What makes a kosher wine kosher?

Quite simply, kosher wine is just like any other wine, but following an extra set of rules as indicated by the Jewish dietary law. It must be made under the supervision of a rabbi, use rabbinically certified equipment, have no added preservatives, and only contain kosher-certified ingredients. To keep kosher, a winemaker can just use the "natural" yeasts on grapes, and there are some kosher-certified commercial yeasts too.

There are some different types of kosher wines. The term "mevushal" means that the wine can be handled and served by non-Jews and remain kosher, but it first has to be heated to 185 degrees F. This can change a wine´s tastea€”and often not for the besta€”but recent flash-pasteurization techniques have improved the outcome. There´s also wine that´s kosher for Passover, which much be free of certain additives such as corn syrup and legumes.