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April 8th will bring the arrival of Passover 2020 and it looks set to be a celebration like few others before.

It is hard for businesses and individuals the world over to ignore the cloud that hangs over us all. Sadly, many families and communities will face challenges to celebrating Passover in person due to social distancing measures enacted to keep us safe.

However, in times of adversity it is even more important to keep our spirits up and celebrate in what ever way we can.

Challenging times call for adaption, but also remembering traditions and keeping love alive for our families and friends, even if many celebrations cannot be in person.

Thankfully, if you cannot make it out to the shops, Kosher Wine EU can deliver our beautiful kosher wines globally to ensure you have what you need for your Passover meals.

We highly recommend ordering well in advance and not leaving your wine for Passover orders to the last minute this year. We are experiencing surges in demand that are unprecedented even in the lead up to Passover, as are all online retailers, as citizens reduce in person shopping and look online for safer options. 

Rest assured our team are working hard to ensure we can get your wines for Passover delivered. Please do contact our dedicated kosher wine team if you have any questions.

Online kosher wine ordering is also a great opportunity to show your loved ones you care, especially if you are isolated from them or they from you. Consider sending elderly or vulnerable relatives, friends or even neighbours a gift of kosher wine for Passover, delivered straight to their door.

On a lighter note, let’s now focus on how we can be cheered this Passover. Good food and wine are a wonderful way to focus on love, tradition and family in these trying times, so how can you make Passover extra special? By having the perfect wine pairing for your chosen meals.

Why should you try to pair wine and food?

Kosher Wine EU has a long history in winemaking and distribution. We understand the long art of wine pairing, but we are also great believers that wine is primarily to be enjoyed.

You should always shop for your own taste, and we are pleased to see many wine lovers being more adventurous with their wine pairings. However, inexperienced wine drinkers may be wondering what all the fuss about wine pairing is. Why even bother?

Well when you properly pair a wine for a specific meal it can make it so much more pleasurable. The flavours of kosher wine are as diverse as the many different meals you can enjoy, and this is why the art of wine pairing has evolved. Both food choices and diversity in wine have greatly increased over the years. The more varied wine has become, the more
wine pairing has developed.

We all know that certain food is stronger, more delicate, more bitter, more acidic, sweeter, richer etc. The human palate can detect a plethora of different flavours and these can be enhanced by wine or deadened by it. The wrong wine with wrong food can actually make the wine and the meal taste worst. Food can change the way a wine tastes and vice versa.

This is why wine pairing can be very beneficial, even if you are very familiar with the styles
of wine you enjoy.

Best approaches for pairing wine and food

Wine pairing techniques don’t end at white wine for fish and red for stronger meats.

Appropriately pairing wine first looks to matching the boldness or delicateness of the wine and the meal, so that neither overpower the other. This is why fish is usually paired with white wine, as it tends to be lighter and have flavour palates that compliment rather than overwhelm the subtle tastes associated with fish. 

Secondly you need to look at enhancing the right elements. A very complex wine with many different notes, flavours, long length and aftertaste is better paired with a delicious but simple meal, so you can really take notice of each tone in the wine.
Whereas an enjoyable but more straight forward wine with more distinct but fewer subtle flavours can be paired with a more complex and nuanced meal to highlight the flavours of the meal and accentuate them.

Finally, when you get deep into pairing your kosher wines and food, you should use the philosophy of complimenting and contrasting. This is where wine pairing gets really exciting. You can choose to lean into flavours e.g. sweet wines with sweet dessert food, for a complimenting approach. Or you can contrast flavours, such as cutting through richer foods
with a dry or even acidic wine, so that the food is less overwhelming on the palate and you can enjoy more of it.

Gastronomic and wine gurus will take this to a whole other level by looking at the various flavours in a meal and a wine and mixing complimentary and contrasting notes for a dining experience on another level. But even for novices, beginning to apply these ideas to your wine pairing can be really good fun and enhance your meal. 

Passover 2020 Pairings

There are so many delicious traditional and modern Passover meals to enjoy but let’s look at some wines for Passover that will work with various dishes and stages of your seder meals. These wines will cover aperitifs and make marvellous seder wine as well. While most will associate their seder wine with red kosher wines, we’d actually like to start by recommending this delectable and affordable Israeli Rosé wine: 

The Teperberg Impression Rosé is a delicate dry kosher wine with fruity flavours and flowery aromas. This is a great wine for Passover as an aperitif and for the start of the seder.

It's dry, yet fruity notes will balance and contrast nicely with bitter herbs and flavours, while it's delicate nature will go great with egg and popular Passover fish dishes, such as gefilte fish.

