, grape, price range, dryness, and wine ratings.
If you’re a kosher wine lover or your favorite wine lover keeps kosher, you can join one of KosherWines.com’s four kosher wine clubs. All four clubs are shipped monthly and shipping is free.
QPR Wine Club
“This Quality Price Ratio wine club offers new releases and timeless classics that are selected for their value and quality.”
Mixed red and white wine or red wine only, $69/shipment for four bottles. Prepay for 3, 6, or 12 months as a gift or join month-to-month for yourself.
Wine Explorer Club
“This wine club focuses on introducing you to various regions and varietals which will expose you to the broader wine experience. A great way to step up your wine knowledge and experience!”
Mixed red and white wine or red wine only, $89/shipment for four bottles. Prepay for 3, 6, or 12 months as a gift or join month-to-month for yourself.
Soms [sic] Choice Wine Club
“The wines chosen for this club are critically acclaimed and known for their exceptional quality. You'll find a nice mix of wines great for your cellar and great to drink now!”
Mixed red and white wine or red wine only, $139/shipment for four bottles. Prepay for 3, 6, or 12 months as a gift or join month-to-month for yourself.
Cellar Master Wine Club
“These wines are for the collector. We will be going heavy on the wines with serious aging potential. Membership in this club will also put you in an exclusive group that gets first access to allocated wines and limited productions!”
Mixed red and white wine or red wine only, $249/shipment for four bottles. Prepay for 3, 6, or 12 months as a gift or join month-to-month for yourself.
They also offer kosher wine gift sets from wineries like Herzog, Shiloh, and Tishbi.