Fred Tasker’s Wine Suggestions

Passover begins at sundown Monday, so many people who are hosting seders are looking for the proper kosher wines. Some people are looking for square bottles of sweet kosher wine – out of preference or tradition. This is fine.

Others want to take advantage of the fact that there now are literally dozens of wines that are dry and excellent and just as kosher as the square bottles. You can get zinfandel from California, merlot from Israel, sauvignon blanc from New Zealand, Bordeaux from France. Pretty much whatever you want.

The rules for kosher wines are pretty straightforward. To be kosher, a wine must be made according to Jewish dietary laws. Often, the word kosher does not appear on the bottle. Instead, it may be identified by the symbol of a U in a circle, meaning it has been approved by the Orthodox Union.

If the letter P follows the circled U, it means the wine is made to even stricter standards and is kosher to Passover. This may be what you want.

If you see the word “mevushal” on the back label, it means the wine has been “flash pasteurized” and may be poured for observant Jews by non-Jewish servers. Mefushal in Hebrew literally means “cooked.” This could come into play if you’re having a Seder at a big hotel.

Here are a couple of examples of excellent kosher wine:

• The Barons Edmond & Benjamin de Rothschild Bordeaux Blend. This is a fine red wine from France’s famous Bordeaux region. It’s about $30.
• The Goose Bay Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. New Zealand makes the best sauvignon blancs in the world. It’s about $20.
• The Hagafen Lake County White Riesling, from California. It’s very crisp, almost spritzy, and slightly off-dry. It’s also about $20.

So now you can raise a toast to a happy and blessed Passover.