Kosher wine
Guidelines for Kosher Wine
There is a process that goes into making kosher wine, and in order for the wine to be considered kosher, the process must be followed completely. Once the process is followed completely, the wine can then be consumed by Jewish people.
The first step of the process has to do with the vineyards. Grapes to make kosher wine cannot be grown on vines that are less than four years old. If a vine is less than four years old, the wine will not be considered kosher. Therefore, the creators of the wine have to take special care in knowing how old their vines are.
Also, fruits and vegetables cannot be grown between the vines if the wine’s going to be kosher. In addition, every seven years the fields must not grow anything. Then, after that year, they can be used once again.
There are also strict guidelines about who may harvest the wine. The only people who may harvest and make the wine are male Jews that observe the Sabbath. If there are workers in the winery that are not Sabbath observing male Jews, they will not be able to help in the process at all.
All equipment they use must be kosher. In addition, they cannot use any animal products while making the wine. While animal products are not used for taste in wine, there are some wineries that use products such as eggs in order to help with the production. This cannot be done when making kosher wine.
After the wine is made, it is only kosher if it is not opened or poured by someone who is not Jewish. If that occurs, it is no longer kosher and cannot be consumed. That means kosher wine is no longer kosher if someone orders it from a restaurant and a non Jewish waiter pours it for them.
There is a way around this. Wine can be boiled during the creation process. This process, referred to as Mevushal, protects the kosher wine. Even if it is touched by someone who is not Jewish, the wine will still be kosher. Tests have shown there is not much of a difference in taste when the wine is boiled.
Kosher wine is a large undertaking for some wineries, which is why it is important to purchase the wine from a winery that can handle the job. Wineries that have the money and employees to make kosher wine can often make wine that tastes great.
-- The author, Adherents, runs the website adherents.com which collects and presents statistics and other information on religion. Adherents.com is the leading authority when referencing religious statistics for the TV news and print media. © 2008 http://www.adherents.com - All Rights Reserved
Related Judaism Articles that you may find interesting: