Considering we never fail to be Mehadrin-strict in cleaning our homes from ceiling to floor, in getting the best Matzoth, in making sure we have every one of the Simanim on our Seder tables, it often baffles me as to why we do not Mehadrin-ise the way we purchase our wines for the famous “four cups” during our Pesach Seder.
Over the years, I have habitually asked myself: Why is it that we (or most of us) do not pay as much attention to the four expressions of deliverance pledged by G-d (the four cups of wine)? To be more precise; why, every year, do we, in our shameful apathy, repeatedly buy whatever wines we see lying on the shop table (or even the shop floor), or buy any random bottle because it is from the nearest store?
Considering we never fail to be Mehadrin-strict in cleaning our homes from ceiling to floor, in getting the best Matzoth, in making sure we have every one of the Simanim on our Seder tables, it often baffles me as to why we do not Mehadrin-ise the way we purchase our wines for the famous “four cups” during our Pesach Seder.
Over the years, I have habitually asked myself: Why is it that we (or most of us) do not pay as much attention to the four expressions of deliverance pledged by G-d (the four cups of wine)? To be more precise; why, every year, do we, in our shameful apathy, repeatedly buy whatever wines we see lying on the shop table (or even the shop floor), or buy any random bottle because it is from the nearest store?
This year, I made a pact with myself to make peace with my Seder wine and finally make the oh-so-important decision that has been troubling me for years. This Pesach, I will get the wines that we will actually enjoy… and not because the price of it will be higher, but because I would have made the appropriate effort of minor-investigation into which wines are out there and which ones our taste buds agree with!
The marriage between wine and food is a form of an artistic union. The foods which we eat have a wonderful potential of being a powerful tool by revealing the wine’s aromas, and the wine, too, can complement the tastes of the foods. Together, drinking wine while eating can be a very delightful experience! So, to find out more about wines for Pesach, YWN scheduled to meet with Dovid Perelman CEO of Jwines.com – America’s leading online Kosher wine providers.
Quick background: Jwines.com was established last month The Perelman family have the Internet’s largest Judaic store: Judaism.com – it is clear that they have a tremendous amount of experience in the Jewish arena.
Slightly embarrassed, I plucked up the courage to ask Dovid a question, one I was sure an expert in wine would hysterically laugh at. It was this:
When a label says it has “flavours of raspberries, a touch of chocolate and a hint of gefilte fish” for example, have raspberry, chocolate and gefilte fish flavours been added to the wine? The answer was obviously “No”. (Although, clearly, not so obvious to me!)
With patience, Dovid continued: “The natural chemical balance of grapes allows them to ferment and release their particular flavour/s.” I gathered, that when we read things like “a touch of cinnamon”, “a hint of tobacco” it means that the flavours emerging from that specific grape has been expressed; tastes dependent on the natural state of the grape’s environment, place of storage and what part of the world it comes from. Remarkable! So, no added flavours and certainly no bits of gefilte fish floating around!
I asked about the issue of temperature. Dovid illustrated that the temperature of the wine can make a significant difference to its taste. “In order to maximise your wine’s potential, it is important to make sure it is served suitably.” Depending on which particular style of wine you chose, the temperature will differ. However, here are the main pointers:
Red Wine: Around 17 ºC (62.6 °F). If the climate is particularly warm, a ice-bucket will help!
White wine and rosé: Around 14 ºC (57.2 °F). Should be in a fridge right before serving.
Sparkling wines: 8 ºC (46.4 °F). Serve chilled, leave in ice-bucket.
Fine Dessert Wine: 11 ºC (51.8 °F).
Well, with that lesson, I decided to browse the website. Jwines.com is inviting and informative, built in a precise fashion whereby navigation is extremely easy. “You can browse, filter and search by simply typing the price/type of wine you want, right down to a tea.” Dovid explained. I discovered that with an expert team of wine buyers who work closely with quality-driven wine makers around the world, every bottle on Jwines.com is hand-selected to ensure utmost quality. And the best part is: it’s all so easily done online!
According to Dovid, “generally, the online wine ecommerce was bland; simple and vague, before Jwines.com came along. We value our customers so much that we have a Blog dedicated to wine buying, storing, and collecting, and links to well-known wineries and wine aficionados. We welcome everyone to educate themselves and interact with our community.” Wow. A unique and exciting experience where you can learn, explore and enjoy. I even found interesting wine accessories on the site too, including Rabbit wine bottle-stoppers and aerating pourers.
Dovid showed me how exactly one is supposed to hold a wineglass. You should hold the glass by the stem, (this cannot be subject to change depending on the size or shape of the glass or the kind of wine.) The stem of the wineglass should be held between your thumb and your index finger. He warned that, experts explain that holding a wineglass by the bowl is a total mockery of wine! Next time you wish to take a sip of your wine, remember there is a particular way to do so.
With Jwines boasting a nice selection of wines from the robust yet exotic to the subtle or sweet, coupled with their unparalleled experience of being in the wine business for years, I knew where my four cups would come from. On their website, I thought, is where we can ensure we make an effort in all areas of our Pesach Seder with the many wines they offer for us to actively choose from. For the Confused, there is also a “Most Popular” section.
