The Kosher Wine

Steps in the kosher wine-making process

The first step, before harvesting even begins, is to organize an inspection of the wine cellars to obtain religious approval. Once the cellars and equipment have been approved by the rabbinical authorities, the owner and the négociant draw up detailed specifications of all the work required to produce a kosher wine. From the very first steps in production all the way through to bottling, kosher wine must be produced by a practising Jew: this is the defining criterion for the certification of kosher wine. The rabbinical delegates, “Shomrim”, under the authority of the producer, are the only ones who may legitimately perform all the necessary operations. The producer retains overall control of the winemaking process, passing on the necessary techniques to the Shomrim. Thanks to their vast experience and their knowledge of all the techniques of France’s wine-producing regions, the Shomrim make a major contribution to the success of a vintage.

Harvesting and koshering

The grapes are harvested by hand or machine by the usual personnel, up until the moment when they are tipped from the trailer into the receiving bin. Once the grapes reach the cellars, they are handled exclusively by the Shomrim. Beforehand, the Shomrim will have ensured the koshering with boiling water of every piece of equipment used, taking special care to remove all impurities. Pumps, presses and transfer vats are meticulously cleaned and scoured with boiling water before they are fit to receive the first grapes. Storage vats are first descaled then purified, undergoing ritual washing by three successive 24-hour soakings in cold water.

Winemaking

Kosher wine is made by exactly the same processes as non-kosher wine. The vats are carefully closed, sealed and labelled by the Shomrim, and all the winemaking operations (pressing the grapes, drawing off the juice, filtration, cooling, sampling, opening and closing of the vats, bottling) are also carried out by the Shomrim under the watchful eye and responsibility of the vineyard owner. Only natural additives, approved by the rabbinical authorities, may be using to make the wines, ruling out all non-natural additives such as sulphates, preservatives, citric acid, isinglass, gelatine, etc. Shomrim, owner and négociant work together, sharing their experience and adhering equally to religious rules and to traditional winemaking methods.All our kosher wines are made by traditional methods.