Kosher Wine & Manischewitz

Trying somewhat to bridge both of the suggested topics for this weekend's post, I thought it'd be interesting to cover the topic of Manischewitz (and kosher wine generally). As a quick primer, Manischewitz is probably the most well-known (and maligned) brand of kosher wine. Judaism has a significant number of specifications regarding wine production and consumption (which can also be applied to grape juice and related products), as it has been a key component of the faith since the periods when worship was centralized in the Temple at Jerusalem. Wine is to be consumed for certain holidays and observances, such as the Sabbath, and at the most orthodox end of the faith, cannot have been produced or poured by non-Jews. Kosher wine is essentially any wine that has been supervised by Sabbath-observant Jews according to a very careful set of prescribed standards (and, contrary to popular belief, is not "blessed" by a rabbi); there's a second level of requirements called "kosher for Passover" for any wine consumed during that holiday. It has also been, perhaps unfairly, branded as a generally inferior category--perhaps because Manischewitz is so dominant.

Manischewitz is essentially the default wine we get during Friday services and bar mitzvahs, and because of its added sugar/corn syrup, is considered repellent by most everyone I know (I don't particularly mind it, but I'm a dessert wine kind of man). Unsurprisingly, the company was a family venture founded by some folks from the Star and Robinson families who saw a huge opportunity for kosher wine among the Jewish immigrants in Brooklyn and were able to source massive quantities of often-subpar quality Labrusca grapes. While I think even most Jews assume Manischewitz is some historical figure, the name was actually licensed over from the established Manischewitz kosher foods company (founded by an Ohio rabbi in the late nineteenth century, Rabbi Dov Behr Manischewitz).

Manischewitz, along with a few other families such as Streits, can be considered one of the most influential figures for Jewish-Americans in particular: the company has dominated all segments of the kosher food market and it's difficult to find a Jewish holiday setting without at least a few items coming from one of the major family brands. The founding families continued to run the vineyards through a period of incredible growth until Constellation bought them out in 1987. While by no means a Mondavi, it is interesting to note that Manischewitz presents some of the same issues we touched on in class: the wine must be made according to extremely exacting specifications overseen by licensed professionals, and while very few would praise it on the taste, one assumes that over time it became like Peptol-Bismol (meaning that consumers buy and drink the product with set expectations, even unpalable ones, and may be resistant to any change be it positive or negative). In this case, however, the expertise the Stars/Robinsons brought wasn't irreplaceable, nor did they contribute name brand-equity since they themselves had been licensing the Manischewitz name. Although Constellation ended up moving production to Widmer in Naples, New York, the brand has only continued to consolidate its position as the top-selling kosher wine brand. To my knowledge, Manischewitz has never diversified its brand into more upscale wines, and I think it's a case where a conglomerate purchase was a success--with both the technical knowhow and "family" name being passed on.

Some of the newer Israeli winemakers and the guys behind the Covenant label of wine (Napa vintners Leslie Rudd and Jeff Morgan) might see an overall negative in this, however, as the continuing dominance of Manischewitz in the public imagination has made it difficult for kosher wine to escape its historically negative connotation. Nevertheless, they're trying and I've heard some argue that the $100 they pay for a 750 ml bottle of 2013 cabernet from Covenant would be a worthy purchase for anyone, Jew or non-Jew (unless you are inclined to sweet or bulk, in which case that same amount could get you 20 750 ml bottles of standard Manischewitz).

--Jeff Lee