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Kosher wine events for 2016
As I posted in my year in review, we all need to educate ourselves in what makes you happy in the kosher wine world. The best way to do that is to attend RCC tastings (that happen monthly), or one of the many kosher wine events that happen in and around the Passover wine buying season.
This year is no different as in the past, thankfully I have the dates for almost all the events – the only one missing, for now, is the Jewish Week wine event that happens every year at the City Winery in NYC. I hope they do something about it though, as last year was a disaster. It was so overcrowded – it made the KFWE NYC look like a playground during class hours!
Anyway, the KFWE NYC listened – thank God, and they are returning to Chelsea Piers, but we will get to that in a bit.
The first and IMHO, the best KFWE in the books is the Tzur tasting in Tel Aviv. The Miami event was actually quite nice, but it happens in December of the previous year and in this case it happened already on December 15th at the Turnberry Isle Hotel, in Aventura Fl.
Though to be 100% truthful the first event (after the Miami one), is the KFWE in Paris which will happen on February 15th. After that wake up the next morning and hop on the Eurostar and you will be whisked to London where you can still get tickets to the VIP session at the KFWE Europe, which will be taking place at the Sheraton Park Lane Hotel, Piccadilly, London, W1.
A new theme throughout the KFWE family is the classic approach of steal what works best! The KFWE system is basically a brotherly rivalry between the cities – with London/NYC/LA being the three official ones, and Miami/Israel/Paris being less so. Still, when one idea works for one of the siblings – you can be sure it will be copied with each others personal tastes. In this case I am talking about the VIP session. I exalted the idea in my post about the KFWE in LA, and while I was in awe of the VIP room, the other area in LA needed more space. So, they too will be moving, but the VIP room/experience is 100% On like Donkey Kong!
Another fascinating aspect of this year’s official KFWE tastings is that there is no love lost between the siblings. By that I mean, there is no cross promotion of any kind between the London, NYC, or LA events! I wonder why that is the case? It is not like these are zero-sum options! People who live in NYC will go there, though many go to the LA event as it has been far more hospitable in previous years than the over crowded NYC event. Still, why not cross promote? It is free advertising!
So, the London event is on the 16th and then you hop on a plane and fly to Israel for the Tzur (not so much called KFWE) tasting on Monday February 22nd in the evening. Then hop on a plane and fly to the Granddaddy of them all – the original KFWE NYC and use the promo code CORKBOARD18.
Sadly, the VIP session has already been sold-out, and the older coupon code has expired. The non-VIP session is available and hopefully its return the Chelsea Piers will make for a far more enjoyable and manageable experience than last year.
Then hop on another plane and make your way to warm Los Angeles! The KWFE LA last year was the hands down winner for its epic VIP session, and the VIP session is back and I would make advise all to jump on them before they sell out! Order tickets here NOW and use my coupon code of MUSINGS to get a 15% discount off the rack rate! This year they moved the event from the hotel to a much larger and more swanky LA experience location! It is being held at the Petersen Automotive Museum. It is a lovely location and one that will have space to expand the VIP session to have even more madness – so look for that!
After that – you would think you should be exhausted and ready for a break and I am sure you will need it and it will be well deserved. However, soon afterwards it is time to go to The Grand Kosher Wine Tasting on March 6th at 5:30 PM to 8:30PM at The Grapevine Wines & Spirits, in Wesley Hills, New York! When your there say hello to Yehoshua Werth, he is the wine man at the Grapevine!
UPDATE: The Jewish Week’s Grand Wine Tasting at the City Winery is on March 28, from 5:30 to 8:30.
Well there you have it! I will post again once I have purchase links for the Jewish Week event. The event I am hoping will come back is the Gotham Kosher Wine Extravaganza! It took off a year again last year and I hope it will be back for good this year!
If I were you – I would recommend you buy the tickets of the KFWE that apply to you ASAP and then go to the events with the mind of enjoying yourself, but also with the mind of learning! These events are the best opportunity to see what wines you like, love, crave, and most importantly hate!
