As Passover approaches, many of us perceive the countdown of the Festival of Freedom with a sense of dread and trepidation. The cooking. The cleaning. The buying. And equally for some of us, the choices for the perfect wine for the Seder.
Passover is really a wine lover’s holiday. While many other forms of spirits are not acceptable on Passover due to their creation from grains, almost all kosher wine is, as well, kosher for Passover.
Still, Passover produces the conundrum of choosing for quantity over quality. Remember, there are a mandated “Four Cups,” sandwiched around a full holiday meal which begs to be paired with its own wines.
Many have the custom to drink only red wine for the Four Cups, but even with this tradition, the definition of red could certainly expand to include Rosé, bubbly and sweet wines with red tint. In any case, the Passover Seder should be viewed as an opportunity to taste through a variety of wines to please all palates.
The key and objective are twofold: Make everyone happy and celebrate z’man cheiruteinu, our “time of freedom.” Everything else falls by the wayside. With strict interpretation, one must drink a majority of each glass of the Four Cups, so perhaps that cellar dweller Bordeaux might not be the best choice to gulp down recklessly (save it for the Shulchan Orech, “the festive meal.”)
Nevertheless, any holiday meal bringing together our loved ones deserves fine wine. My custom is to make the first kiddush blessing over the First Cup and special blessing of Shehechiyanu, thanking God for bringing us to this special moment, over one of my best wines.
Let’s consider four choices for your Seder table:
The Non-Drinker’s ‘Wine’
I don’t recall a Seder without a bottle of it on my table, usually requested by my dad, of blessed memory. A non-wine drinker’s wine, easy to drink, low in alcohol (6% ABV) and pleasingly sweet, I’ve long ago gotten past my ego and snobbery and have admitted that, well, of course this is tasty stuff.
Rashi Light Pink Concord ($5): Made from New York Concord grapes and just red enough for your Seder, just sweet enough for Bubby and Zaidy, and low alcohol enough to get through four full cups without ending the Seder face-down on the table. A classic.
Celebrations Call for Bubbles
Tabor, Moscato Rosé, 2021, ($13) a naturally sparkling rosé wine made from the sweet Muscat grape, also clocks in at just 6% ABV. This Israeli bubbly offers a wonderful nose of summer fruit. Tabor is located in the heart of the Galilee, an appropriate place from which to draw inspiration on the holiday of Passover, remembering the Exodus from slavery in Egypt to our ultimate redemption in the Land of Israel. This bubbly pink Moscato is delightful.
The Affordable Drinkable Red
Bodegas Faustino, VI, Rioja, 2020, ($17, 14% ABV) is a welcome addition to the line of Spanish Rioja available to the kosher market. Under $20 and truly enjoyable and fun, this has become a staple of my local wine tastings. There’s just something about its accessible fruit which is consistently described as “juicy.” In the glass, maroon red even on the edges, clear but deep. Recognizable Rioja nose of ripe, jammy red cherry. Medium body, medium acidity, lovely tannins.
A Red with Depth
Château Malmaison, Baronne Nadine de Rothschild, Moulis-en-Médoc, 2018 ($30, 13.5$ ABV)
I’ll admit it: I’m infatuated with Merlot. There’s just a soft spot in my heart for this variety, and there are so many seductive choices. I just keep coming back.
But Malmaison has a great track record of punching well above its weight from a price perspective. $30 for this wine provides excellent value for a wine that will improve in your cellar for a decade.
80% Merlot 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, from Moulis-en-Médoc, on the Left Bank of the Gironde River. This wine proves great Merlot is not produced only in the Right Bank. In the glass, dark garnet, clear throughout. The nose shows red and dark fruits, some ripeness, loads of cherry. On the palate, medium to full-bodied with big, rich, mouth-draping tannins. Bright, long-lasting acid. Herbal notes, tart cherry and cranberry, some tobacco and earth. Great! Very young and should age beautifully.
Don’t forget to balance all the matzoh with some major fiber. My choice? My homemade compote, a delicious stew of dried fruits with — you guessed it — just a little wine added in. My recipe looks a lot like this one.
A chag kasher v’sameach, a happy and healthy Passover to all. Enjoy!
Dr. Kenny Friedman is a Baltimore-based wine writer and consultant who loves food, people, wine and the stories that make them special. He can be found on Instagram @kosherwinetastings
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