If you're looking for an innovative twist on a Passover fish dish, try sea bass with beet and radish ceviche. It is a colourful, attractive, fresh and citrusy dish popular in the southern Mediterranean for Passover and pairs beautifully with a delicate dry rose such as this. 

If you’re looking to splash out with a more luxurious, yet stunning and delicate rosé for Passover try our Chateau Sainte Marguerite Symphonie Rose - Cru Classé Côtes-de-provence La Londe 500ml 2018. 

Sweeter white wines are a great option for complimenting sweet and tasty Haroset or contrasting with bitter herbs and horseradish. Some superb options for sweet but not overpowering white wines are our:

Siviano Meloso Semi Sweet White 2017 – sweet, fruity and versatile.

BRIGEL Sullivan White Semi Dry – sweet lemony notes, delicate and playful on the palate.

Chateau De Valmer Vouvray Moelleux – sweet, aromatic and a fabulous balance of sweet notes with acidity, an excellent choice for both contrasting and complimenting sweet Passover dishes and desserts.

Jeunesse Chardonnay Semi Sweet – notes of peach, pear, citrus and vanilla. Also, a great alternative to the dry rosé options, if you prefer a sweeter wine with fish.

Try pairing a semi sweet white wine with a Passover dish of roasted parsnips and horseradish dip.

For a light dessert or snack enjoy salted chocolate coated Matzo.

For your lighter but savoury and salty dishes like Matzo ball soup opt for a dry white wine. You don’t want to overpower these dishes and a simple dry white is extremely versatile for your Passover meal. While red is heavily associated with the seder, dry whites can go great with lighter dishes like soup. They work well with fish if they are a delicate vintage and dry whites can actually cut through fatty rich red meats and create a marvellous contrast without competing with the meaty flavour too much.

Try the following dry white kosher wines this Passover:

Adir A Series White Blend – toasty, herby and pleasantly dry, this kosher white wine for Passover is made from a blend of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc grapes. Both of which are ideal for pairing with savoury soups.

Teperberg Vision Dry White Chardonnay-Semillon – dry and light with great acidity. Great as an aperitif, for complimenting light savoury dishes or fish, and an excellent contrast to sweeter dishes and rich, fatty meats.

Try goose Matzo ball soup for added depth of flavour this Passover. Other innovative dishes that work well with dry white wines are:

• Quinoa in coconut milk with yams and Tuscna kale. It is Moroccan inspired, colourful and pairs easily with white wine.
• Artichokes stuffed with tilapia are a great modern alternative to soup in the warmer spring months.
• Roasted asparagus is another wonderful side dish at Passover that is enhanced by simple and delicate dry white wine.
• A fun alternative to Matzo ball soup is matza meal and ground almond Passover gnocchi. It is filing and comforting for those who don't favour a hot soup in spring. This Italian inspired dish can be paired with an array of scrumptious sauces.

Another great option for your wine for Passover selection is dry sparkling wine or Champagne. Now many people see sparkling wines as merely a pre-dinner beverage, but it is in fact a very smart choice for a big seder meal.

Sparkling wine is usually light and delicate, making it ideal for the early parts of your seder dishes. It has many of the advantages of a dry white or delicate rosé. It is also is a brilliant balance for sweeter dishes and the combination of a dry flavour and the persistent bubbling
sensation are excellent for cutting through fatty meats and heartier dishes.

Try the Champagne Charles de Ponthieu Brut Premier Cru for your Passover Champagne. Of course, we still love an elegant and bold kosher red for our seder wine and there are so many fantastic options to choose from.

Whether your main Passover meal is lamb, beef, chicken or vegetarian, you’ll find Kosher Wine EU has the perfect red wine to compliment your meal.

Some of our favourite Passover dishes are rosemary rack of lamb, braised beef brisket, lemon and herb roasted root vegetables and apricot and currant chicken. All different but wonderfully rich and bold meals that require a standout kosher red wine to match and
enhance them.

Some of our best wines for matching with this type of Passover meal are:

Teperberg Impression Semi Dry Red Cabernet Sauvignon – highly affordable, dark and semi dry, filled with smooth textures and a fruity finish. Best with meats served in fruit sauces.

BARKAN Reserve Barrel Aged Cabernet Sauvignon – a drier option but very full bodied with dark cherry flavours and a long finish. Excellent with red meats and roasted vegetables.

Chateau Haut Brisson Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2016 (Limited Non Filtered Edition) – a luxurious option with a complex tapestry of flavour. Perfect with rich slow cooked meats and hearty but simple stews.

With so many gorgeous kosher wines for Passover to choose from, you’ll be spoilt for choice with Kosher Wine EU. Don’t forget to take a look at our kosher spirits for Passover too.