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Kosher wines to go with your Passover meal from start to finish

Lion & Dove Rosé Moscato, Unorthodox Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, Unorthodox Chenin Blanc 2021, Cellier des Terres Blanches Intuition Côtes du Rhône 2019 and Masca del Tacco Susumaniello 2020. (Scott Suchman/For the Washington Post)
By Dave McIntyre Special to the Washington Post

Delicious kosher wines take the spotlight this week: A rosé moscato from Italy offers sweetness and fizz, while a Bordeaux blend and a chenin blanc from South Africa bring classic flavors to the holiday table. We round out this week’s list with a great value Côtes du Rhône and a heritage red from Southern Italy.

Lion & Dove Rosé Moscato

Italy, $12

Light, fruity and sweet, this is a lovely wine to pair with fruit-based desserts or dishes with sweet sauces. Kosher mevushal. Vegan. Alcohol by volume: 5.5%. Bottle weight: 615 grams (average).

Unorthodox Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

Simonberg-Paarl, South Africa, $16

Juicy and supple, with excellent verve and balance, this delicious Bordeaux-style blend is a great match for any red meat or hearty pasta. Kosher mevushal. Vegan. ABV: 14%. BW: 570 grams (average).

Unorthodox Chenin Blanc 2021

Coastal Region, South Africa, $16

This wine is representative of a lot of South African chenin blanc: fresh and lively, with flavors of Granny Smith apples and apricots, and eminently affordable. Kosher mevushal. Vegan. ABV: 12.5%. BW: 570 grams.

Cellier des Terres Blanches Intuition Côtes du Rhône 2019

Rhône Valley, France, $16

A classic blend of grenache and syrah, with a splash of carignan, this wine is richly textured and savory. Look for some herbal garrigue and lavender to emerge above the deep, dark fruit flavors. ABV: 14.5%. BW: 570 grams (average).

Masca del Tacco Susumaniello 2020

Puglia, Italy, $22

In “Native Wine Grapes of Italy,” author Ian D’Agata says the name susumaniello means “load up the donkey,” a reference to the grape being “a very productive variety and little else.” Two researchers devoted to revitalizing traditional grape varieties in Puglia found a single vineyard with some susumaniello vines in the late 1990s.

Now, plantings are on the rise, and we have a few varietal bottlings. D’Agata says pure “Susie” offers “a strong but not massive cloak” of texture, “also plenty of dark-cherry and plum aromas and flavors.” For this wine from Masca del Tacco, I would add noticeable sweetness, along with some chocolate notes. It’s fun and tasty, more than just another grape variety to cross off your list. ABV: 14.5%. BW: 610 grams (average).

Availability information is based on distributor records. Prices are approximate. Check wine-searcher.com to verify availability, or ask a favorite wine store to order through a distributor.