27
Kosher wines h ve evolve
fro the sweet red v riety
to an amazing array
avail ble for Passover.
2
a.
Ron Asmar displays his Passover wine selections.
Changing The Grape!
BY CARLA JEAN SCHWARTZ
Special to The Jewish News
Kosher wines:
a) look like grape juice
b) taste like cough syrup
c) are only for holidays
d) all of the above
Forget all of your preconceived
notions about kosher wine, because
kosher wine has evolved. Today
there are almost one hundred
sophisticated kosher wines beside
the de rigueur Concord, sweet wine.
Bordeaux, Chardonnay and Asti
Spumante are just a few of the
kosher wines that look and taste like
the wines offered in exclusive res-
taurants.
"The kosher wine industry is
improving its expertise by leaps and
bounds on a daily basis. There're
new wines from France, Italy, Ger-
many, California and Israel. We
have gone light years from the times
of Malaga and Concord grape wines
as Kiddush wines," says Paul Kohn
of Quality Kosher Catering.
Ron Asmar, owner of Vineyards
Wine Cellar on Northwestern High-
way in Farmington Hills, also be-
lieves that there are quality kosher
wines. "These fines wines should be
drunk all year long and are not only
for holidays." He suggests trying
something exciting this year for
Passover.
At a recent wine tasting, by
Raskin Food Co. for the Kedem
Royal Wine Corp., merchants and
reporters tasted international wines
with rave reviews. Some favorites
were the California selections named
after the founder of the company.
The Baron Herzog White Zinfandel
was semi-dry, full-flavored and
peach colored. The Baron Herzog
Chardonnay was a light, white wine,
while the Royal 18 was fruity and
perfect for Passover. The kosher
supervision mark of the Union of the
Orthodox Jewish Congregations of
America is inconspicuously placed in
the corner.
"This winery grew little by little
to be not only one of the largest
kosher wineries in the United States
but in the world,"says Kedem's vice
president Joseph Zucker.
The Royal Kedem Winery began
six generations ago in a small,
Czechoslovakian village founded by
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