During the period of Jewish religious holidays, every devout Jew must consume kosher wine with food. Few people care about the state of human health; religion requires everyone to fulfill this obligation. The kosher wine itself is prepared in accordance with all strict rules and canons, but the taste is no different from the usual.
The word “kosher” is translated from Hebrew as “fit”, that is, corresponding to the set of laws and rules that Jews adhere to when preparing drinks and dishes. These rules are collected in fifty commandments of the Torah, so many jokingly call Judaism “the religion of the kitchen”, but this is not about that.
Which wines are considered kosher
Kosher wine must meet the following requirements:
1. The grapes are harvested from bushes not younger than four years old.
2. If the vineyard is outside the biblical lands, it is prohibited to harvest there every seventh year.
3. Only grapes should grow in the vineyards. Sowing of vegetable and cereal crops in the aisles of bushes is not allowed.
4. After entering the plant, grapes can only be processed by Jews who strictly observed the “Sabbath” – the ban on labor on every seventh day of the week. In the process of aging and bottling kosher wine, it is allowed to use only absolutely kosher materials (the prohibition applies to substances of animal origin).
Confirmation of the kosher of wine is a special seal “ehsher” and the corresponding inscription on the label, which can only be put by the spiritual leaders of Judaism, who controlled the entire process of producing the drink.
In some cases, kosher wines are pasteurized. Jews believe that pasteurized wine can be drunk even if it was opened or poured by a person who did not keep the “Sabbath.”
Jews are prohibited from drinking wine that is suspected of being used in the rituals of other religions. As a result, an interesting custom appeared – to boil wine. The Jews believe that boiling makes the drink unsuitable for pagan rituals. Sometimes grape juice is subjected to heat treatment.
The production of kosher wine is an expensive process that does not improve its quality. Despite this, kosher wine is made not only in Israel, but also in a number of other countries, even in Russia. Kuban winemakers produce it in limited quantities. The approximate price of one bottle is 330 rubles, which is several times more expensive than a similar “simple” wine.
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