Any holiday that mandates drinking four cups of wine is a great holiday as far as I’m concerned. It’s hard to believe that we are about to celebrate a second Passover with the continuing conflict in Gaza and hostages still being held. Given that, I’ve tried to offer suggestions that will support the Israeli wine industry and make Passover even more meaningful.
For a holiday where wine plays such a big role, it can be difficult to find the right wines for Passover. First of all, you drink each cup at a defined point in the Seder. The first two cups are drunk without food, which means you have to choose wines that can be drunk on their own.
There is also a financial component. Four glasses of wine is basically a bottle of wine. If you have 10 guests at your Seder, that means you’re going through 10 bottles of wine. So this may not be the best time to break out the best bottles in the wine cabinet. At the same time, I want to drink wines that are special.
Cups of special wine to drink for the Passover Seder
For the first cup, which comes right at the beginning of the Seder, I suggest Psagot 7.10, a wine that is intimately connected with the events of October 7, 2023. The label bears the date 7.10 and rays of light coming from a Star of David. The bottles are named after the communities that were hardest hit on October 7, and all proceeds from the sale of the wine go to the rehabilitation of those communities.
“October 7 affected each of us separately, and all of us as a nation. Out of faith that a light can come out of darkness, we at the winery chose to concentrate on light,” the label reads. “The series of 7.10 is dedicated to us, to the people of Israel, to each of us who is taking part in the battle for fate, with hope that we will be strengthened to a place of light and joy, and we will uncover a great light.”
The wine itself is a pleasant blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, and Shiraz. It sells for NIS 80.
For the second cup, I’d like to travel southwards to one of my favorite boutique wineries – Yatir, part of Israel’s new up and coming wine region of the South.
The entry-level wines of Yatir are called Darom. Until now they have all been blends, but the winery has just released a Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine is aged for eight months in small oak barrels. It is meant to be an approachable, easy-drinking wine. The cost is NIS 100.
Now let’s jump northward to the Golan Heights, another of Israel’s primary growing areas. The Pelter winery was closed to visitors for most of the past 16 months as the war with Hezbollah raged. It has now reopened, and the Matar wines (the kosher branch of Pelter) are some of my favorites. The third cup of wine is drunk after the Seder meal. Since we’re not drinking on an empty stomach, I’m willing to go a little higher in alcohol content.
The Matar Cumulus (NIS 96) is a really nice blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. The wine is , hand harvested and aged for 16 months in small oak barrels. It’ has a pretty high alcohol content at 15%; but because it’s so well balanced, you don’t feel the alcohol. And since this is the point in the Seder when you sing all the final songs, a little more alcohol buzz could be a good thing.
There is one more cup to drink, and here I’m going to suggest something a little unconventional. The fourth cup is drunk during Hallel, the psalms that praise God for the redemption from Egypt. So how about a dessert wine?
I like Ma’alya from the Carmel Winery, one of Israel’s oldest wineries. Ma’alya is a fortified wine with 19% alcohol. It is a port style wine that is 100% Petit Sirah grapes. It’s aged for16 months in brandy casks, which adds some complex flavors. It is a great way to end the Seder.
And just leave the dishes. They’ll still be there tomorrow.■
