Jules Polonetsky
We may not be Napa Valley, but from Maryland and Northern Virginia to Baltimore and Philadelphia, exciting developments in the Mid-Atlantic are boosting our region’s reputation for kosher wines.
We begin with a significant milestone in Frederick County, Maryland. Loew Vineyards, a family-run winery with deep Jewish roots and a reputation for craftsmanship, is entering the kosher wine world. Starting this year, many of Loew’s celebrated honey wines will be kosher-certified by the Star-K. Managed by winemaker Rachel Lipman and owned by her grandmother Lois Loew who founded the winery in Frederick in 1982 with husband William Loew, the business carries on a tradition of meads that the Loew family produced as far back as the mid-1800s in Lwów, Poland.
Loew Vineyards also has an impressive reputation for its grape-based wines, many of which are made from grapes grown on the four-acre estate at a 600-foot elevation in schist and granite soils with excellent drainage. An easy drinking Barbera Neuvo (which undergoes carbonic maceration like a Beaujolais Neuvo) will be the first released under a Conservative kosher certification in the upcoming months.
In general, Conservative wine certification requires tanks and barrels to be kashered and ensures that yeasts and ingredients are kosher, but doesn’t require that only Sabbath-observant Jews are involved in the handling of the wine. Lipman plans for all the red, white and sparkling wines she makes to eventually be under the supervision of Rabbi Jordan Hersh of Beth Sholom Congregation in Frederick, the synagogue her grandparents attended. Of particular note is a wine made from 42-year-old estate-grown Chancellor vines and a lovely Cabernet Franc which has snagged top awards. The 2022-labeled “Simcha” is a sparkling Chardonnay that is uniquely tiraged with local wildflower honey. Check the website to get on the kosher email list or to make reservations for a tasting visit.
Another winery producing top-quality wines in our region is Binah Winery, a boutique urban winery in Allentown, Pennsylvania, selling wine since 2020. Winemaker Kevin Danna successfully crafts wines from grapes less common to the kosher market, such as Chambourcin, Traminette, Cayuga White, and Vidal and Seyval Blanc, along with mainstays like Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay. Binah sources grapes from vineyards in Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Danna told me that consumers are most excited about his sparkling wines, which include a Blanc du Blanc that has won rave reviews, along with Bordeaux-style blends and Chardonnay. These varietals are anticipated to be the main focus of the OU kosher-certified winery in the future. Order delivery directly from the winery at the Binah website.
Another exciting name to know is Camuna Cellars, a small but ambitious winery operating in Philadelphia. Launched initially as a side project in California by then Covenant Winery employee Eli Silins, Camuna produces natural, minimal-intervention wines from regional grapes such as Fredonia, Niagara, Gruner Veltliner, Chambourcin, Norton and Blaufrankisch. Silins operates under Green Mountain Kosher, which has been described as an alternative heimish “punk rock” certification started by a rabbi friend of Silins “for folks who opt-out of more costly mainstream certification.” A source tells me that Camuna may soon pick up the more established Keystone K supervision of Philadelphia.
Speaking of Philly, we should mention a development at Zahav, the city’s nationally acclaimed Israeli restaurant. Although Zahav isn’t certified kosher, they have teamed up with Israel’s Vitkin Winery to release kosher wines designed to complement Zahav’s cuisine. So far, a Grenache Blanc, Grenache Noir and a Mediterranean blend have been released under the Galia by Zahav label and more are expected.
Finally let’s visit Molon Lave Vineyards, the first and only Virginia farm winery to produce kosher wines. Located on a beautiful 50-acre property a short drive from Washington, D.C., the winery will arrange tastings of their OU kosher Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, if you call ahead. Winemaker and owner Louizos Papadopoulos is also in the jewelry business and was inspired by an observant business partner in the New York City Diamond District to produce kosher wines he could enjoy.
Keeping up with all these exciting developments can be overwhelming, which is why the newly revamped “Kosher Food and Drink” website (formerly the Kosher Epicurean Society) by Baltimore’s Dr. Kenneth Friedman and Silver Spring’s David Zakar is such a welcome addition. Friedman is well known for his wine writing and curated food and wine events and Zakar has long informally published detailed restaurant reviews. The duo has now teamed up to provide an essential resource for staying informed and exploring food and wine across the Mid-Atlantic and beyond.
Have I missed any local kosher wine news? Let me know and I will try to include the news in a future column or at my wine education site at
kosher-wine.org.
L’Chaim! ■
Jules Polonetsky is a Wine and Spirits Education Trust Level 3 Certified wine expert who writes for the Wine and Whiskey Globe when not occupied with his day job as CEO of a tech policy think tank. He is a former consumer affairs commissioner of the city of New York.
