Kosher wine has come a long way over the past few decades in terms of both variety and quality. If sugary Manischewitz has never been particularly welcome at your seders, make this the year you explore some alternatives. These days you have literally hundreds of Kosher red and white wines from all around the world to choose from.

Make sure it’s Kosher for Passover
Kosher-for-Passover-symbol3The first thing you need to know when you start your seder wine search is that not all Kosher wine is Kosher l’Pesach. Contrary to popular belief, the Manischewitz sweet Concord you can find year-round isn’t because it’s sweetened with corn syrup. The company does, however, produce Kosher-for-Passover wines sweetened with cane sugar. This and other Kosher l’Pesach wines are marked with the Orthodox Union symbol of a “U’ within an “O” with an additional “P” to the right of it.

Liberate your wine list
Sweet red wines may be traditional, but did you know there’s no specific commandment to use them? passover-wineThat means you might use a traditional concord wine for the four cups, but choose something else for the meal or go all out and choose a different wine for each of the four cups. For the meal, a slightly spicy white such as one of Abarbanel’s Gewurztraminers, will go well with traditional Passover dinner foods like gefilte fish, chicken soup, and even roasted vegetables. If you’re having beef brisket, on the other hand, try Beaujolais, Merlot or Chianti.

Plan ahead
This is especially important if you live in an area where Kosher products are hard to come by. If you’re planning on buying at a local store, give them plenty of notice since they’ll most likely have to special order the wine from elsewhere. Orthodox synagogues may order Kosher for Passover wines in bulk for the holiday or have a list of sources for Kosher for Passover wines available locally. Don’t forget the Internet, though. Today’s online shopping opportunities give you the chance to order Kosher wine straight from Israel from popular sources like the Carmel Winery or the Golan Heights Winery. Wherever you order from, make sure you carefully calculate how many bottles you’ll need since you probably won’t be able to run out and buy another at the last minute.

This Passover, don’t settle for a wine that doesn’t appeal to you or your family. Today’s wide variety of award-winning, palate-pleasing Kosher wines gives you the freedom to choose something you’ll actually enjoy drinking. After all, what better time than Passover to express your freedom by picking a Kosher wine that’s a little out of the ordinary?

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