Food

Jared Kushner Connection at Kosher Wine Show?

Image by Tzvi S. Cohen/Royal Wine Corp.

By Liza Schoenfein February 15, 2017

Sipping my way through Monday’s Kosher Food & Wine Experience at Chelsea Piers, I was struck by a palpable excitement in the air. The place was packed, the mood was convivial and the wines I tasted were notably high quality.

Among the highlights was the 2014 Covenant Israeli Syrah from Covenant Winery’s new Israeli vineyard in the Golan Heights. I enjoyed talking with Covenant’s Jodie and Jeff Morgan, and their Israel-based daughter Zoe, about their new Israeli winery — and will explore the topic further in another post. The Syrah was dense, fruity and a little spice, nicely structured and very easy to drink.

I was also impressed with the number of new kosher wines from Bordeaux, from several estates that only make a small quantity of wine under kosher auspices, all with the help and oversight of Menahem Israelovich. These included Château Giscours, Château Léoville and a small champagne producer called Drappier. (More on this later too.)

Interestingly, one of the first wineries we approached, Shiloh, is rumored to be a favorite of one Jared Kushner. While we were unable to confirm, we heard that the second son-in-law may have drunk the winery’s flagship wine, Mosaic, at the Shabbat dinner following the Inauguration — and liked it so much that he put in an order for more. We liked it too — the full-bodied Bordeaux-style blend was complex but also smooth — it would be great with food but also on its own. We’ll see what else we can find out about the Kushner connection.

Liza Schoenfein is food editor of the Forward. Contact her at [email protected] or on Twitter, @LifeDeathDinner

Liza Schoenfein is a former food editor of the Forward and author of the blog Life, Death & Dinner. Follow her on Instagram @LifeDeathDinner.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO