As a true wine lover, I do not just love to drink it. I love the process of winemaking, I love the decisions a vintner makes to perfectly blend or age a superior wine. I also love the rating system discussions since there is so much room for subjectivity. One genre of wine that often gets ignored is that of kosher winemaking. It is a process of steps that are essential for Judaism, and I have recently learned the value of Kosher wine aeration. Prior to utilizing my Wine areator on the Palwin No. 10 that was purchased, I familiarized myself with the steps of the kosher winemaking.

Like the majority of kosher products, it must receive a seal of approval to receive the label “kosher.” While the winemaking process rarely uses any of the forbidden foods in the typical fermenting and bottling process, there is an element that makes this product different from all others. Kosher wine is actually cooked or boiled, as this is considered to make it unfit for pouring to or for an idol. This follows the laws of Judaism and will keep the kosher status if it is subsequently touched by a an idolater(someone who worships to an idol.)

I have found this process very interesting as kosher wine has a very different taste and bouquet than regular wine. This cooking process also gives the need for aeration in order to bring out the most flavor, and maximize the value of your purchase.

When sniffed my very first pour of kosher wine, I noticed the smell was not quite as vibrant as the Pinots and Cabernets I typically drink. The flavor itself seemed stale, and I knew immediately the wine should be exposed to as much oxygen as possible. Utilizing a decanter seemed in order to make sure there was consistency and a breakup of accrued sediment, but I did not have one available.

The process of exposing the wine to oxygen, also know as letting a wine breathe, is greatly increased when using a decanter or wine aerator as the surface area of the wine is maximized. Since my trusty Wine aerator was on hand, it was used for two separate pours into separate wine glasses.

To make sure I was increasing the surface area of the kosher wine as much as possible I utilized the largest wine glasses available. The shape and volume of the glass allowed for efficient swirling, and increased the oxygen appropriately following the wine aeration.

The bouquet of each glass of wine changed dramatically. Each glass of wine smelled fantastic, and the aroma smelled much more of fruit, as it should. The most dramatic change was in the flavor of the wine, as it went from stale to beautifully aromatic. This was only after a minute of breathing following aeration.

While I may have other wines I would prefer to drink over kosher wine, the aeration with the Wine Weaver proved valuable and certainly brought out the most out of my bottle of kosher wine. If your drink kosher wine at family functions, make sure you bring your wine aerator because everyone will thank you.