Now produced in the world�s finest wine growing regions, kosher wine sales have grown at an annual rate of over 15 percent over the last five years.

After years of struggling to shake-off the image of being inexpensive and overly sweet, many kosher wines are now gaining the respect of wine critics and attention from the trade and fine wine consumers. Kosher wines today include top varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Zinfandel, and come from France, Italy, Israel, the United States, Chile and Australia.  And the quality of these wines can�t be denied. In fact, California�s Baron Herzog Winery�s reserve line of wines under the Herzog label has received attention from wine media and trade nationally. The most recent vintage of Herzog wines (three Cabernet Sauvignons and a Chardonnay) all received a rating of over 90 points from the well-respected publication, Wine Spectator, and the wines were recently the subject of a full feature in the magazine. Furthermore, Herzog wines can be found on wine lists in some of the nation�s finest restaurants, including Spago�Beverly Hills, Valentino and The White House.  

Kosher wines are enjoyed at three consumer levels: 

• observant Jews who have become increasingly sophisticated in their wine enjoyment;
• non-observant Jews who like to prove that kosher wines are as good as non-kosher wines; and 
• the general wine consumer who is not interested in whether a wine is kosher or not, but just wants to buy an excellent bottle of wine. 

Nathan Herzog, vice president of marketing for the Brooklyn-based Royal Wine Corporation, estimates that over 35 percent of Royal�s sales are to the general wine-consuming public.

Some of the impressive examples available this Passover, which begins on April 19, include: 

• the beautiful, inexpensive Merlot from Chile under the Alfasi label; 
• Teal Lake makes a Chardonnay from Australia, which has all the qualities of a fine Chardonnay from down under�less oak with great emphasis on varietal character; 
• a Champagne from a great French House, Laurent-Perrier; 
• a fine French Bordeaux from Chateau Yon Figeac; 
• and a line of kosher wines from the huge French producer, Georges Duboeuf. 

Certainly the basis for this growth is quality. There is no reason why a kosher wine can�t be excellent or why excellent wines can�t be kosher. The key, like any fine wine, is in starting with excellent grapes and skilled winemaking.  More and more wine drinkers are finding out that today�s fine kosher wines are simply that: fine wines. They are next to the best of Bordeaux and Napa at high-end wine stores throughout the nation; the labeling is slick and stylish; and most important, the wines are excellent.