This ceremonial goblet is known as a Kiddush cup.

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In the Spirit of Sukkot

Kosher wine selections from Hagafen and Recanati add a new twist to fall Jewish holidays

Posted: September 11, 2006

Fall is a busy season on the Jewish calendar, even beyond Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah. The fifth day after Yom Kippur marks the beginning of Sukkot, a joyous weeklong harvest celebration. The festive Simchat Torah and Shmini Atzeret are celebrated on the same day in Israel—the eighth day counting from the beginning of Sukkot. While traditional holiday foods may have remained the same, kosher wines have not.

Kosher wines—made mostly in accordance with the Orthodox standard of kashrut—have never been better. Though kosher wines were once sweet, simple wines produced from Concord grapes, the majority of them are now made from fine-wine grapes, such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Many are also sourced from top growing regions, including Napa Valley in California, Bordeaux in France, Rioja in Spain and Piedmont in Italy.

We recommend that you try one of the kosher wines recently sampled by Wine Spectator's tasting department. All six have been rated either good or very good. One of our selections—a Sauvignon Blanc—is from Napa Valley's Hagafen, a large winery founded more than two decades ago by Irit and Ernie Weir. Our other white and four reds are from Recanati in Hefer Valley, Israel. The winery was established at the turn of the millennium; Recanati's head winemaker, Lewis Pasco, is a Napa Valley transplant.