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