KFWE LA – a star is born in Hollywood
It was early on a beautiful winter day in LA when I made my way to the hall at the W Hotel in Hollywood, CA – where the IFWF was being held this year. OOPS! I meant KFWE LA! Yes, the IFWF changed its name to the KFWE and it turned really Hollywood hip as it made its way down the sunset strip to the W Hotel, home to stars and socialites alike, and now I hope home to the newest kosher wine event star – the KFWELA!
If it seems like I have unbridled praise for this event, you would be correct. Recently, someone told me that my style of writing did not work for them; as they state it – your combination of unbridled pull-no-punches enthusiasm, surety of mind, and lapidary form of expression can be grating to me. Though he says it is on him – who knows.
If this or other posts are grating, I totally understand and thankfully no one is forced to read my articles – as I have said in the past, I write them mostly for myself – kind of like my own wine diary.
Anyway, this post will be filled with “unbridled pull-no-punches enthusiasm and surety of mind“. By the way, if one is not sure of what they think – why write it? I write the way I speak – with assurance and knowledge, if I do not know an answer – I am happy to say I have no idea.
Anyway, this event will be engraved in my mind with lapidary precision because it was epic. Still, I am getting ahead of myself – so let us rewind here for a second.
This “year” there were 6 shows in the KFWE portfolio. It all started last year late 2014 in Miami where Royal in combination with WIZO, kicked off the KFWE season with a great warmup event! I say that because while the event went off without a hitch, and there were MANY great wines at the event, the food was a bit underwhelming to say the least. Still, it was here where we first tasted all the new French wines;
- the new 2012 Pavillon de Léoville Poyferré, a second label for the famous winery, which uses its youngest vines to make this wine.The wine is lovely and well worth the cost, but not at the same level as the epic 11 Moulin Riche
- the new 2012 Château Le Crock, which was OK.
- the epic 2011 Chateau Haut Condissas Medoc, a truly lovely wine.
- the new 2012 Chateau Giscours, the best NEW kosher wine at the tasting.
- the new 2012 Domaine l’Or de Line Chateauneuf Du Pape, a very nice wine.
- finally, the second best new wine of the tasting – the 2012 Les Roches De Yon-Figeac Saint-Emilion, Grand Cru. It too is a second label wine, but was quite a winner in my book.
The food not withstanding, the event was solid and the wines showed very well under the warm Miami day/evening.
The next event was in Israel, and if I had to say it was probably the best run event from beginning to end, of the ones I attended. I am talking about the 2015 Zur tasting in Tel Aviv. The event was not crowded at all, the food was very good, and the wines were only the best of what they wanted to show. So, to some extent it was kind of like the all-star show – in the beginning of the season. They did have a limited supply of wines, but of the wines they poured, they were all top performers (excluding a table or two). On top of that, Mr. Olivier Cuvelier – the man that runs the family owned Chateau Léoville Poyferré, was there and talking about his wines. He is a delightful man, one who is passionate about his wines but also mindful of the man who brought him fame in the kosher wine world – Pierre Miodownick. Of course, he has received world wide acclaim for his non kosher wines, which is well deserved, but Pierre was working with him in the 90s – before Léoville Poyferré was all over the wine mags. Read the rest of this entry
Update on the 2015 kosher wine events
So, as promised here is a quick update on the state of affairs around the kosher wine events in the USA.
So, the story has not changed much in the past few weeks, since I last posted on the 2015 wine events. The KFWE LA VIP has sold out as has the KFWE NYC. The KFWE LA, non VIP is still open and my discount coupon still works on that.
We still have no official word on the Gotham wine event. However, the The Jewish Week’s Grand Wine Tasting is set, as always at the City Winery. It is on Monday March 16th and it starts at 5:00 PM and ends at 8:30 PM. Tickets are available here.
Kosher Wine events for 2015 are set and the KFWE is selling fast
I will keep this short and sweet – the 2015 kosher wine events are all in and will start selling out VERY soon.
The first one you MUST jump on is the 2015 Kosher Food and Wine Festival (KFWE) at Metropolitan Pavilion 125 W 18th St., NY, NY 10011 on February 9th, 2015. It literally sells out each and every year, and all the procrastinators complain to me bitterly, about how they cannot get in – well BUY YOUR TICKETS and they are 18 dollars off still. My coupon code this year is MUSINGS18, put it on the second page, after you checkout button, before the buy button.