“Today, you have two choices in wine buying sites: giant pick-and-click discount retailers or high end purveyors that appeal to the pretentious. We wanted to provide better, friendlier alternative.” Dovid clarified. – suits me! With wine being a central part of our Jewish heritage – just look at our Shabbat tables – maybe it’s time to get acquainted.
Whether you like, Red wine, White wine, Sweet wine, Semi Dry wine, Sparkling wine, or even low alcohol wine, Jwines.com has it all. With a smile on my face, I relished in the knowledge that the website has over 45 wine brands, and excellent prices such as $16.99 for the delicious Binyamina Reserve Chardonnay, and $8.29 for the Carmel Young Moscato.
My friends, we have escaped slavery – we are now free and can beautify the Mitzvah of our Seder. The Mishna tells us that even the poor are obliged to drink the four cups of wine at the Seder table… This shows us that an effort is required by all! When wine and food are juxtaposed effectively, magic happens!
Hosting a Pesach Sale right now, www.Jwines.com delivers to almost all states in the USA. You can even call them at: 1-800-269-0604 or visit their store in Pittsburgh. I’ve already ordered mine.
Wishing you all a happy and Kosher Pesach… with good wine!
(Tanya Maayan Dahan – YWN)
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7 Responses
I am not sure why you make such a comment as “why, every year, do we, in our shameful apathy, repeatedly buy whatever wines we see lying on the shop table (or even the shop floor), or buy any random bottle because it is from the nearest store?”. Have you done a study to make such a disparaging claim?
Based on what I see and hear in my neighborhood, most individuals do choose what wine they drink carefully. Some want wines with low-alcohol content. Some want dry; others semi-sweet. I know people who have a different wine for each Kos.
Personally I buy the wine that I like to drink which is the same wine that I use every shabbos to make kiddush on.
Dear FedUp,
Thank you for your feedback.
Although I did not conduct quantitative research to reach a scientifically-proven conclusion on how people buy their Pesach wines, this is an opinion piece, hence my own personal experiences are mentioned in the article.
It appeared to me as though most people I knew never really invested their time into purchasing wine with effort, which is why I wrote about it!
Glad to know, however, that you have a particular wine you enjoy!
I was mislead by the title and the opening paragraph to believe that this article would be telling me how to be mehader in doing a mitzva.
No, it is instead telling me how to be mehader in the gashmios aspect of the wine, forgetting totally the Shulchan Aruch or any other Halachic source.
There is no mention of a Halachic preference of Red vs. White, or the widely unknown but important – according to some opinions – preference of Non-Mevushal. Instead there are tips on how to hold the glass!!
I am not saying that the article is bad, but that it is mis-categorized. It should be titled appropriately to reflect it’s social advice status. The word Mehadrin should never have been mentioned in this context.
By the way – the Four Cups are only a Mitzvah D’rabbanon, whereas the Kiddush on Friday Night is a Mitvah M’Doraisa. People should therefore try to be Mahader to use a ‘proper’ wine every week, not just for Pesach.
@yitzyk One of the primary differences between Judaism and other religions is that we do NOT believe in a negation of physical pleasure. The argument can easily be made that it is indeed a hiddur to drink the 4 kosos in a way that will make them enjoyable, not torturous.
If I’m not mistaken Kiddush on wine is derabbanan. The mitzva deoraisa has been mekuyam in Shmone Esre.
BTW why arnt pepole mehader to use “soft hair brooms” to clean 4 pesach??? it cleans much much better the chametz/dirt/micro-dust (that u cant even see but u’r wife knows better!) its just to be medakdek b’mitzmois i dont meen me that i manufacture them!
#5 – I am not saying to use bad or cheap wine for any mitzva! If your intention is for Oneg Yom Tov, Cheirus, to praise Hashem, or other Ruchnius purposes, it is even a hiddur mitzva. But it is not an admirable act to do anything purely for the physical pleasure.
Furthermore, my point was never that it is not muttar. I was just disturbed by the mis-representation. The article might indeed be a very nice and useful guide to picking fine wines, how to learn more about them, and how best to enjoy them. But i was expecting something angled more towards an emphasis on how to be mekayim the mitzvah.
As far as the Kiddush, that is the shittah of the Mogen Avraham, and a) many other poskim argue, and b) we only rely on that (1) if we know in advance that we won’t have wine and therefore have it in mind (like Friday Night Yom Kippur,) since Mitzvos that are Min-Hatorah require Kavannah, or (2) B’dieved when no wine is available. Otherwise, we treat the Friday Night Kiddush as a D’Oraisa. In fact, even according to the Mogen Avraham, it is preferable to have in mind to NOT be yotzei the kiddush in tefillah, in order to be mekayim it together with wine.
In any case, there is only a mitzvah d’oraisa to be mekadesh the Shabbos at night, but not during the day.
That is why Friday Night Kiddush and Havdalah have Hiddurim that are not necessary for Kiddush by day or Yom Tov, such as overflowing the cup.