NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- With Passover less than two months away -- it begins at sundown on April 22 -- the countdown is to stock-up on kosher for Passover wines for the week-long holiday. (Kosher for Passover wines must be kept free from contact with leavened or fermented grain products.)
Enter the 18th Annual Kosher Food & Wine Experience, held this past Monday at the Hilton Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J. for the trade. It was hosted by Bayonne, N.J.-based Royal Wine Corp., the largest producer of premier kosher wines and spirits. And while the wine was free-flowing, there was plenty of food to go along with it.
Padre Azul tequila, on display at the 2024 KFWE, is produced at the Tres Mujeres Distillery in Amatitán, Jalisco, Mexico. Padre Azul uses ripe agave, 8-10 years in age, harvested from the volcanic soil in the Tequila Valley. The water quality in the region is better than standard wells yielding citrus and earthy aromas.Courtesy of KFWE
Chefs prepare various fare, including mashed potato-and-pastrami hors d'oeuvres, at the 2024 Kosher Food & Wine Experience at the Hilton Meadowlands in New Jersey.David Caplan/Audacy
There were thousands of bottles of wines and spirits from across the globe -- from the U.S. and Mexico to Italy and France to Israel and Ukraine to South Africa -- leaving virtually no wine or spirit region left out.
"Forty percent of annual kosher wine sales occur right before Passover, however sales have been growing significantly throughout the rest of the year," said Royal Wine Corp. PR Director Gabriel Geller.
The 2024 KFWE's Israeli Pavillion included more than 30 wineries from Israel, including brands very familiar to US consumers, including Carmel and Sabra.David Caplan/Audacy
Among the new products at the event was kosher for Passover Carmel Black Cabernet Sauvignon, produced in Galilee, Israel, which debuted this month. Carmel is the largest winery in Israel.
Yiftah Peretz, chief winemaker of Carmel Winery, said, "Our new Carmel Black is meticulously aged for 14 months in French oak barrels. Grown in the Galilee, its climate provides comfortable temperatures which offer excellent conditions for nurturing and enhancing the unique qualities of the grape."
Royal Wine Corp.'s Geller said of Israeli wines, "At Royal Wine Corp. we continue to support the wineries in Israel, which are among some of the top-rated wines in the world."
Care for some beef jerky? Attendees at the 2024 KFWE sampled various flavors of Old Williamsburg's beef jerky, including smoky barbeque, teriyaki and pepper crusted.Courtesy of KFWE
There were also breakout sessions focusing on Israeli wines, whiskey, bourbon, tequila and the Herzog Wine portfolio from its winery in Oxnard, California.
Sushi was also on the menu at the 2024 KFWE.Courtesy of KFWE
Jay Buchsbaum, VP of wine education at Royal Wine Corp. was quick to dismiss any preconceived notions about kosher for Passover wines.
"There's nothing cookie-cutter about these Passover wines – they are top notch, award winning and distinctive," he said. "And, while red wine is traditional for the Passover Seder, it can be a nice Burgundy or a Pinot Noir, or a Cabernet - just as long as it is kosher for Passover. There are dozens to choose from. And, just to be clear, our portfolio consists of acclaimed wines that just happen to be kosher, recognized for our quality and value."
Also at KFWE was Flegmann winery, produced in Israel. The winery has a storied history that began in Hungary several generations ago.
"Our father, Tibor Flegmann, a'h, was born into winemaking and frequently spoke about how he used to spend his free time in the wine cellars and crush the family's grapes with his feet," according to the winery. "The family's wine was considered the highest quality; it was enjoyed by the most renowned Chassidic masters, as well as the Rothschild family and even Kaiser Franz Joseph."
"After the devastation of the Holocaust when so much was lost, from our father's will to rebuild was born a dream to revive the Flegmann wine label. Late in his life, this became a reality, as he looked to the Judean Hills to be the new home for Flegmann wine."
Tibor Flegmann passed away before the wine made it to the U.S., but today, his children and grandchildren run the business.
A bottle of Flegmann red reserve, produced in Israel's Judean Hills, at the 2024 KFWE.David Caplan/Audacy
Another notable exhibitor was XDar, vodka currently produced in Ukraine, despite Russia's invasion of the country. The vodka is produced with artisanal well water and premium grain harvested from black soil.
Patricia Balestras, a brand ambassador for Ukraine's XDar vodka, which is produced with artisanal well water and premium grain harvested from black soil.David Caplan/Audacy
Sabra coffee Liquer, produced in Israel, at the 2024 KFWE's Israeli pavillion.David Caplan/Audacy
Israel's Teperberg winery has been in the wine business since 1870.David Caplan/Audacy
Israeli winery Carmel had no shortage of bottles the the 2024 KFWE.Courtesy KFWE
Baron Herzog's 77,000-square-foot winery is located in Southern California. The Herzog family is the oldest winemaking family in the US, tracing their winemaking roots to 1840.David Caplan/Audacy
More food! Attendees at 2024 KFWE line-up at another food station.David Caplan/Audacy
The seemingly endless food offerings at the 2024 KFWE included sausage and peppers.David Caplan/Audacy
Salud! A colorful assortment of Italian Vincenzi liquers at the 2024 KFWE.David Caplan/Audacy
And, dessert: From fresh fruit to chocolate-covered strawberries, bananas and pineapple, there was plenty to appease the pickiest of sweet tooths at the 2024 KFWE.Courtesy KFWE