New wines this year at both the KFWE NY and the KFWE-LA, some making their debut at the show include:
- Herzog Variations – showcasing the unique qualities that different regions of California’s famed wine country bring to their wines.
- Ovadia by Ovadia Bartenura Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
- Flam Noble, the new flagship offering from Flam
- Pavillon de Leoville Poyferre – a new young approachable Bordeaux from a top 2ndgrowth chateau in Bourdeaux
- Montefiore Kerem Moshe – Recently released flagship wine from the Montefiore winery
- Herzog Single Vineyard Dry Creek – Herzog Wine Cellar’s Annual single vineyard release which showcases a wine made from grapes sourced from a distinguished vineyard in California.
- Titora Winery, located in Modi’in, Israel, is the newest boutique winery whose products are imported and distributed by Royal Wine Corp.
Guests will enjoy tastings from more than 20 kosher restaurants, caterers and gourmet specialty food companies from the greater NYC area including sushi, BBQ, Asian, Continental, French, and traditional kosher with some modern twists! For those guests with a sweet tooth, not to worry, to complete the experience there will be desserts galore including cookies, pastries, ice cream (parve of course) and other specialty desserts.
The next one to get on is the KFWE LA, which has also moved from the Hyatt to the W in Hollywood on February 11, 2015 – check my blog posting for more on that.
The next wine event is the Grapevine Wines Grand Tasting for Sunday February 15th, 2015 at the Grapevine Wines shop in Monsey, NY. The tasting is from 5:30 – 8:30 PM, it is the 15th Year anniversary of the Kosher Wine store. The wine event will take place at 455 Route 306 Wesley Hills, NY 10952, 845-364-9463. Ask for Yehoshua Werth.
The next one is the return of the Gotham Wine Extravaganza, that was a blast last year! The date is not yet set, but look here for updates. As I have reported for the past many years, Gotham throws a crazy wine tasting with an array of wines unmatched by any other kosher wine tasting event, as there are wines from all of the kosher wine importers. I hope that anyone in the New York City can make it.
The next wine kosher event is the City Winery event, that is another kosher wine event that includes many wine importers and it is also does not yet have a date, but look here for updates. Last year the event was quite impressive, and I am sure it will be equally impressive this year.
2015 KFWE-LA (AKA IFWF) returns to Los Angeles on Feb 11th
Once again Herzog is putting on its massive food and wine festival on February 11th, 2015 starting at 6PM. The festival is a great place to get to taste some of those wines that are either beyond your price budget, or hard to find wines, or ones that you pass by on the shelves because you just have no idea how good they are. They will be pouring more than 200 bottles of wines, so be sure to get there early, before the crowds show up. There will be a few new faces this year, with a couple of new wine makers showing up, and a few surprises (think new kosher wineries), from what I hear.For instance the new Titora Winery, located in Modi’in, Israel. It is the newest boutique winery whose products are imported and distributed by Royal Wine Corp.
Of course, there is also the food TO DIE for, from Chef Gabriel Garcia of Tierra Sur Restaurant, Zagat’s highest rated restaurant in a 40 mile radius, and his staff of insanely competent chefs! So please be sure to BUY your tickets here (coupon code is on the link). The wineries pouring will include; Flam Winery (newly Kosher), Tulip (also newly kosher), many wonderful French brands, Alfasi, Barkan, Baron Rothschild, Bartenura, Binyamina, Bokobsa, Capçanes, Carmel, Chateau Leoville Poyferré, Chateau Pontet Canet, Chateau Malartic La Graviere, Elvi Wines, Domaine du Castel, Domaine Netofa, Drappier, Flechas de los Andes, Gamla, Goose Bay, Harkham, Herzog Selection, Herzog Wine Cellars, Louis Royer, Morad, Pacifica, Psagot, Shiloh, Tomintoul, Walders, Weinstock Cellars & MORE! OVER 200+ WINES WILL BE POURED!
Also, there will be all the new 2011 and 2012 French wines, many of which are absolutely amazing!
