If you look at the back of any bottle of Dalton wine you will see a cluster of little medallions at the bottom of the label, they are the stamps of the various rabbinical authorities that supervise the Kashrut of our wines. This is a brief article to explain what it is all about.kosher winesKosher WinesThe first question that needs to be answered is whether our wines are made differently from our non kosher counterparts? The answer is absolutely not. Our basic ingredient, grapes, are the same the world over. Basic practices in both kosher and non-kosher wineries are the same, the grapes need to be harvested, crushed, fermented, aged, filtered and bottled. Kosher wines use kosher products for these processes whereas non kosher wines do not necessarily.Wine is made from grape juice to which yeast has been added and allowed to ferment. The resulting wine is cloudy and would be quickly rejected by the average consumer if it was not treated any further. The winemaker has a number of tools for dealing with this, including the use of filtration and the use of additional fining agents.Fining agents are compounds that are used to help improve the clarity of the wine and also to remove overt bitterness. Commonly used fining agents are a clay-like substance called bentonite, a polymer called PVPP and egg whites (often used in red wines). Some winemakers may use compounds such as isinglass (a fish derivative), casein (a dairy compound) or gelatin (an animal byproduct). These latter two products will severely compromise the kashrut of the wine. Dalton uses only strictly supervised kosher products and certainly no diary products. By the way, kosher wines are not necessarily suitable for vegetarians and vegans.Secondly, the production of kosher wine must be carried out in a Halachically correct manner (ie. in accordance with Jewish laws): This is more of an issue for wines from Israel as there are many laws pertaining to the upkeep of vineyards such as orla and the sabbatical year (shmitta) and the giving of tithes (maaserot and trumot), which must be respected. For example a vineyard belonging to a Jew in Israel may not be harvested in its first three years (orla), the fruit may only be taken from the fourth year.Finally and probably the most complex issue is as follows: there is the fear that wine bound for sanctification in a Jewish ceremony will have been used in some non-Jewish rite or ritual beforehand. To this end the Rabbis specify that only observant Jews may be involved in the production of kosher wine thus ensuring the religious integrity of the wine for its use in Jewish ritual.To further ensure this religious integrity, many wines undergo the mevushal (cooking) process where the wines are flash pasteurised to around 90º C or 200º F. Contrary to popular opinion, you can not make a non-kosher wine kosher by pasteurising it and a kosher wine does not become more kosher after pastuerisation. However, it does make the wine unfit for non-Jewish ritual, and as a result the rabbis permit its use in environments where non-Jews come into contact with kosher wines, such as restaurants and catering halls. Mevushal wines will usually be marked as such.I will address the question as to whether there is a difference in quality between mevushal and non-mevushal wines in a different post.For the sake of good order, the supervising Rabbis for Dalton are Rabbi Almishali of Merom Hagalil (our local Rabbi) Rabbi Machpud of the Badatz Yoreh Deyah (He is from Bnei Brak and has been with us since the winery was established), the Union of Orthodox Congregations (OU) we took them because at the time no one in the US knew who Rabbi Machpud was, they do now, and finally Rabbi Mordechai Ungar, he is a really nice Rabbi from New Square New York who brings us added credibility with the ultra orthodox communities, a segment of the market for whom the supervising rabbi is often more important than the contents of the bottle.  Kosher Wine , what’s that all about?

Israeli Ambassador to US Michael Oren to step down in the fallWhile no official announcement has been made, the likely favorite to replace Oren is thought to be Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's longtime adviser Ron Dermer, an American-born Israeli and former Republican activist.The Associated Press and Israel Hayom StaffIsraeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren is stepping down after four years on the job  | Photo credit: AP Michael Oren, Israel's ambassador to the U.S., is stepping down after more than four years on the job, the Israeli Embassy in Washington announced Friday. Oren, 58, said he would finish his term this fall. He said he would continue serving Israel's people, but didn't specify in what capacity. "Israel and the United States have always enjoyed a special relationship and, throughout these years of challenge, I was privileged to take part in forging even firmer bonds," Oren said in a statement. An American-born academic who taught at several universities, Oren moved to Israel in 1979 and enlisted in the Paratroopers Brigade. Before being tapped in 2009 by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman to be Israel's envoy to the U.S., Oren had volunteered as a military liaison officer, briefing reporters during Israel's offensive that year against Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip. A frequent face on Sunday morning news shows and Washington-area synagogues, Oren's role as a direct messenger from Israel and the U.S. may have been diminished by the perception that he was outside of Netanyahu's inner circle, said Woodrow Wilson Center scholar Aaron Miller, who was a Middle East negotiator under six U.S. secretaries of state. "Oren was last in a series of Israel-U.S. ambassadors that neither the president nor the secretary of state nor the prime minister really utilized," Miller said. "They all had their own channels." Secretary of State John Kerry, who has spent much of his first months in office attempting to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, called Oren "unfailingly candid" and a passionate advocate for Israel. "He's certainly been a terrific partner in our efforts to help the parties find a way back to the table," Kerry said in a statement on Friday. The Israeli Embassy in Washington refused to comment Friday on the identity of the next ambassador or when a replacement would be named. The likely favorite to replace Oren is longtime Netanyahu adviser Ron Dermer, an American-born Israeli and former Republican activist, according to Israeli media and several individuals in the U.S. closely following the U.S.-Israel relationship. These sources were not authorized to discuss Dermer's plans publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. If selected, Dermer's close ties to Netanyahu could irk the left-leaning wing of the American Jewish community. However, those ties could make him a more effective envoy if he is perceived by American officials as speaking credibly and with authority on behalf of Netanyahu's government.