Kosher Kings. Are Kosher Wines the Steals of this Era?

Kosher Kings. Are Kosher Wines the Steals of this Era? – Episode #297

August 21, 2007

Kosher wines have a cloud over their heads and to be honest they have deserved it up to about 3-4 years ago. Gary Vaynerchuk tastes what should be 3 serious Kosher wines!

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“QOTD: I’ve never had kosher wine….” by ulu ulu ulu ulu
“QOTD: I’ve never had any kosher wine. I don’t care about “kosherness”…” by Phredd
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Wines tasted in this episode:

2002 Pardess Reserve MerlotIsraeli Kosher Wine
2003 Hevron Heights Syrah ReserveIsraeli Kosher Wine
2005 Covenant Napa Cabernet Sauvignon (kosher)Other California Kosher

213 Responses

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August 21, 2007

chakira
As someone who drinks Kosher, I have tried many many over 20 USD kosher wines. I am sort of shocked that in the two kosher episodes you didnt cover the el ram, considered the best israeli wine by rogov, the castel, the C Chard of castel or the odem organic (15 bones and excellent chard). As you keep reiterating, Israel is bringing serious thunder, as I found out on a wonderful wine tour through that country. And I would like to see that represented on WLTV.
Re the covenant, thanks for doing that as I was going to bother someone to try their bottle. But now I can avoid pestering my friend and instead get myself a bottle of the highly touted spanish kosher wines of which 3 came out this week.
BTW, Kosher wine is not blessed by a rabbi. What makes it kosher is that it is not touched by gentiles, since Jewish law presupposes that gentiles may use the wine for idolatry. While this prohibition was Mitigated in the middle ages, allowing jews to trade wine with their gentile neighbors, a previously forbidden activity and one that was TREMENDOUSLY economically important (see Piero Camporesi on the role of wine in the Middle Ages, or Haym Soloveitchiks forthcoming book on the topic of Jewish gentile wines) the taboo against consuming the wine was not taken away in Ashkenazic Jewish culture. other Jewish cultures, such as Italian Jews, were more leninent in the prohibition (Toaff, Wine Women and Death). While Jews in Medieval Cairo managed to drink with their Muslim neighbors (!!!) by slipping some honey into the wine to make in “unfit for the altar” of the idols (Goitein, Mediterranean Society). Something like this continues today in the widespread practice of making wines Mevushal– cooking them so as to make them unfit for sacrifice. Rogov and others feel that Mevushal wines often taste cooked and I dont think he rates any of them. Finally, while the wine laws may seem discriminatory, and have their origin in a kind of bigotry, today they are merely a part of the cultural heritage of orthodox jews. Few if any Orthodox Jews think that their non-jewish neighbors are worshipping idols or engaging the the ancient middle eastern sacrificial cults. But all orthodox Jews feel the need to maintain their unique culture by scrupulously drinking kosher wine.
August 21, 2007

DryDrew
Hey Kosher Vanernation!
Here is a link to my cork’d account.

http://corkd.com/people/drydrew

If you have any kosher wines on cork’d please post them.

Add me as a buddy.
Thanks Gary for the opportunity!
August 21, 2007

David
GARY V – What the heck are you going to do with all of the 2005 Covenant you have in inventory after that show?? Who would buy it for 70 bones?

QOTD: Never had a kosher wine.
August 21, 2007

amgryger
QOTD: No.
August 21, 2007

Scarred1
Gary,

Thanks for the effort today. No big payoffs in great wine recomendations, but continuing to educate and enlighten.

QOTD: none that I know of or can remember . . .

thanks
John
August 21, 2007

Harley Stan
Gary, great episode.
QOTD- I don’t believe I have tried a Kosher wine yet.
August 21, 2007

CMA
Interesting episode, too bad none of the wines really panned out, it would have been fun to try something kosher.

QOTD: I’ve only tried some Manischewitz that my roommate decided I needed to try…needless to say I’ve stayed clear since then!
August 21, 2007

Grape Expectations
QOTD: I’ve never had an over $20 kosher wine. But the first wine I ever tasted was Mogen David, which was the only wine my German Lutheran grandmother ever served. At age 8, I thought it was fine stuff.
August 21, 2007

Jon B.
Looks like the Kosher wine world hasn’t changed all that much in the last 36 months after all. Good episode anyway.QOTD I’ve had zero Kosher wines or at least to my knowledge .Thanks GV and WLTV crew.
August 21, 2007

addamms3
Like the Bossman, I am essentially a newbie. The more I learn about wine the more I realise I don’t know anything. I always drank wine I liked without bothering to learn, meaning that I could never duplicate the experience.
That’s too bad about the wines today. There is too much other good stuff out there for less money to seek any of these out.
QOTD: I grew up listening to the Jewish kids in my class–easily a third of the grade school was Jewish–carry on to each other about “that’s not Kosher!” (usually one of the girls to one of the boys as he started to bite into a ham sandwich or a candy bar) and the guy telling her to shut up or worse. I always sided with the boys, so I’ve never had a Kosher wine.
August 21, 2007

Ivan C.
Hi Gary, it’s too bad you didn’t have any outstanding wines in this episode. I visited my brother in Tel Aviv recently, and the bartender at a nice little wine bar/brasserie (called Lucas off the main strip on Allenby) served us flights of Israeli wines, some kosher, some not. There were some very nice wines, with good colour, concentration, and balance; even great ones with good complexity. However, there were a couple which were too sweet and over-oaked. I think there’s great potential there, especially with winemakers paying more attention to modern trends.

QOTD: I did buy a very nice cabernet sauvignon , which I enjoyed very much,at the duty-free on my way back home to Canada. I can’t remember the name of the producer, since all the writing on the bottle was in Hebrew. I bought it for $24usd, which is a great number, since it reminds me of the best safety in the NFL, Michael Huff, from the Oakland Raiders, who will have their way with your Jets later on this season

Cheers!
August 21, 2007

lenny
QOTD

I have never had a kosher wine- period.
August 21, 2007

Rob Martinez
I’m a newbie. Started watching a week or so ago.
August 21, 2007

Sasori
Another nice episode Gary, keep up the good work. I love how you were baffled in the end… interesting and intriguing, profound.
August 21, 2007

yowens
what a downer of a finish- sorry that wine sucked. QOTD: I dont think so. I think I own a Baron Herzog but thats where my Kosherness starts and ends.
August 21, 2007

tarheel17
It’s OK to be stupefied in the face of wine: Happens to me all the time!
I’ve had manichewitz. I only keep kosher when the urge hits me. It hasn’t hit me in the last three years, so I haven’t sought out any kosher wines. I see them all the time on the shelves of the local store, though.

I’m sticking with my current obsession: Washington Wines and producers. Trying to learn the homeland. You should join me one day on WLTV!

Megan
August 21, 2007

bossman
I’m a newbie…… at heart. WLTV hasn’t failed to be fresh and exciting yet.

You and Chris have a pic with the wristband and a collection of TC’s in your email. They’ll be a FedEx at the store in the morning. I can do no more (actually I can/did but that’s for another day). Quit your bellyaching.

QOTD: I believe I’m sitting on one (either that or my butt has gotten awfully lumpy of late). I can’t be bothered to wade through Cork’d individually and since I can’t export the list I’ll opt to reserve a response until I run across it and then I’ll post it when it’s least relevant to the subject at hand (I have standards and a tradition to uphold don’t you know).

Welcome back.
August 21, 2007

KenP
Very interesting ep. Welcome back.
QOTD: Haven’t, but will try soon.
August 21, 2007

wmole
Yeh, the whole Baron Herzog lineup…over/under 20. They’re 10 minutes away and their tasting room/winery/restaurant is beautiful as are their wines and grub.
August 21, 2007

SteveW
69 points for a $69 bottle of wine, I think I’ll give it a major Pazzzzzzzzzz
with 10 Z’s.
August 21, 2007

davidB
QOTD – never had kosher wine period no matter the price point…..
August 21, 2007

winelynn
Have never had a kosher wine…
August 21, 2007

Malphas
QOTD: None ever, and none yet. Sorry the episode went 0 for 3 on the kosher wines.
August 21, 2007

Tom T.
I’m a NY Giants fan and right now am as confused as to why the Giants traded Philip Rivers for Eli as you were with that last wine. I really think Eli’s confused out on the field.
QOTD no.
August 21, 2007

Scott S
QOTD: No never had one and don’t plan to. Too expensive.