WIZO – Women’s International Zionist Organization is a worthy cause that hosts an annual KFWE (Kosher Food and Wine Extravaganza). KFWE is a Royal Wines idea for implementing Kosher Wine education. The event may appear on Royal Wine’s KFWE page, along with NYC/NJ and CA (which will return next year), but the Miami event is run by WIZO.

KFWE Miami

The KFWE Miami, which happened two weeks ago, on December 10th, 2025, was held at a new location, the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach. If we can start with the obvious, the event was moved from the longstanding location of the JW Marriott Turnberry Resort in Aventura. It had been there for about 5 years. Before that, it was a mix of the Gulfstream Park’s Sport of Kings Theater and the Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood. Before we get to the food, wine, and such, we need to talk about the layout and the premises.

I have been to all the locations, and I still think the JW was the best. It was the largest, though the racetrack was a bit larger, but poorly laid out. The Fontainebleau may have a bit more glitz on the outside, but inside, it pales in comparison to the JW’s staff and quiet elegance. Beyond that, the amount of available space and how it was used were big misses this year.

Looking at the pictures above, you can see absurd crowding around the food options in the back aisle. Looking closely at the second picture, you can tell why. The space in the room was poorly used. The tables were laid out so there were three aisles instead of 5 or more. All that empty space was wasted, and it could have been used to manage crowds or to provide seating to enjoy the food and wines. Instead, it was literally used for a couple of screens, and that was it!

This caused intense crowding in the back aisle, where all the California wines, M&M Wines, and other wines were being poured. This was a nuisance for the people who came to taste those wines and for those who wanted to enjoy the food options.

The food setup was very much the same as in previous years, outside of the layout and locations. However, for the first time, in Miami, they seemed to be cooking food there on the premises. The smells were so strong, I had a SERIOUS issue smelling any wine. The food options were once again a miss, either overcooked or tasteless. The only reasonable option, food-wise, was the sushi, and the long lines proved it. Krudo continues to impress with their fish and flavors!

I will stress that this event, year after year, seems to be well attended, and the people there seem very happy and enjoy their time. My points are more from a wine-tasting perspective and far less about the ambiance, noise, and food. If I were to comment on the event based on how most attendees saw it, I think they would agree that the layout needs to be fixed, but otherwise, they were all happy.

Wines

At the current time, there are just a few new 2023 French wines in the United States. Since the Miami event, a bunch more have arrived. However, what was poured at the event was current wines, at that time, given the logistics and travel times.

Most of the wines were current, and the pouring process was done well. Regarding representation, Menahem Israelievitch was there to talk about French wines. Amichai Lourie from Shiloh Winery, along with Gad Elbaz (promoting his namesake wine), GAD from Shiloh Wineries. Roni Jesselson, President of Carmel Winery and Yatir Winery. Herzog Winery was represented by David Galzignato, Director of winemaking and operations, at Herzog Wine Cellars. Sagie Kleinlerer, Managing Director of Covenant Wines. Itamar Alperin, Export Manager. Alex Haruni and Shai Ghermezian from Dalton Winery and Allied Wines, respectively. Isaac Porzia for M&M Importers.

If you were looking to be educated overall, I think they missed the opportunity, which was unfortunate, given that this is the only KFWE in the USA open to the public! Again, KWD will act as the Public KFWE going forward, but that does not excuse this oversight. IMHO, Miami is the next NY/NJ in terms of sales and prospective buyers.

A few years ago, Jay Buchsbaum, the executive vice president of marketing and director of consumer education at Royal Wine, asked me to choose three wines I liked from the KFWE Miami event. Since that year, I have taken it upon myself to find good, new Israeli options, and once again, I was successful! As usual, I did so minus my usual crutches, like French and Italian wines from the usual suspects, and stuck to new to less-known wines. This was no easy task!

Also, I tasted every Israeli wine at the event. There was one new Italian wine that I wanted to add to the list, but it showed very poorly at the event. In the end, my three winners for KFWE Miami 2025 are:

So, for all intent and purpose, I tasted every wine at the event and these are the three I chose:

1. 2023 Feldstein Roussanne, Galilee – Score: 92+
2. 2023 Pinto Wadi Shualim, Negev – Score: 92
3. 2024 Goose Bay Small Batch Pinot Noir, East Coast (M) – Score: 92
4. 2024 Psagot Peak White, Judean Hills – Score: 91+ (Honorable Mention)
5. 2024 1848 Orient White, 5th Generation, Galilee – Score: 91

So, there you go, Jay. It was great seeing you and hanging out for a bit at KFWE. Thanks for your continued work!

