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What does kosher wine mean?
A wine is kosher (from the Western Yiddish = pure, fit) if it complies with the traditional Jewish dietary laws (kashrut).
These distinguish between permitted (kosher) and non-permitted (treifen) animals as well as between meaty, milky and neutral foods, whereby meaty and milky foods may not be consumed together. In addition, the laws prohibit the consumption of blood and contain detailed regulations for the production of food and beverages - including wine.
For example, all activities in the vineyard and cellar may only be carried out by strictly believing, male Jews who observe the Sabbath. (There are exceptions, however.) Grapes may only be pressed from the fourth year after planting; all previous harvests are destroyed. All vineyards located in the biblical land must lie fallow every seventh year (Sabbatical year). (This is often circumvented by temporarily selling or leasing the vineyards in question to a non-believer during the Sabbatical year) Two months before the harvest, fertilising with organic products is forbidden, and all wine-making equipment(mash trolley, grape press, hoses, containers, etc.) must be cleaned according to special rites before use. The grapes must be fermented with natural yeasts(spontaneous fermentation), and kosher wines (just like vegan wines) may not be embellished with animal products; filtration is only permitted with paper filters
Compliance with the kashrut regulations - which are even more extensive in detail than outlined here - is watched over by a rabbi, who accompanies the entire winemaking process from harvesting to bottling and can finally issue a certificate identifying the wine as kosher