best Kosher wine to have with oysters?

[berel]

I'm attaching my a photo of my choice ;-)

I took this photo Motzei Shabbos of some wine I had for Shabbos lunch (no oysters) ;-)

[CloggieGirl]

A few years ago, I recall seeing the suggestion to add cubed ham or chopped hotdogs on the back of a box of Wacky Mac.

I actually welcome this kind of stuff if it means that kosher products that are harder to find, such as wine or cheese, become more widely consumed and therefore available. It will also help shake the notion that kosher wine is like Maneshewitz or kosher cheese is only "processed cheese food."

When I lived in Holland, I would have had to take a train ride half way across the country just to find KLP matzah but for the fact that many Dutch people have matzot with their Easter meals and so the matzah boxes had pictures of ham or taglines about "perfect for your easter table" printed on them. This meant I could get them at the corner grocery, especially after a friend of mine ate all of mine while idly noshing.

[Kosher Wine Musings]

I have never had oysters, but from what people say, the new Flam Blanc would be killer with Oysters! A lovely bright yet mouth filling wine. Another killer would be the Covenant Red C Sauvignon Blanc.

Later!

[helou]

I always enjoy seeing the Dairy designation on hot dog rolls. There are many items which used to be designated pareve by the hechshering organizations, but then suddenly, inexplicably they became dairy. Maybe I'm cynical (OK, definitely I'm cynical) but I don't believe so many products went through recipe changes all at once. I have to believe there were other, highly machmir, forces at play.

[queenscook]

I don't understand. Are you implying that the products which now have a dairy designation always were dairy, but used to be marked parve? Is that what you mean by " inexplicably they became dairy. . . but I don't believe so many products went through recipe changes all at once." So what are you saying--that they actually always were dairy?

By the way, I don't think any of the major hechsher agencies will give their imprimatur to dairy hot dog rolls, or indeed, to any dairy bread. The halacha is pretty clear about dairy bread having to look different than other bread, etc. I can't recall a dairy designation on bread with any hechsher other than a plain K, which, as most people know, isn't the hechsher of any single organization, but various ones of differing levels of trustworthiness to different people.

[GilaB]

I think that helou is referring to policy changes that resulted in kashrus organizations referring to stuff made on dairy equipment as 'dairy', full stop.

[ferret]

A lot of breads are also formulated with whey these days.

[helou]

That's correct. There used to be a DE designation, which referred to dairy equipment, which I haven't seen for a while.
Although, there are questions as to whether or not the cleansing process which machinery goes through when they change the product being run (i.e., when they switch from a pareve product, say a plain cracker, to a dairy bisquit) is sufficient to have kashered the equipment. I've read orthodox opinions that the machines get kashered in the process. This is not just to satisfy the kosher consumer. All the manufacturers are concerned about allergies, etc.
In the case of the dairy certification, I think it's a result of the "better safe than sorry" mentality, rather than it truly being a dairy product.

[ferret]

Kosher certification has never been about the product and always about the supervision. I visited a dairy that was making a run of Kosher cheese, which occurred once every other month or so. There wasn't a single step they took in making the Kosher product that didn't happen any other day of the year (they only used an OU rennet at the dairy). However, as with a tree falling in a forest, absent someone present to certify the process it didn't really matter what they did the rest of the year. And the Kosher label only paid for 2 days of certification for a couple of runs.

[craigcep]

I would bet money that if a bakery has an OU pareve line and a K dairy line that the OU is providing all the supervision. It's just they won't put their hechsher on dairy bread. Same supervision though.

[zsero]

Actually the dairy bread would not be using the same equipment as the pareve bread, or the hechsher wouldn't allow the pareve bread either. So it's probably NOT the same supervision. The K bread may not have any supervision at all; it may simply be the company's assertion that the bread is kosher.

[queenscook]

Also, if it's an official hechsher, even a K, then the store or brand would probably be allowed to reveal who is overseeing the production for kashrut purposes. I am sure no major agency like the OU would allow their name to be used in such a situation, so I agree with zsero that it's probably just the company itself that feels the product is kosher, based on ingredients.

[AdinaA]

Just received this important kashruth alert form the OU:

"Mislabeling

"Some boxes of Manischewitz Cheese Blintzes mistakenly display the word ‘pareve’. This product is certified by the Orthodox Union and is dairy. Corrective measures are being implemented."

Honestly, you can't make this stuff up.

I know, I know, parve cheesecake exists, so probably parve cheese blintzes exist, still....

[susiejane]

Adina,

Tofutti makes parve blintzes that are sold in Trader Joe's. I actually used them this past Shavuous as I had someone seriously watching cholesterol .