My disclaimer
There were a few French options, however, as stated, I did not want to use French and Italian wines—those are too obvious a choice. Covenant continues to impress. They were my 2023 Kosher Winery of the Year, and they continue to excel. Their wines were all wonderful. Herzog also had a few solid QPR WINNERs, but I had already tasted them and posted them here. ESSA Winery also showed well and had a large selection to choose from. Elvi Winery was also a Winery of the Year winner in 2021, and they had their full lineup for tasting, minus the EL26, for reasons no one knows!

Overall, I think Florida needs more from Royal. The Wizo event is run by Wizo for the benefit of Wizo, and it is a worthy cause, indeed! However, I think Royal Wines needs to ensure that more winemakers represent the wineries at this event. Florida is becoming too large a buying public and only growing! Given this is the ONLY publicly accessible KFWE in the USA, the event can be improved. To start have a short trade event two hours earlier. This will allow for better winery representation, benefiting BOTH trade and the public. It needs better food options and a bit more marketing punch by Royal. Then, we are looking at a killer event and a winning opportunity for Royal Wines.

2024 Goose Bay Small Batch Pinot Noir, East Coast (M) – Score: 92 (QPR: WINNER)
This may well be the best Pinot Noir from Goose Bay in some time. The nose of this wine is lovely, sure, it is a bit green, but on point, with good pop, lovely cherry notes, a drop of rhubarb, roasted herbs, and great loam. Nice! The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is lovely, showing great acidity, great pop, precision, and fruit focus, with cherry, cranberry, nice smoke, mouth-drying tannin, and nice loam. Nice! The finish is long, tart, balanced, and refreshing with green notes, loam, fruit, and smoke. Nice! Drink by 2030. (tasted December 2025) (in Miami, Florida) (ABV = 12.5%)

2021 Traversa Burdinota Barbera d’Alba, Barbera d’Alba – Score: 78 (QPR: NA) – NEED TO RETASTE
I had heard great things about this wine, but what I tasted at KFWE Miami was an atrocity. I tasted both bottles that were poured there, and neither was drinkable or tasteable. I will write the notes I took, and then I hope to taste this again soon. The nose of this wine shows intense, over-the-top oak, milk chocolate madness, smoke, cherry, plum, and roasted herbs, with flowers. The mouth and finish of this wine are pure VA; the VA overpowers everything. The wine is sour and really throws me, with VA overpowering the red fruit. Drink now (tasted December 2025) (in Miami, Florida) (ABV = 13.5%)

2023 Feldstein Roussanne, Galilee – Score: 92+ (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is what I want in a Roussanne! The nose is bright and has great pop, with clean lines, smoke, dry straw, flint, yellow plum, Asian pear, honeysuckle, and orange peel! Bravo! The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is lovely: layered, bright, with great pop and crazy acidity, so much so that I wanted to drink this at the kfwe, with rich saline and flint. The fruits are Asian pears, apples, and yellow plums. The mouthfeel, attack, and approach are lovely. Bravo. Drink by 2028. (tasted December 2025) (in Miami, Florida) (ABV = 13.4%)

2023 Pinto Wadi Shualim, Negev – Score: 92 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is lovely, balanced with good fruit, smoke, and a mix of cherry, raspberry, and plum, nice! The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is balanced with good acidity, good control, not over the top, showing nice raspberry, strawberry, and smoke with nice tannin and rich saline, solid! The finish is long with nice drying tannin, smoke, minerality, and balance. Nice! Drink by 2029. (tasted December 2025) (in Miami, Florida) (ABV = 13%)

2024 Psagot Peak White, Judean Hills – Score: 91+ (QPR: GREAT)
This wine is a blend of 60% Chardonnay & 40% Viognier. The nose of this wine is on point with nice smoke, peach, apricot, apple, Yellow flowers, and orange peel. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is great with lovely acidity, smoke, peach, apricot, Granny Smith apple, and orange with nectarines. The approach and attack of the fruit is solid. The finish is long and fruity with oak, but it is not overpowering. Nice! Drink by 2027. (tasted December 2025) (in Miami, Florida) (ABV = 13.5%)

2024 1848 Orient White, 5th Generation, Galilee – Score: 91 (QPR: GREAT)
The wine is great, tart, bright, acidic, refreshing, and on point with salinity, acidity, lemon drop, grapefruit, piercing kafir lime, and rich flint. Solid! Drink now! (tasted December 2025) (in Miami, Florida) (ABV = 12%)