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A Wine Lover's Weekly Review of $10 Wines - A Fizzy Low-Alcohol Kosher Italian Red
By Levi Reiss

This is our first review of a kosher wine. A kosher wine meets strict growing and production requirements in accordance with Jewish religious law. We are going to open a new column in our website to review kosher, organic, biodynamic and other wines that meet special growing and production requirements. But since this particular wine just made it under the magic $10 limit we decided to review it here. Given its rather special qualities, many people buy this wine without concern for its kosher status. By the way, if you do keep kosher you will be interested to know that this wine is Kosher for Passover and Mevushal, the latter meaning it was flash pasteurized and maybe be served at receptions even if the waiters are not Sabbath-respecting Orthodox Jews.

Rashi Vineyards has properties in Italy and in New York State. They produce some strictly kosher fine Italian wines such as Barolo, the wine of kings and the king of wines. Their vineyards are named for the Eleventh Century Jewish scholar Rashi who was allegedly an extraordinary winemaker. While Jewish and other scholars are still studying his religious commentaries we can't be sure of his winemaking skills.

I recently hosted a wine tasting and chose this particular wine mainly for its low-alcohol content. It proved to be quite popular. The Joyvin is a fizzy red wine whose label reads Parzialmente Fermentato. I am sure you can decipher this phrase even if, like me, you don't know Italian. Just like most fine champagnes, this wine doesn't have any vintage year on the label. But that's where the resemblance ends.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Joyvin Red K/P M 6.0 % alcohol about $10

Let's start with the marketing materials. Tasting Note: Dark pink; sweet cherry aromas; very sweet cherry flavor. Serving Suggestion: Kosher appetizers and toasting. And now for my review.

I started by sipping this wine alone. It was sweet and fizzy. The first meal included boxed spinach, broccoli, and potato blintzes (crepes) with sour cream. The wine presented some cherry flavor and good acidity. But frankly speaking, it was a cooler, not a wine.

The second meal involved a middle-eastern dish called Kube (or Kibbe), ground chicken in crushed wheat jackets slow-cooked in a broth. The Joyvin was syrupy and yet refreshing. It was short. I think that you could duplicate this product by buying an upscale black cherry soda and adding alcohol. Don't get me wrong; this concoction was not entirely negative.

The final meal was an omelet with sides of grilled eggplant and a grilled artichoke dip. With the omelet my reaction was same old, same old. The grilled eggplant did bring out the fruit somewhat. I have no notes for the artichoke dip and the wine; I don't think they interacted.

Now for the cheeses. With a Brick cheese I noticed some nice acidity. With the Havarti the Joyvin was fruity but really too sweet.

Final verdict. I don't know what coolers are going for but my suspicion is that Joyvin is way overpriced. But if you like coolers you may find that this is one of the better ones. That's not my department. And don't get the wrong idea. Many of the kosher wines that I'll be reviewing will be fine wines.

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian, French, or other wine, accompanied by the right foods and spend time with his wife and family. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. Among his many web sites he is particularly proud of his new love and relationships site celebrating mostly spiritual and on occasion physical love at http://www.loveamourlove.com. You will find a wide range of articles devoted to various aspects of love, and a special collection of love quotes in both English and French (with translations.) Check out his global wine website at http://www.theworldwidewine.com with his weekly column reviewing $10 wines and his new sections writing about (theory) and tasting (practice) organic and kosher wines.

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