[berel]

Just got an email from the O-U
Dear *****

Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.

Normally, the OU doesn’t restrict companies from listing recipes or serving suggestions that may include non-kosher. With kosher wine (made specifically for the kosher market) we can be more assertive. I am instructing this winery to change the label for next year.

Have a wonderful Shabbat.

Regards,
Rabbi Nachum Z. Rabinowitz
Rabbinic Coordinator
ORTHODOX UNION

[ferret]

Do we really have to narc on someone's marketing efforts? Especially in a tough economy? Let the guy say "great kosher wine for an orgy" if it means that sales will improve.

[avitrek]

Do we really need to perpetuate wine as being "made specifically for the kosher market"? As long as that mindset continues, we will end up with inferior products. How about encouraging wineries to produce wines capable of competing in the general market that also happen to be kosher. If that means a wine saying it pairs with oysters, pork, or another un-kosher product, so be it.

[shaytmg]

Berel,

Who are you to determine what a winery can say? I think your actions were completely inappropriate and is likely to have a direct impact on someone's livelihood. Very bad move.

[berel]

I'm nobody. but the O-U is "somebody"

[gotcholent]

This company is paying alot of $$$ to the OU for supervision and the use of their logo on their bottles. Is it Berryl's fault for bringing to attention something that the OU should have seen before charging that company in the first place. I am surprised as well that the OU would try and interfere with a company trying to appeal to a wider market without sacrificing the Kashrut of their product. Ok so PAM can show a sliced ham on their label and the OU has no problem cashing their check, but kosher wine being sold outside the tribe....never??? What Rubish...not that the goyim are knocking down the doors for our wines anyways.

[ganeden]

Luis Felipe Edwards created this line of wines, one of many lines they produce, specifically for the kosher market. The OU therefore cannot place a stumbling block before the blind. As simple as that. If they produced just Terre Vega, and marketed to everyone, with a teeny-tiny OU on the label, then you're right, the OU should not interfere. But the whole brand here was developed to be their kosher line, as opposed to the other 8 brands produced there under for their own marketing , and other brands produced for others or in response to different niche markets. I can't see where a prominent display of kashrus can then justify a recommendation to drink with oysters.

[PotatoPuff]

Do you really think that someone would see this suggestion and go out and buy oysters to have with the wine?

[ganeden]

Not the point. Since it's specifically targeting Jews, it just shouldn't say it. On the other hand, it wasn't worth a recall, and the OU did not call for one. They are just having the company remove it from the packaging of succeeding vintages.

[kathyloveskosher]

Now berel, you have spoiled someone else from a good chuckle at the Shabbos or Yom Table table, where did your sense of humor go?

[Clarissa]

Wow! Not cool. Kosher wineries can sell (and market) to the non-kosher customer base. I left this board years ago because there were too many self-appointed kosher police hounds here.

[mrotmd]

Wow! hopefully the kosher wine is NOT being marketed to the kosher consumer only... It would literally take the Israeli wine industry out of business. Israel competes in the wine world market with the rest of the world... Expanding the market is a sure wine to increase the quality. Stick to Extra Sweet Manischewitz and leave the real wine industry alone. It certainly is does not look it is for you.

[shaytmg]

Way better than saying it goes with chulent and brisket. No kidding, I have seen this on a bottle of kosher wine.

[berel]

well I will drink wine with chulent and briskey, oysters on the hand.....

[gotcholent]

Maybe it's just southern thing....but how about Rocky Mtn Oysters in that cholent....HA!

[DeisCane]

LOL

they probably put the same thing on all their sauv blanc bottles, regardless of kashrut.

[mrotmd]

I agree :) with kosher wines competing in the international arena, the pairing has to be independent of the kasher issues of the paired food.

[berel]

probably, but when I was reading the bottle @ Shabbos lunch I said "what the..." and just had to laugh.

[AdinaA]

Her, whenever I'm eating oysters I order the treif wine. ;-)

Seriously, I love the little absurdities you read on labels. Thanks for the chuckle.

[ferret]

As in "Kosher for Passover and year round."

[AdinaA]

Yes. I like that one. I am also fond of cream cheese and cottage cheese labels that read OU-D.

However did our grandmothers run kosher kitchens without someone at the OU to tell them that cottage cheese was milchig?

[ferret]

That one I actually get because the OU has fixed deignations depending on the classification of the product being certified:

http://www.oukosher.org/index.php/com...

[SoCal Mother]

Well I occasionally buy parve cheese and parve cream cheese. But still...

[ferret]

Perhaps they're referring to "prairie oysters"?