by Travel Editor Paul Ross (from Issue 7)

At the end of the fifteenth century, with the Inquisition raging across the Iberian Peninsula, ALL of Portugal’s Jews were forcibly converted to Christianity. Some of the understandably resistant managed to flee the country if they were lucky, or were killed if they weren’t.

Five hundred years later, the small mountain community of Belmonte made international news when ten per cent of its population came out of hiding as Jews. They began to learn the ancient Israelite practices that had been denied to them so long ago and also took up one of Portugal’s most treasured traditions — winemaking. Today the estimated 8,000 Hebrews that spread across Portugal can partake of  Belmonte’s kosher wine – the first to be produced in the country in half a millennium.

Contrary to popular belief, kosher does not mean that during its manufacture the wine is blessed by a rabbi. Rather, it translates from the Hebrew merely as “fit and proper.” The ritual stringency of its preparation process ensures that the wine is kosher, no matter who recites the blessing over the poured contents of a bottle.

Traditional Jewish law mandates that, for a wine to be kosher, it must adhere to the following rules:

· only grapes can be grown in the vineyards (no interstitial crops are permitted)

· fields must be left fallow (unplanted) every seventh year

· observant male Jews are the only ones allowed to work on the production of the wine

· neither grain-based yeasts nor animal by-products are included (egg white or gelatin is sometimes employed for clarification in winemaking, whereas kosher wines use only bentonite clay. This also makes them vegan.)

Among the observant, kosher wine is used for rituals, such as Friday Sabbath ceremonies, special occasions (weddings, births, circumcision) and religious holidays with the notable exception of Passover (which begins March 29th this year). Wines for this particular holiday must be specially certified “kosher for Passover.” The difference in manufacture, quality and designation was quickly dismissed with a phone call to Gary Landsman, Communications Director for Royal Wine, importer of such internationally-recognized brands as Baron Herzog and Kedem. He said, “Ninety-nine per cent of kosher wine is also ‘kosher for Passover.’” So when the holiday of Exodus rolls around, along with the ten plagues and even worse movies, there are plenty of choices for what to fill the ritual four cups required of each participant at the Passover meal known as the Seder. As long as a bottle of wine carries the “kosher for Passover” label, it’s good to “let my people” go.

The religious laws governing what is kosher (kashrut) wine do not end with the making and labeling. For those in the Orthodox community, when wine is served, is must be poured by an observant Jew and only a wine labeled “mevushal” is still considered pure if doled-out by someone who isn’t. “Mevushal” (literally “boiled,” in a 22-second flash pasteurization process which occurs pre-fermentation) doesn’t affect the taste. Many experts, including The Wine Advocate’s Mark Squires, assert that koshering has no noticeable effect on the final product – even when it is put through this additional quick heat process. Daniel Rogov, author of, Rogov’s Guide to Kosher Wines 2010: The World’s 500 Best Kosher Wines, told me that high quality wine can – and is – made while following the rules (of kashrut). They are now available worldwide from California, Israel, Europe, South America, New Zealand and Portugal. Both he and Landsman acknowledge a worldwide growth in the awareness and appreciation of kosher wines, even among secular connoisseurs.

A quick search turned up more than 16,000 kosher wineries and vendors. One of those Rogov highly recommends is a 2006 Herzog Cabernet Sauvignon from the To Kalon vineyards of Napa Valley.

With all the global interest in kosher wines, I was not surprised to learn that Portugal, with its long winemaking history, should have some horses in the race. And one of these is Loja Covilha da Adega, a winery founded in 2003 by then resident Rabbi Elisha Salas. It is now a co-operative which has released two reds (one of which is a reserve called “Sepharad”) under the brand name “Terras de Belmonte.”

Ricardo Botelheiro, the young winemaker at Loja Covilha da Adega, is himself not Jewish and was unfamiliar with kosher wines when he initially accepted the job. He grew up in the winemaking business, helping his father in the family vineyards and he considers the making of kosher wines “interesting, intriguing and a challenge.” He says that part of the reason is that “only rabbis who are recognized by the Orthodox Union in the U.S.A  (the mostly universally accepted sanctioning body) can touch the pumps or any of the winemaking equipment and materials. I can tell them what to do but I can’t do it personally. They have to.”

Because there are no qualified rabbis in Portugal who can oversee the winemaking process on a regular basis, some have to be brought in from France. During the crushing and processing, when the wine must be left to mature, a rabbi seals all input hose entrances and outgoing spouts on the vats with layers of plastic wrap and writes on them, in black ink and Hebrew letters, “kosher for Passover.” The precaution is taken so that if anyone tampers with this low-tech form of security, the evidence would be obvious; since there is no way the curvilinear lettering could ever be convincingly realigned.

Because local demand is limited and the brand fairly new and not advertised, the winery does not produce every year and, even then, the output is only 60,000 liters.

Proof of quality however, would be in the tasting.

Under Sr. Botelheiro’s watchful gaze, I raised a glass of the reserve wine. The color was good: deep, rich red fading and changing slightly at the meniscus. The aroma was complex and varied with subtle notes throughout. It certainly looked and smelled good, but I remained visibly hesitant. In the past I had bad experiences with some of the standard American kosher wines, which had only one overwhelming quality: cloying.

The reason for this situation is that, in the diaspora, Jewish winemakers had often been limited to making the best ceremonial wine that they could — from raisins. Then, when Eastern European refugees migrated to the US, they’d initially worked with Concord grapes. The fruit was cheap, plentiful and hardy but the resulting wine was, like its raisin antecedent, foxy. To conceal this defect, vintners added sugar (After years of limitations and deprivation caused by prejudice and restrictions, the immigrants had become inured to a similar-tasting product). History provided the excuse and custom the style but the end result tended to be grimacingly sweet.

So there I was, in the belly of the blessed: a kosher Portuguese winery. I couldn’t complete my assignment unless I actually sampled the stuff.  And my host was  anxiously waiting. I had to taste… even if it meant risking diabetic shock. I said a small, silent prayer of hope and sipped.

“Hey,” I exclaimed, “This is real wine!”

Ricardo Botelheiro looked more surprised than hurt. “Of course.”

He understood, and, to my relief, smiled knowingly. “In Portugal, we only make real wine.”

Just as you don’t have to be one of the chosen people to enjoy a good kosher hot dog or a bagel breakfast, the kosher wines of these small communities in portugal are open for business and are offering a l’chaim, a toast of welcome back.

Since my visit, other kosher Portuguese wine products have come on the market. Untasted by me is Ben Rosh, which is made from grapes of Spain’s Extremadura region. It is produced by Felix Rocha winery, which makes both a red and a white. The best from the Terras Belmonte cellars is the “Safarad.” Quinta da Garça makes both a red and a white and the house of Taylors imports Cordovero (derived from the name of A revered 16^th Century rabbi) Ruby, a kosher port . Available in the U.S..  from the American Royal Wine Corporation, New York.

Daniel Rogov, renown wine and food critic from Israel’s prestigious Ha’aretzjust about kosher wines. (He’s also written “Rogues, Writers & Whores: Dining with the Rich and Infamous.”) newspaper, has two new 2010 guidebooks out; one about the wines of Israel and another