Please note that the event is returning to Los Angeles again! The event this year will returning to Los Angeles for its fourth year!! You can once again drink and eat to your heart’s content, and then crash at one of the many rooms in the lovely Hollywood W Hollywood 6250 Hollywood Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90028.
So, by now you have realized a few things. One there is a new name to the event, KFWE LA. It carries over the KFWE family name from London and NY and removes the older name of IFWF. The second important fact is that the event has moved from the beautiful and iconic Hyatt Regency hotel to the W in Hollywood. Finally, there are now two levels of tickets, the VIP and the general admission. This is all new, and sounds fantastic.
VIP ticket holders enjoy a private lounge featuring fine spirits from Scotland, Russia, Israel, United Kingdom and Mexico. Also in the VIP Lounge, the chefs of Tierra Sur offer gourmet delicacies exclusive to VIP attendees; as well as hand rolled specialty cigars.
These ideas carry unique theme event dinners that happen at the Herzog Winery in association with Tierra Sur Restaurant. The events can range from beer night, to whiskey tasting, to cigar night, and many others, check them out here. General admission gets you in at 6PM but does not include the whiskies, special food, private lounge area, or cigars.
Last year the event was a smash in the lovely Plaza Pavilion, whose name does not even begin to give the unique 9,000+ square foot space its due. The massive permanent tent is well-appointed, warm, and lovely to behold. Last year the event was a hit because the space was great and the smoke aromas from the chef’s smoker was outside of the event hall. This year the hall in the W is even larger, and when you throw in the private lounge – you get lots of space, great food and wine, and then cigars and whiskey! Again, do not worry about missing out of the wonderful Tierra Sur Restaurant fare! Chef Garcia will be there with the rest of the crew and they will be serving up much of what they make and serve at the restaurant.
Yes Yes, I left the best for last. Herzog is giving out a coupon out for 20% off the ticket price – use the coupon winemusings.
Every year we go and every year we are so excited because it gives us a chance to taste the wines and to see what to buy for the upcoming holidays. So grab you mouse and start clicking and we look forward to seeing you all the 2015 Herzog KFWE LA.
KFWE (Kosher Food and Wine Experience) is coming again to Miami, December 10th 2014
Until now, the KFWE from Royal has been relegated to New York city, and the last one I attended was really lovely indeed. Sure we have had the IFWF on the other coast, but other than Los Angeles, New York, and London, KFWE has been essentially contained to the mid coast cities. Well that is about to change given the efforts of a non-profit organization, Women’s International Zionist Organization of Florida (WIZO) in partnership with Israeli Wine Producers Association (IWPA). That changed last year with the debut of the KFWE to Miami and it is coming back again this year to the same location.
The wine and food event will be held on December 10th, 2014 from 7PM to 10:30 PM at the Gulfstream Park’s Sport of Kings Theater (901 South Federal Highway, Hallandale Beach, FL). This open-to-the-public event is ticketed at $150 per person (excluding tax) and includes full access to the event. Guests looking to enhance their experience can purchase VIP tickets at $200 per person (excluding tax) and will include early access to the event as they enjoy a VIP reception from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online by clicking on this link! All proceeds will benefit WIZO.
There is a limited time 20 dollar off coupon for you! Use the KMIAMI promo code to get 20 dollars off either the VIP or General admission prices. The code is good ONLY till November 22 – so PLEASE BOOK NOW!!!
The event will offer guests the opportunity to sample hundreds of wines paired with delicious gourmet foods presented by top kosher restaurants and caterers in South Florida. The event will feature chef Moshe Segev
Last year the event was lovely with lots of food and drinks to enjoy. Please support this wonderful cause and buy your discounted tickets today!
Keep checking back as I update the post with more information as it becomes available.
Kosher Wine events for 2014 are set and the KFWE is selling fast
I will keep this short and sweet – the 2014 kosher wine events are all in and will start selling out VERY soon.
The first one you MUST jump on is the 2014 Kosher Food and Wine Festival (KFWE) at Pier 60, Chelsea Piers, in New York City on February 24, 2014. It literally sells out each and every year, and all the procrastinators complain to me bitterly, about how they cannot get in – well BUY YOUR DARN TICKETS and they are 20 dollars off still. I did not get a coupon this year, but you can use the Kosher Wine Society’s coupon (KWS20).
