Month: February 2019

They experienced the Holocaust, survived communism and became the epitome of the American dream. They revolutionized the whole concept of kosher wine worldwide and have become the leading ambassadors of Israeli wine. I am referring to the Herzog family and their Royal Wine – Kedem empire. Now, the American chapter has just celebrated its 70th year anniversary, but the story began long before.
They started as winemakers in Slovakia, a country most well-known for white wines. Until today the Herzog family use only white wines for Seder Night. This is because red wine reminded them of the Blood Libel, which they experienced firsthand, but the customs of their homeland may also have influenced this choice.

It is clear that the indigenous drink of our country and wider region is wine. Vineyards grow everywhere today and this echoes the situation described in the Bible. The reverence surrounding wine in the Judeo-Christian world and in the west, is partly due to the importance of wine here in ancient times.
As far as spirits are concerned, the largest selling spirit by far is vodka. The first generations to come here came from Eastern Europe, and they brought with them a love for vodka, but drinking was modest and in moderation. Now with the country in the fifth generation since the First Aliyah, vodka consumption has grown, especially with the young. However, vodka is not today a pick me up shot from a bottle kept in the freezer, primarily drunk for a Lehaim or to accompany smoked or pickled fish. It is now drunk by the youth of the country with a mixer, usually an energy drink to get a kick as quickly is possible. Sales rock, and producers are sometimes shocked at how much vodka is sold in our small, supposedly abstemious country.