How to Pick Kosher Wines for Hanukkah
If you and your loved ones wish to celebrate Hanukkah with a bit of wine, it must be kosher above all else. There is an ever growing number of wineries now making kosher wines so a wide variety of choices exist. Knowing how to identify a kosher wine will go a long ways in making the right choice for your Hanukkah celebration. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Pick Kosher Wines for Hanukkah
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Choose wines from regions of Israel such as Yarden and Golan Heights. The state of Israel has a high Jewish population, so its wines are almost always kosher.
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Order wines directly from a kosher winery. If you are not sure if a winery has kosher wine, you can call different vendors or speak to a local rabbi.
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Pick wines that are complimentary to your dessert or dinner. Red wines go best with brisket, while dry white wines go well with latkes or sufganiyot.
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Read the label. Labels that aren't spelled or printed properly probably contain inferior wine. A company that doesn't perfect its label may not have had the patience to perfect its wine, either.
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Check for the clearness and clarity of the wine. Unless recently produced, cloudy wines are either poorly stored or of inferior quality.
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Remember that price isn't everything. An inexpensive kosher wine and a comparable pricier kosher wine are often very similar in taste and creation. You can also learn more about what makes wine kosher at the Kosher Wine Review website (see Resources box).
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Ask a friend what kind of kosher wine he enjoys and bring a bottle when celebrating the holiday at your friend's home. Some kosher wines are sold in local wine stores, making it easy to pick up a bottle on the way over.
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Choose a drink that's one fermentation step away from being considered wine. Sparking grape juice and regular grape juice are two traditional and non-alcoholic options usually present during Jewish holidays. They also are not difficult to find in supermarkets.
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Tips & Warnings
Choosing kosher wine is like choosing non-kosher wine, except you're looking for the process by which it was made. Once you find a kosher wine carrier, focus more on the type of wine and if it will be appropriate for the meal you're hosting.
Beware of wineries that say they just clean their tanks before making kosher wine. Wineries also need to observe Jewish dietary law under rabbinical supervision in order to have their wines considered kosher.
