by valerie ashe
correspondent
The Passover seder is one of the most ritualistic meals of the Jewish tradition, observing and dramatizing freedom from centuries of bondage under Egyptian rule some 3,300 years ago. The seder can be a solemn event, annually rehashing the suffering of an entire people under oppressive circumstances, but it’s also a remembrance of the freedom finally achieved through faith and perseverance.
Any ritual that dictates serving four brimming glasses of wine must be a celebration. To ensure the feast is even more special, why not make those four glasses (and all that you’ll imbibe throughout the meal) high-quality, kosher wines that will enhance the celebration?
Maybe the last time you asked about the significance of each seder course was during Maggid when you were a child — or perhaps you never wondered at all. But this year, make it a time to reconnect to the senses of the traditions, to celebrate the meaning and the flavors of each course. With the celebration of cultural and spiritual freedom that is the seder, there is no reason to suffer, only reason to celebrate with the best ingredients available.
Kosher wines are no exception. Contrary to the tradition of serving sweet wines at the seder or any other Jewish celebration, modern kosher wines are no longer always the sticky-sweet Concord grape variety. Beyond California and Israel, you can find fine quality kosher wines from the United States, Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, Italy, Spain and South Africa, among other nations, to fill each of the four required glasses of Passover seder and beyond.
Because wine is a natural food companion, it makes sense to carefully pair each glass with the most significant and flavorful elements of the meal. In a seder, charoset, bitter herbs and herb-roasted lamb, duck or chicken are the standout players. Pairing them with fine kosher wines doesn’t minimize the tradition and the meaning of each of these courses — rather, it can heighten the awareness of the flavors, and their meanings, with a perfect complement.
In the practice of introducing the palette to lighter wines before heavier ones, try filling the Kiddush cup, the first glass of wine of the four required for the seder, with a 2005 Galil Pinot Noir ($18.99). With flavors of wild berries and pleasantly sour red cherries balanced by floral violet and herbal, tobacco notes, it’s a terrific wine to start the seder. Not only is the Pinot Noir grape considered a great miracle in the wine world (its thin skin and preference for cool, moist climates makes it susceptible to mildew, rot, splitting and imbalanced acidity), its thoughtful sophistication will help center you and your guests to meditate on the sanctity of the meal and readings to come.
For the second glass of wine to tell the story of the Exodus (Maggid), migrate to a heavier wine like the 2004 Galil Yiron ($19.99). This wine from the Upper Galilee area of Israel is 60 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 40 percent Merlot, making for a traditional Bordeaux-style wine: elegant and full-bodied with aromas that Kosherwines.com describes as “a rich black cherry-berry nose balanced with fine notes of dried herbs, vanilla and oak.” A wine like this will pair well with roasted red-meat dishes or hearty vegetarian fare you may serve after Shulchan Orech, the seder meal. You’ll appreciate the miracle of the food-wine pairing before settling to eat the main Passover meal.
Barech, the blessings after the meal, is a display of thanksgiving for the abundance of freedom. This is the time to enjoy the third glass of wine, as a symbol of freedom and pleasure.
When describing Barech, the Chabad Web site states, “When we say [Barech] out loud, with joy and sincerity, we initiate a reciprocal current. The energy we receive is bounced back with even greater force, replenishing all the higher worlds and ethereal beings through which it passed on its way here. The channels of life are widened and their currents grow strong.”
Of course, a couple glasses of wine may influence these results, but that’s what wine is for: to sharpen our senses through increased blood flow, thereby stimulating relaxation and pleasure.
For Barech, pour the 2001 Alfasi Cabernet Sauvignon Special Reserve ($9.49). Chile is turning out fine, inexpensive wines these days, and kosher wines are no exception. This wine is a basic, solid red with rich black berry flavors and overtones of anise (black licorice) that would pair well with braised meats like brisket or lamb, but also stands well on its own.
You may choose to continue with the wine from Barech into Hallel for the fourth glass poured for the prophet Elijah, and for reciting the Psalms of Praise. Or you can vary the wine selection with a glass of 2002 Chateau Le Crock St. Estephe ($41.99). Even Elijah would appreciate this Cru Bourgeois wine from Bordeaux, France, with black fruit aromas and taste, crisp yet balanced acidity and generous tannins.
Many Jewish families still honor the tradition of serving Manischewitz and Mogen David wines, so if you’re interested in trying new wines but aren’t ready to dismiss the traditional sweetness, try transitioning with a bottle of Golan Moscato 2007 ($9.99).
While red wines are typically the unspoken standard at Passover seders, a lightly sparkling, aromatic, somewhat sweet white wine is perfectly acceptable. The Moscato will pair nicely with the apples, nuts and cinnamon in charoset and would make a lovely dessert wine with lighter fare such as fresh citrus fruit or macaroons. It could even stand up to horseradish or other bitter flavors.
Alternatively, Beckett’s Flat winery in Australia makes a mevushal Chardonnay that, with the varietal’s natural apple aromas and flavors, would also complement charoset as well as any non-chocolate dessert.
For any meal, the quality of wine served can dictate the entire experience. Of all meals throughout the year, Pesach is an opportunity to marry the senses with the meaning of the celebration, commemorating freedom from oppression and suffering — but most of all, celebrating abundance and expressing gratitude.
All wine prices in this article are quoted from Kosherwine.com unless otherwise noted.
CopyrightJ, the Jewish news weekly of Northern California