What makes a Kosher wine?

Question

I just noticed that Chateau Smith-Haut-Lafitte in Pessac-Leognan in Bordeaux makes a Kosher bottling in addition to their regular Grand Vin. I don't think I've ever seen this in Bordeaux before. What would be the difference?

Answer 1

What is a kosher wine? What's a "Mevushal" wine?
Wine has special rules and regulations that are unlike any other kosher food. With an important exception, kosher wines must be created, bottled, opened, handled, and poured only by Jews. If a non-Jew handles the wine — e.g., pours a cup of wine, or passes the bottle — the wine becomes not kosher.

There is an exception. If the wine is heated to near boiling, the wine can subsequently be handled by non-Jews — heating the wine affects the taste, as you might imagine. Wines that have been heated in this fashion are called "mevushal," and are so marked somewhere on the bottle (a few bottle have these notes only in Hebrew). Sometimes the abbreviation "Mev." is used. Almost invariably wines served at catered celebrations (e.g., a wedding) are "mevushal," since both Jews and non-Jews can be present or handle the wine.

A non-Jew may give a Jew a sealed bottle of kosher wine. However, if that wine is not mevushal, the receipient would find it difficult to share the wine with the giver. Therefore, any kosher wine is perfectly acceptable as present; but as a host gift for a dinner invitation, a mevushal wine is a wise choice.

Answer 2

This doesn't apply just to wines.

There are various non-alcoholic beverages in which some are kosher and some aren't. When I was growing up, Coca-Cola would replace their broken and unreturned bottles and cases when they started producing the batches of Coke that were made for Passover. The product itself was kosher, but the rules for Passover are much more stringent.


BTW, kosher foods are never foods that have been blessed by a rabbi. That concept, that something can be made acceptable by the prayers of an individual with clerical ordination, simply doesn't exist in Judaism. And frankly (it doesn't apply to the person who asked the question), it's high time that people here who insist on replying in that manner actually sat up and took notice of their seemingly deliberate ignorance on the subject.

Answer 3

A truly kosher wine is one that, from the time the grapes begin fermenting to when the wine is bottled, only Jews have contact with the wine in progress.

For a long time, true kosher wines have been quite terrible but there has been signifigant improvement recently. I'd be interested to find out the background on this bottling you mentioned.

Answer 4

Kosher means fit to eat. In this day and age its prayed over by a rabbi, Like one shop sells live poultry, a rabbi comes in blesses it they slit its throat and trhow the chickens in a giant cat that spins them around, and it drains all the blood out of them at the same time taking the feathers off. The meat is really tender and comes right off the bones, but as far as wine goes they may just bless the grape crop first.

Answer 5

Only sabbath observant males are to handle the grapes and all equipment. 1% of the wine in production must be discarded remnant of the10% tithe paid to the Temple of Jerusalem in days gone by.

Answer 6

Kosher is blessed by a Rabi

Answer 7

pickle juice