The 19th annual Kosher Food & Wine Experience (KFWE 2025) hosted by Royal Wine Corp. was at The Park Hotel at The Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey where guests had the opportunity to experience Kosher wines and spirits from around the world, complemented by excellent food. As always, it was a well-attended, and very tasty event! Cheers!
On Monday, February 10, 2025, we drove to East Rutherford, New Jersey to attend Kosher Wine & Food Experience (KWFE) hosted by Royal Wine Corp. at The Park Hotel at The Meadowlands. The event features exceptional Kosher wines and spirits from around the world and is held annually in New York/New Jersey and also in Los Angeles for trade professionals, producers, and press.
There were many exceptional Kosher wines this year at the KFWE 2025 to experience from around the world including France, Israel, Italy, South Africa, Spain, and the United States, with great diversity and high quality of the offerings that had a wide variety of price ranges to appeal to different price points.
The 4-hour event at The Park Hotel at The Meadowlands provided visitors with plenty of time to experience the various nuances of the wines and spirits offered, meet with the winemakers and producers, as well as partake of the wonderful food to pair with the wine and spirits.
A Sampling of the Wines We Sampled from Around the World
France
There was a wide selection of wines from France from the Loire Valley, Alsace, Burgundy, Bordeaux, and Champagne regions. Here are a few of the many delectable selections we sampled.
Barons de Rothschild Rosé
Barons de Rothschild Champagne, Concordia Brut, made from a blend of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir (over 85% Grand and Premier crus). Retail price: $65+/bottle
Barons de Rothschild Champagne, Rosé, Extra Brut, 12% alcohol, made from 100% Grands and Premiers crus, 94% Chardonnay, 6% Pinot Noir. Kosher for Passover. Non-Mevushal. Retail price: $90+/bottle
Drappier Champagne Rosé Saignée made from 100% Pinot Noir, Retail price: $50-60/bottle range
La Maison Bleue de Blancs Brut
La Maison Bleue Blanc de Blancs Brut, 12.5% alcohol, Kosher for Passover, Mevushal, $20/bottle
Les Marronniers Chablis Premier Cru Montmains, 2022, 12.5% alcohol, Not Mevushal, Kosher for Passover. Retail price: $52+/bottle
Israel
ODEM Mountain Winery
There were several exceptional wines from Israel including Alexander, Barkan, Bin Nun, Carmel, Chateau Golan, Feldstein, Gros Genesis, Kamisa, Odem Mountain Winery, Pinto, Shiloh, Teperberg, Tulip, Tabor, and Yatir Darom to name a few.
Teperberg
We experienced two great wines from Teperberg – a family-owned winery since 1870, their Teperberg Legacy Cabernet Franc 2020, a medium-bodied wine, full of flavor, with a long, delectable finish. 14.5% alcohol. Retail price: $70/bottle; and their Teperberg Legacy Petite Sirah 2019, 13% alcohol. Retail price: $60/bottle.
United States
Herzog Lineage & Herzog Generations
Herzog brought a selection of high-end wines from California including their Herzog Lineage, Herzog Generations, and Jeunesse. Especially notable was their Generation VIII By Herzog-Padis Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, 14.5% alcohol, from Napa Valley, California, that had an aromatic nose of black cherry, tobacco, and cedar, with luscious ripe plum, dark cherry, toasted almond, and vanilla on the palate. Kosher for Passover. Mevushal. This was a gorgeous wine with a retail price of $245/bottle.
Generation VIII by Herzog Double Creek Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, 2021, 14% alcohol, was also a highlight of the show with its richly aromatic nose of blackberries, espresso, and leather, which gave way for black cherry, raspberry, and dark chocolate notes on the palate. Kosher for Passover, Mevushal. Retail price $200/bottle. This was another exceptional wine from Herzog, and it was interesting to experience two Generation VIII wines side by side.
A Sampling of the Spirits Presented from Around the World
In addition to the excellent selection of wines available for sampling, spirits were also well represented from Columbia, Czech Republic, Israel, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, and the United States.
Colombia Spirits
Colombia
Amarillo
Antioqueño
Bacan
Cristal
Ron Viejo de Caldas
R. Jelinek – Slivovitz, Plum Brandy, Kirsch
Czech Republic
R. Jelinek (Slivovitz, Plum Brandy, Kirsch)
Israel
Thinkers (Vodka, Gin, and Bourbon)
Mexico
Akul Mezcal Artesanal
Akul Mezcal Artesanal (Joven and Reposado)
Azulejos
Casa Don Ramon
Casa de Hamsa
Diamante Tequila
Diamante Tequila
Lamborghini
Magica
MEXX
Tequila Amna
Tita Doña Celia
Walders Patsch Tequila
Netherlands
Walders
Poland
LVOV
Switzerland
Schmerling’s
United States
Boondocks
Boondocks
Bourbon Rabbi
Old Williamsburg
Upstate Vodka
Upstate Vodka
Until next time, cheers!
Kosher Wine Terminology
For those new to the terminology for Kosher Wines, Royal Wine Corp. notes: “A big misconception about kosher wine is that it’s made differently from non-kosher wine, or it’s been “blessed” by a Rabbi. In fact, kosher and non-kosher wines are made the same way, it’s just the handling that is a little different. In order for wine to be kosher it must adhere to the following: A Sabbath-observing Jew to handle the process. Each and every ingredient added, whether infiltration or clarification along the vinification process must be kosher. All tools and equipment must be dedicated to kosher winemaking alone. Aside from the constraints mentioned above, there needn’t be any difference between the techniques used to make a fine kosher wine or a fine non-kosher wine.”
See you at KFWE 2026!
Royal Wine Corp. defines the term “mevushal” as: “…the most misunderstood term in the kosher wine tradition. In Hebrew, mevushal means literally boiled. However, mevushal wines are not heated to a boiling temperature. Thanks to modern-day technology, mevushal wines are flash pasteurized to a temperature that meets the requirements of an overseeing rabbi. The technique does not noticeably harm the wine. In fact, flash-pasteurization is used at a number of very well-known non-kosher wineries, where it is thought to improve certain aromatics. For Jews, however, the technique simply alters the spiritual quality of a kosher wine, making it less susceptible to ritual proscription. That means anyone—whether kosher or not—can open a bottle of mevushal wine and have it retain its kosher status. Non-mevushal wines are more sensitive to religious constraints and must be opened and poured only by Sabbath-observant Jews.”
For more information on attending or participating in the next Kosher Food & Wine Experience (KFWE) in New York/New Jersey or Los Angeles, please visit the website: https://kfwe.com/
Kosher Food & Wine Experience (KFWE)
Email: https://kfwe.com/contact/
Website: https://kfwe.com/
Instagram: @thekfwe
For more information on Royal Wine Corporation, please visit their website: www.RoyalWine.com
Royal Wine Corporation
663 LeFante Way
Bayonne, New Jersey 07002
United States
Email: info@RoyalWine.com
Website: www.RoyalWine.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/RoyalWineCorp/
Instagram: www.Instagram.com/royalwinecorp
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