Kadesh – 10 Kosher Wines for Passover

Passover begins this year in the evening of Friday, April 3 and ends in the evening of Saturday, April 11 2015.  As usual, there is an abundance of wonderful kosher wines for Passover for every budget.

With our overview of 10 kosher wines for Passover, we wanted to share a selection of recent favorites from a few new and emerging wine producers and highlight several reliable standbys that seem to always have a spot at our dinner table and would be a welcome addition to yours.

2011 Bartenura Moscato (Italy); $14.
The Moscato grape is aromatic, effervescent and relatively low in alcohol (6%).  With notes of peach and fresh cut fruit, this lightly sparkling wine is a great choice for Seder night for people who have trouble enjoying red wine or those of us who hope to finish the four cups without a hangover the next morning.

2012 Cardova Rioja Crianza (Spain); $19.
With its bright ruby red color, this wine provides wonderful hints of wild berries with a subtle background of vanilla, pepper, and bay leaf.  Aged for 12 months in carefully selected American oak casks, this refined and elegant wine is a great addition to your Passover table.

2012 Dalton Alma Cabernet Sauvignon. Merlot, Cabernet Franc (Galilee); $25.
Dalton’s Alma wine is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 15% Cabernet Franc aged for 14 months in French oak. The wine shows generous aromas of cherries, plums and sweet dark fruits with vanilla and dark chocolate.

2013 Gran Malbec (Argentina); $26.
A result of the partnership between Baron Benjamin de Rothschild and Mr. Laurent Dassault, on a unique terroir situated at the foot of the Andes cordillera, to the south of Mendoza. This hearty, sultry, spicy, mouth-filling dark-ruby wine offers raspberry, chocolate, dark licorice and light oaky flavors along with soft tannins and intense, smooth, chocolatey black fruit.

2012 Herzog Special Reserve Chardonnay (California); $29.
If you are looking for a fine white wine to enjoy during Passover, the Special Reserve Chardonnay will make an excellent choice.  Fermented and then aged for 12 months in French and American oak barrels.  The Russian River Valley’s unique climate contributes top notes of lime, chamomile, and tropical fruit with a bouquet of toasty vanilla and oak.

2012 Gvaot Cabernet Sauvignon (Shomron); $35.
Made with grapes grown in the Shomron Mountains, an area known for their rocky mountain soil and cool air, this wine is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot. Aged for 12 months in oak barrels, this wine is spicy, fruity and intense.

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2011 Tulip Reserve Syrah (Galilee); $36.
A deep, dense color that is characteristic to this variety, with prominent black fruit, flowers and eucalyptus aromas. It is heavy bodied, full and round, and it has a long, pleasant finish.

2010 Borgo Reale Barolo (Italy); $47.
Made from the finest quality Nebbiolo grapes, this elegant red hails from Italy’s famed Piedmont region with complexity further enhanced by aging in oak for 30 months. This wine carries a brilliant garnet hue with an ethereal bouquet and a long bitter cherry finish.

2011 Domaine Du Castel Grand Vin; (Judean Hills); $65.
Consisting of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot grapes, this boutique vineyard minutes from Jerusalem consistently produces an exceptional wine rivaling some of the best of Bordeaux.  The wine was aged 24 months in new French oak, with remarkable balance and smoothness and a lingering finish of dark red berry fruits.

2010 Carmel Limited Edition (Israel); $79.
A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Petit Verdot, 15% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc barrel aged in French oak for a period of 15 months.  This limited edition wine is a deep purple in color with an aroma of blackcurrants, cassis, bitter-sweet chocolate and hints of smoke.  It is full-bodied with a long, well-balanced aftertaste.

What are you serving at your Seder?

Stay tuned for more tips, tricks, menus ideas and Passover tidbits with our daily Passover Countdown articles, sign up to get them in your email here, make sure to check off Passover Countdown.

Check out all of this year’s Passover Countdown posts here.