Jules Polonetsky
One of the exciting things about appreciating wine is that it often inspires a lifetime of learning about wine. New winemakers are always emerging, new methods and techniques are being introduced and new trends bring to the market styles of wine that are interesting to try.
There are numerous wineries with unique stories behind the winemaker and winemaking regions around the world where learning about the terroir adds to an appreciation of the local vineyards and wines produced in that area. Some quality wines age well, revealing new characteristics and improving over the years, but it takes some effort to learn which ones age well and to stay in the know as aficionados taste those wines every year and report on their development.
Where can you go to find this information? For the general market of wines, there are myriad sources. Respected publications such as Decanter, Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate are widely read and, even if they rarely cover kosher wines, the information about developments in the world of wine can be fascinating. Wine expert and writer Jancis Robinson has an eponymous website and numerous publications, and Wall Street Journal wine writer Lettie Teague is always informative. And, of course, the Wine and Whiskey Globe, where I write, has a wide range of articles.
But if you stick to kosher wines and want to learn and follow the latest developments, the top general wine publications will only occasionally pay attention to Israeli wines or kosher wines. The kosher consumer needs to track down the experts writing about kosher wine and keep tabs. Following is a quick overview of some of the sources I follow to make sure I stay in the know. Get to know them and some will eagerly share advice and suggestions, as most write as a labor of love. Others are “in the business,” but the ones I mention that are in the trade are trusted and respected for their honest opinions regardless of their day jobs.
Let’s start with some of the top kosher wine bloggers: David Raccah, Avi Davidowitz and Yossie Horwitz. Based on the West Coast, Israel and New Jersey, respectively, these guys have been tasting and rating kosher wines for decades, traveling the world to meet winemakers and attend tastings. They publish scores and quality ratings for different price levels and readily share their opinions on their websites or newsletters.
All three have professional careers outside of wine and are respected for their independent and honest takes. They aren’t shy about telling us when a wine is a failure. But do note that they have strong opinions, and you may find your palate disagrees, as is your right. For example, some kosher wine writers are not fans of many Israeli wines, finding them to be far too fruit forward. But the Israeli winemakers producing wine in this style are doing it to please their customers, even if the more refined palates may prefer more elegant styled Old World European wines. You get to decide what you like. But it can be enlightening to read and follow the debate.
Horwitz is famed in wine circles for launching the Rosh Chodesh Clubs, a regular get-together now taking place in dozens of communities around the world. Kosher wine geeks get together around a meal and fine bottles of wine and discuss.
Social media and podcasts are now a great source of kosher wine information. Much of what you will come across is likely to be wineries promoting their wines or marketers, but some marketing can be informative. Ralph Madeb, “the wine doctor,” works with top wineries in Italy and France to produce and important kosher runs of unique wines and is prolific on social media sharing his activities. Herzog Wine Cellars will often host informative videos of Joseph Herzog demonstrating wine production and discussing developments in the vineyards the family owns in California. Elvi Wines often shares fun behind-the-scenes videos from their properties in Spain.
However, the granddaddy of kosher wine social media is the Kosher Wines: Sharing & Experiences Facebook group run by Gabriel Geller. Geller, a top executive at Royal Wine Corp and one of the most respected global kosher wine experts, has managed the 7,200-person and growing group for more than a decade. The group is a great place to keep up with the latest in kosher wine and a great place to search for information about a bottle you are considering buying. Over at Instagram, Baltimore-based Dr. Kenneth Friedman, aka Kosher Wine Tastings, posts regular reviews of wines, video discussions with his podcast partner, and a bonus occasional post on his gourmet food explorations. Also on Instagram, @KosherWineExplorer is a great option for expert reviews.
In Israel, two of my favorite sources are Adam Montefiore and Yechiel Volgel. Montefiore is a wine trade veteran and wine writer known as the “English Voice of Israeli Wine.” His column appears in the Jerusalem Post. Vogel is an up-and-comer who works in the wine business and posts reviews at @YechielDrinksWine.
These are just a few of my favorites, and I will mention others in future columns. Read up. The more you know about kosher wine, the more you will enjoy and be able to make better decisions about what to buy and serve.
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.