Kosher Wine & Spirits

Kosher wines are wines produced according to the dietary rules of kashrut, a set of Jewish laws that determine the conformity of foods to Jewish religious prescriptions. Kosher wines must follow various rules, including regarding the ingredients used, production processes and rabbinical supervision.

Before the harvest, the first step is to visit the cellars for their religious approval by the religious authorities. Specifications for the production of the Kosher vintage must be put in place with the wine owner and the Rabbinate.
Here are some key points regarding kosher wines:

Rabbinical supervision: Throughout the production process, from the vineyard to bottling, kosher wines are subject to the supervision of a practicing religious Jew, this guarantees compliance with the rules of kashrut. The rabbinical delegates called “Shomrim” are the only people capable of carrying out all the manipulations. The owner transmits the technical instructions for development to the Shomrim.

Kosher Ingredients: The ingredients used in making kosher wine must comply with the rules of kashrut. This concerns not only the grapes, but also any additives, such as clarifying agents or yeasts. Only natural additives, controlled by the Rabbinate, can be used, which excludes citric acid, gelatin or fish glue.

Kosher Equipment: Equipment used in the production process must also be kosher. This includes fermentation tanks, pipes, pumps, etc. They must be properly cleaned and purified according to kashrut standards.

Winemaking: Kosher wine is identical to a non-kosher vintage, but the vats are leaded, taped and identified by the shomrim. The entire winemaking process (pressing of the grapes, under-drawing of the juices, filtration, refrigeration, samples, opening and closing of the vats and bottling are carried out only by the shomrim.

Prohibition of mixing meat and milk: According to the rules of kashrut, meat and milk should not be mixed. Therefore, when producing kosher wine, it is essential to ensure that no dairy products come into contact with the wine.

Observance of Shabbat laws: The rules of Shabbat (Jewish day of rest, it starts on Friday late afternoon and ends on Saturday evening at nightfall) can also have an impact on wine production kosher. For example, certain production processes may not be permitted on Shabbat. It is important to note that kosher certification is issued by recognized rabbinical supervisory bodies. Kosher wines can come from different wine regions around the world, and kosher certification does not necessarily imply a specific style of wine. Kosher wine producers can produce red, white, rosé and sparkling wines, providing a variety of choices for consumers who follow the rules of kashrut.

How do you recognize a kosher wine?

There is no sign, except on the label or on the back label we find the following acronyms. Kashrut standards may vary from one rabbinate to another or from one certification agency to another. Some rabbinical authorities only accept “Glatt Kosher”, the Americans use OU, others accept unsupervised milk in powder form, others require that the milk be supervised. After verification by the Rabbinate, the manufacturer can affix a Kosher symbol to the product of the type OU or OK used mainly in the USA. In France we find the KBDP logo (Beth Din de Paris) In the United Kingdom we find the KLBD (London Beth Din) logo, in Manchester MK (Manchester Beth Din). When the logo is followed by the letter “P” (abbreviation of Passover in English) it is a Kosher Le Pessah product.