The Domaine du Castel Grand Vin is one of the best Israeli Cabernet based wines; surely the best Bordeaux styled Israeli wine. Best to buy it young and age it like you would a good Bordeaux as older vintages tend to be rather expensive. The Petit Castel, which contains a higher percentage of Merlot than the Grand Vin, is a good choice for drinking younger. At release it is around half the price of the Grand Vin.
That’s not correct. The actual handling of the wine has to be done by observant Jews whether it’s mevushal or not. Mevushal just means it stays kosher even if the bottle is opened and served by non-observant. For people who care about their wine being kosher, mevushal is only relevant for buying wine for weddings and events and the like.
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Making fun of me for that is not kosher.
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Not a worry - it doesn’t need to be mevushal for you to carry it. Mevushal is only relevant for opening and serving it. The best kosher wines aren’t mevushal and obviously have been shipped and carried all over the world by all sorts of unidentified people.
If you do not open it, then it doesn’t matter if it is Mevushal. Heathen idolaters are not permitted to serve the wine because other may see them and believe, whether true or not, that they are celebrating the evilness of their pagan beliefs. Which is why I hate the idea of Kosher wine in the first place.
And just for fun, note that the phrase don’t judge a book by its cover is a perversion of an ancient saying from Pirke Avot in the Mishnah about wine
“Don’t look at the wine cask, but at that which is in it: there is a new cask full of old wine, and an old cask in which there is not even new wine.”
Thanks all. I think the recipient will be comfortable with either Hebrew text on the label or it it being made in Israel, which sounds like it should be pretty universal
The last two Passover seders i have served Jezreel Argaman after reading an article about it. Fairly easy to find online.
Argaman is a unique grape developed in Israel
Chateau Guiraud makes a kosher labeling of their Sauternes!
Not sure if it’s all bottles or a portion of production.
I tried finding it, but couldn’t with just a Google search. A customer had this website that had a pretty robust Kosher wine library. It’s a user curated list where people call wineries and find out if the wines are Kosher / Kosher for Passover. If someone else knows what this resource is definitely link it!
They carry some of the kosher wines I have gotten as a club member of a winery.
Debuted last month to our club members, Kingsmark Cabernet Sauvignon stands as a milestone: the first kosher wine created by renowned Napa winemakers Philippe Melka and Maayan Koschitzky. Rooted in a century-old family tradition, the 2021 vintage merges legacy with innovation, setting a new benchmark by combining acclaimed Napa expertise with dedication to kosher excellence and redefining what kosher wine can achieve at the highest level.
Kingsmark Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2021 $380
The story of Kingsmark begins with founder Whitney Skibell. Her family’s legacy is firmly planted in entrepreneurship and dedication to quality, spanning generations. This history inspired her pursuit of excellence and innovation. Her great-great-grandfather, Joseph Rudnitsky, was an immigrant entrepreneur. Her grandfather, Samuel Rudd, built Standard Mercantile and helped shape the Kansas wine and spirits industry. Her uncle, Leslie Rudd, left an indelible mark on Napa Valley as a vintner (Rudd Estate), philanthropist, and innovator. For Whitney, this wine is the realization of a personal dream. It embodies her family’s values, respects their history, and sets a new standard for kosher winemaking.
Kosher wine is often overlooked in the boutique category, but Kingsmark changes that perception. Every step of its production follows the strictest kosher protocols: from harvest to crushing, only Sabbath-observant individuals handle the fruit; no animal products are used in fining; and every detail, from fermentation to bottling, meets the Union of Orthodox Rabbis standards. Unlike many kosher wines, Kingsmark does not undergo high-heat pasteurization (Mevushal), preserving the natural complexity, depth, and elegance of Napa Cabernet.
This is kosher wine elevated to its rightful place among the world’s finest.
Whitney takes these rigid Kosher winemaking rules and integrates them into the Napa Valley palate by using world-class fruit and top winemakers. The fruit for the 2021 Cabernet comes from Georges III and Roy Estate vineyards and is brought to life by Philippe and Maayan whose expert knowledge of Napa Valley’s winegrowing and decades of cellar experience show in the eye-popping quality of this gorgeous wine. On the nose, Kingsmark 2021 offers black cherry, cassis, and ripe plum, with hints of mocha, graphite, and baking spice. The palate is bold yet refined, with structured tannins and flavors of dark chocolate, blackcurrant, and espresso. It finishes with lingering cedar and violet. This wine is powerful and elegant—a Cabernet for collectors, connoisseurs, and devout dreamers.