581806 Sun Dec 21 07:48:03 -0800 2008 4 34 Wine 0 4263574 I am going to my first Chanukah party tonight and want to bring a nice Kosher wine as a hostess gift since I don't know whether they will be keeping Kosher for the party. Even if they don't put the wine out tonight I would want them to be able to enjoy it at another time. Any help would be great. Bonus points if I could get a great pairing with gelt, which I'm also hoping to bring. I would also like to keep it under $75. Sun Dec 21 07:48:03 -0800 2008 11701 MrsT 1 4263628 First things first: unless the hostess is strictly observant and keeps a Kosher household "24/7/365," wine need not be Kosher for them to enjoy. Kosher wines are important at Passover, and many Jews -- the majority of whom, at least in the US, do NOT keep Kosher -- will often purchase wines which are certified "Kosher for Passover" for the Seder meal. On the other hand, if your hostess DOES keep a Kosher household, then the party itself will also be Kosher, and so should your wine. Keeping it under $75 is no problem whatsoever, because it's impossible to spend that much. The most expensive Israeli wine I know is $100 and is NOT "Kosher for Passover." Indeed, many Israeli wines are not. Indeed, many Israeli wines are not very good, either, but that's a different thread. For our Chanukah party, we are serving brisket of beef, potato latkes, salad, a cheese course (clearly we don't keep Kosher; you are not supposed to mix milk and meat at the same meal), and lots of wines from all over the world -- France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, California, New Zealand . . . who knows! None of these will be Kosher. Do you know what kind of wine -- Cabernet, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, etc. -- your hostess likes? I would look NOT to Israel but to California. Hagafen Cellers -- http://www.hagafen.com/hagafen/index.jsp -- produces excellent Napa Valley wines (Cabernet, Zinfandel, Syrah, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and more!) that just happen to be Kosher, too. And that's the best kind of Kosher wine! Prices range from the $18-50 range . . . Other Californa producers include Weinstock and Baron Hertzog. Several European producers make Kosher wines in addition to their "regular" wines, but -- again -- you usually only see them around Passover. For example, Martini & Rossi -- or is it Cinzano? -- makes an Asti Spumante that is Kosher for Passover, and some wine shops will bring a couple of cases in time for the Passover Seder. You don't see it much around Chanukah. "Gelt" is Yiddish for "money," and unless your hostess has gotten gourmet chocolates from Michael Rechutti, most of the gelt sold in the US is in the shape of various coins, covered in gold-colored foil, and is made by an Israeli company called Elite. It's really poor quality chocolate. No one but the kids touch the stuff, and my kids won't even finish a whole bag . . . 2-3 coins, tops! I had one coin last year, and i remembered why me, a chocoholic, avoids the stuff like the plague! Have fun, and enjoy the party! Cheers, Jason Sun Dec 21 08:21:23 -0800 2008 4263574 28122 zin1953 2 4263656 Thanks, I'm actually attempting to go to a gourmet kosher candy store not too far from where I live, they make everything on premise...if time allows. I but thanks for the recommendation, you haven't steered me wrong yet and I hope you and your family have a wonderful Chanukah! Sun Dec 21 08:30:33 -0800 2008 4263628 11701 MrsT 2 4264079 I agree with HaGafen and Baron Herzog = both make excellent California Vintages - I do have to disagree there are come excellent wines coming out of Israel - I recently had a Merlot from Dalton Wineries in the Galilee that was outstanding! There are also a number of excellent kosher wines coming out of Australia and Chile - definitely a far cry form the days of Mogen David - check out http://www.kosherwine.com/Default.asp for a an excellent listing of kosher iwnes and descriptions - Sun Dec 21 11:52:02 -0800 2008 4263628 11622 weinstein5 3 4264618 Just for the record . . . I never said ALL Israeli wines are bad, I said that many wines are. That's true. It's also true that many Israeli wines ARE good. I also said many Israeli wines are NOT "Kosher for Passover," but it's also a true statement to say that many Israeli wines ARE . . . The problem is that finding the best Israeli wines (whether or not they are Kosher) here in the US is rather difficult . . . Cheers, Jason Sun Dec 21 16:56:14 -0800 2008 4264079 28122 zin1953