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The Best Kosher Wine on the Market Is Made By a Guy Who Didn’t Go to Hebrew School

Morgan had written <em>Wine Spectator</em>'s annual kosher wine roundup many times before trying his own hand at winemaking.
Morgan had written Wine Spectator’s annual kosher wine roundup many times before trying his own hand at winemaking. Photo: Heidi Schumann/NYT

The best kosher-for-Passover cabernet on the market is being made by a lapsed Jew who barely knew Hebrew before he started. The Times introduces us to Jeff Morgan, a Napa Valley author and founder of Covenant Wines, who hadn’t been bar mitzvah’d until he started partnering with kosher winery Herzog and reciting the Torah each morning with its Orthodox crew. A childhood trip to the Wailing Wall had left Morgan feeling inadequate and sad about his lack of faith. “That stayed with me for another 20 years until I started this project.” Morgan set out to make “the greatest kosher wine in 5,000 years,” and given its place on lists at The French Laundry, Per Se, and Spago, he’s clearly succeeded.

Making Kosher Wine, Finding a Path Back to the Fold
[NYT]

The Best Kosher Wine on the Market Is Made By a Guy Who Didn’t Go to Hebrew