The next one to get on is the International Food and Wine Festival in Los Angeles, CA IFWF on February 26, 2014 – check my blog posting for more on that.
The next wine event is the Grapevine Wines Grand Tasting for Sunday March 2nd, 2014 at the Grapevine Wines shop in Monsey, NY. The tasting is from 5:30 – 8:30 PM, it is the 15th Year anniversary of the Kosher Wine store. The wine event will take place at 455 Route 306 Wesley Hills, NY 10952, 845-364-9463. Ask for Yehoshua Werth.
The next one is the return of the Gotham Wine Extravaganza, that took a year off last year – but is back and ready to go! The date is set, for Sunday March 23rd. As I have reported for the past many years, Gotham throws a crazy wine tasting with an array of wines unmatched by any other kosher wine tasting event, as there are wines from all of the kosher wine importers. I hope that anyone in the New York City can make it.
The next wine kosher event is the City Winery event, that is another kosher wine event that includes many wine importers and is on Monday March 31st. Last year the event was quite impressive, and I am sure it will be equally impressive this year.
KFWE (Kosher Food and Wine Experience) is coming early to Miami in December!
Until now, the KFWE from Royal has been relegated to New York city, and the last one I attended was really lovely indeed. Sure we have had the IFWF on the other coast, but other than Los Angeles, New York, and London, KFWE has been essentially contained to the mid coast cities. Well that is about to change given the efforts of a non-profit organization, Women’s International Zionist Organization of Florida (WIZO) in partnership with Israeli Wine Producers Association (IWPA).
The wine and food event will be held on December 18th from 7PM to 10:30 PM at the Gulfstream Park’s Sport of Kings Theater (901 South Federal Highway, Hallandale Beach, FL). This open-to-the-public event is ticketed at $150 per person (excluding tax) and includes full access to the event. Guests looking to enhance their experience can purchase VIP tickets at $200 per person (excluding tax) and will include early access to the event as they enjoy a VIP reception from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Tickets will be on sale beginning October 15 and can be purchased online by clicking on this link! All proceeds will benefit WIZO.
For all of my KosherWineMusings blog readers, we have a 20 dollar off coupon for you! Use the KWM promo code to get 20 dollars off either the VIP or General admission prices. The code can not be entered on the first page of the checkout flow, but once you choose the number of tickets and the ticket types, and press checkout, then you will have a place to enter the KWM code.
The event will offer guests the opportunity to sample hundreds of wines paired with delicious gourmet foods presented by top kosher restaurants and caterers in South Florida. Some of the select establishments sampling their signature favorites include:
- Europa Restaurant & Grill
- Praline Pastries
- Schakolad Chocolatier
- Carol Franco Catering
- Aroma Kosher Caterers
- Events by Premier
- Greenseid Caterers
- Ktering Desserts
- 17 Sushi
- Bourekas, Etc.
- Paola’s Cake Atelier
- Annie’s Bread
So far, some 30 wineries will be presenting their wines at the event, along with their wine makers, names that are familiar to all. Including: Psagot, Herzog Wine Cellars, Tulip, Castel, Tabor, Capcanes, Morad and Flam.
So far I know that Jeff Morgan of Covenant Winery will be there and Jurgen Wajner of Capcanes will also be there!
Keep checking back as I update the post with more information as it becomes available.
2013 Kosher Food and Wine Experience (KFWE) lived up to all its billing
For years I have always sported a purple colored beaming grin when I finish my tasting at the IFWF (International Food and Wine Festival) in LA, which hid my grumbling stomach’s discontent. Like I have documented for years, I never get to eat at the events, even as the entire food court mocks me, attempting to pull me into their warm, delicious, and very present embrace, with their wafting and intoxicating aromas. Still, I stand strong and I taste through the night until my teeth are purple and my stomach is close to rioting on the lack of food. Truth be told, I am not that good at taking notes when eating – the flavors of the food cover up and belie the flavors and aromas of the glass that beckons me closer with its “come hither” look and aromas. So every year, after the event I go to dinner at Jeff’s Sausage (down the street from the new location of the IFWF). Which is sheer madness of course, here I have half the Pavilion at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, filled with food from one of the best kosher restaurants in the world – Tierra Sur Restaurant, and I pass on that for the spicy and homely fare of Jeff’s Sausage. In no way is this a slight to the joy of Jeff Rohatiner’s cookery and food. Rather, it has been my conscious tradeoff, throughout my many year experience at IFWF to drink through as much of the world-class wine I can before my taste-buds shutdown, rather than give them to the food court, no matter how wonderful it is.
