To celebrate Passover, we have come up with a list of some of our favorite Kosher wines to help you celebrate. You might be bowled over when you see favorite and Kosher wine in the same sentence, but it’s true. There is so much more to the world of Kosher wine than what you might think. For most people, Kosher wine is syrupy sweet wines that are synonymous with Manischewitz and Kedem, which interestingly enough, aren’t usually Kosher for passover as they are sweetened with high fructose corn syrup. But, fear not. There are some amazing Kosher wines that are also Kosher for Passover coming out of Israel and France. In addition to the ones listed below, do some research and seek out other Kosher wines you like.

We recently had a very special wine tasting with Guy Sarton du Jonchay, the winemaster of Vidal Fleury, where we tasted through the Vidal Fleury portfolio with Mr. du Jonchay. During the tasting, we found out that Vidal Fleury is the oldest winery in the Rhone Valley having been established and in operation since 1781. Imagine my excitement when I found out that Thomas Jefferson visited the winery in 1787 in his wine tour of France and Italy and was the first person to export Vidal Fleury to the United States. Not to be too geeky, but I was an American history major and have always loved Thomas Jefferson who was a true renaissance man and wine lover!

This week’s Wine Wednesday is the 2010 Stoneleigh Pinot Noir and it hails from Marlborough New Zealand. While we receive this wine as a sample, it appears to retail from $9.99 to $17 and at $9.99, just sneaks into Wine Wednesday. There have been many a wine from Italy and Spain featured in the Wine Wednesday column, but not so many from New Zealand. While the wines from New Zealand aren’t overly expensive, they generally don’t fall into the $10 and under category. But, a number of them can be had in the $10 to $20 range and are still a good value at those prices.

The R Collection is the introductory line by Raymond Vineyards, which traces it’s roots to the immediate post-Prohibition era in Napa. The founder of Raymond Vinearyds, Roy Raymond arrived in Napa Valley in 1933 and married into the Beringer family. After working at Beringer for more than 35 years, Roy and his sons started Raymond Vineyards with the family working side by side for their first crush in 1974. Since then, Raymond Vineyards has earned a reputation for producing elegant wines. Luckily, it lives up to it’s reputation with the R Collection.

This week’s pick resulted from my desire to please a good friend that isn’t a huge fan of dry wines. But, she is a huge fan of sweet wines. However, I was also going to have a table full of other people to please so I couldn’t start off the evening with dessert wine, which is my friend’s absolute favorite. As I looked over my racks of wine to see what I should take, I spotted an Australian Moscato. Until we received the bottle from Pernod Ricard, I didn’t even realize that the Aussies produced Moscato, or Muscat as it’s also known. I seized upon it and away we went, along with a few other bottles. Needless to say, it was a huge hit with the entire table. Everyone appreciated the light and refreshing wine with a spritz as a starter to the evening.

The House of Mondavi chronicles the rise and fall of the famed Mondavi family of Napa. It’s the real life version of Falcon Crest, the 1980’s prime-time soap opera set in wine country and allegedly based on the Mondavi family. Boy, is it a juicy and fascinating read. The book details the Mondavi family’s involvement in the wine industry and it’s intertwinement of the Mondavis and the rebuilding of Napa Valley and it’s eventual explosive growth. And, no-one was more synonymous with Napa Valley than it’s biggest promoter, Robert Mondavi. Pretty heady stuff for an oenophile. I

This week’s pick is the 2010 Campo Viejo Rioja. This wine is a little unusual as it’s a basic Rioja, which means that the wine spends less than one year aging in oak. You more often see Rioja Crianza, which must be aged at least two years with one in oak, or Rioja Reserva, which must be aged at least three years with one year in oak. The 2010 Compo Viejo Rioja is also unusual as it exemplifies a very modern, almost new world style that is made from 100% Tempranillo, which is the main grape variety in Rioja. The wine is aged for four months in American oak and then ages in the bottle. This results in a wine that is very fruit forward with bright red fruit with cherry dominating and hints of black fruit, vanilla and baking spices.

The Quinta de Cabriz is a relatively young winery, having started operations in 1989. But, this is not unusual in Portugal. For many years, the wine industry in Portugal focused on producing fortified wines known as Port for export and some consumption in Portugal and limited quantities of still and sparkling wine for local consumption. In the last 25 years, the wine industry in Portugal has come alive with investments from renowned producers across the globe but with many of them based in France.

This week Francesco Cirelli emphasizes the importance of organic and biodiversity farming, a concept he puts into practice back home in Italy.

The world of sparkling wine is vast with almost unlimited options. We know that it is those options that also scare people into sticking with what they know. We thought that this guide to sparkling wine might help you break out of your rut and offer some assistance in picking your next sparkler.

Cupid is readying his arrow. Are you wondering who he will hit? Do you hope it will be you? If you need a little help romancing a new love or an old one, these sparkling cocktails will be your biggest helper. No woman can resist something that sparkles and men have a hard time too!

In the first part of this interview series, Gallen discusses his passion for wine and the qualities it must possess before he brings it to the United States.

Quattro Mani is the brainchild of Domaine Select Wine Estates. It is an offering of second label wines from some of Italy and Slovenia’s best winemakers. The 2010 Quattro Mani Barbera is made by Danilo Droco, one of Piedmont’s greatest winemakers. Not only is the Quatro Mani Barbera a zippy little wine, it’s also a great price at $8.99 a bottle. In fact, it’s one of the best wines priced under $10 that I have tried.

We spend a lot of time thinking about drinks but I was still taken aback by the impact that six beverages had on world civilization. In his book, History of the World in Six Glasses, Tom Standage explores the effect that beer, wine, distilled spirits, tea, coffee and Coca Cola had on civilization and world history. It’s nothing short of remarkable.

This week’s Wine Wednesday was a bright, crisp, zippy white. The wine didn’t pretend to be anything that it wasn’t. It was simple and refreshing and evoked days of summer during the dead of winter.

Situated on the slopes of Mount Kilauea, the Volcano Winery produces a number of unique wines.

This week’s high/low weekend is a comparison of the new world and old world styles of wine. Australia is representing the new world with a Riesling from Edna Valley. I bet a few of you didn’t even know that Australia made Rieslings (you are not alone). But, they certainly do and if you enjoy Riesling with petrol characteristics, then you should really try Australia. The old world is being represented by Spain with a traditional, classic Rioja based on the Tempranillo grape. Both of these wines are great food pairing wines.

In addition to its great price, there are two other things going for it. A great label. I know that I have cautioned against buying wine based on how much you like the wine but sometimes I am a bit of a hypocrite. But, this time, I didn’t actually purchase the wine based on the label but on a recommendation. That didn’t mean that I wasn’t enjoying the label – I truly was (and when I found the model for the label – a women drinking a glass of wine abreast a bear, I liked it even more).

Today, 92 years after Prohibition began, 79 years after it ended, California wines are counted among the very best in the world.

This bargain wine is made from certified organic grapes in Mendocino County. Mendocino County is a cool growing area just north of Sonoma and has long been a leader in the organic grape movement in the United States. What is great about this wine is that is is organic and can still be found for under $10. We paid $8.99 for it.