This year was a massive shift for me, gone was the purple grin and my mutinous stomach, as I visited and added the New York KFWE to my travel dates. To say the KFWE was different than the IFWF would be an extreme understatement, the IFWF has close to 1000 people at the show, while the KFWE has closer to 2000 people. Further the event hall at Pier 60 is some 2 to 3 times larger than the Pavilion tent at the Hyatt Regency. Also, there were many options for lunch and dinner from the myriad of NY restaurants that all share half the hall, all clamoring to share their wonderful fare with great fanfare. The Pier 60 overlooks the Marina and Harbor and many folks were outside braving the cold to grab a smoke, but at least they had some comfort of looking at the marina and its waterfront.
To really appreciate the event you had to come to it with a game plan, and there were many guests who had a few of their own. The event started at Noon for those in the trade, a new thing that the KFWE started last year and something that the IFWF has been doing from the start (though initially with a smaller trade time). The trade event was crowded but there could not have been more than a thousand folks there, so access to wine was not a problem in any way. The event hall can easily handle 1000 people, it is a bit more complicated when the number swells to two thousand people, but still there was no pushing or shoving going on even at the end of the public tasting, when the number of guests was at its maximum. But I digress; the trade tasting allowed me to focus solely on wine and the winemakers, which was great. Read the rest of this entry
2013 Kosher Food and Wine Experience on February 4th in New York City
As many who read my blog know – I am a huge fan of the Herzog Winery IFWF (International Food and Wine Festival), and have been attending that since its inception some 5 years ago, in 2008. Well, the New York version, the Kosher Food and Wine Experience (KFWE) has been around since 2007 and has in some ways upstaged its younger sibling, simply because it seems to have more wines and more winemakers than the west coast affair. To be fair, the west coast affair has the wonderful food of Tierra Sur and some special wines from the Herzog Winery – essentially showcasing the strengths of what the Herzog Winery has to offer. The East coast event is more about the wines of Royal Wines and all the wines they import from France, Italy, Spain, and especially Israel. To be fair again, a large percentage of the wine imported by Royal from Israel and Europe is sold on the East Coast, and predominantly in the New York area. Therefore, the wine makers and wineries that Royal imports, though truly interested in the west coast buyers, who are clearly the second largest buyers, are motivated to come and pour for the New York crowd.
So while Herzog has the world-class food and wine from around the world and from the Herzog Winery, Royal wine’s east coast event is about the wines from around the world, which allows them to focus on the top wines from Israel, Spain, and France. For food the event gathers the top kosher chefs and restaurateurs from around New York and gives them place to showcase their product and skills in equal and impressive fashion.
So, the 7th annual KFWE event is being held on February 4th at 6:30 PM at Pier 60, Chelsea Piers, New York. Tickets are GOING FAST and like every year – the event sells out. No matter what – make it your job to buy a ticket and show up for the event. I have a 20 dollar discount for the event if you use my code: KWM20 (the code is entered on the second page before checkout). I have word that this coupon may not be active for long as they are close to selling out – so get in now and do not waste your money!
While it would be great if all the wine makers made it west like Flam, Tulip, Castel, and others do, some like Alexander Winery and Elvi Winery simply cannot make it for a myriad of reasons. So, if you wish to get the best of both worlds, I would advise attending both events. Clearly, those who are on the east coast – MUST attend this event, on the 4th, as it is one of the best kosher wine events in the country. Those on the west coast should of course attend the event on the 6th in LA.
Either way, stay safe, enjoy the food and wine, and post back here about how much you enjoyed the event!
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