Kosher Food and Drink

From the storied Arnoux et Fils winery comes this white Côtes du Rhône, a welcome addition to the kosher wine world.

In 1777, Count François de Castellanne gifted a vineyard to Pierre Bovis, an ancestor of the Arnoux family. By 1936, the vineyard proved too small to satisfy the demand for Arnoux wines from the Rhône Valley.

Aimé Arnoux, grandfather of the current Arnoux family, expanded the vineyards to meet this need, then created the Vieux Clocher brand along with his sons Jean Marie and Régis in 1960. The label features a drawing of the “Vieux Clocher” or “old bell tower,” the historic church tower abutting the Vacqueyras estate.

Today, Marc and Jean-François, sons of Jean-Marie Arnoux, head the Arnoux estate, carrying the same tradition and now partnering with the Centrale Européenne des Vins (European Wine Center), or CEDEV, to produce wines for the kosher market.

CEDEV was founded by Robby Israel in Antwerp in 2012. Moshe Cik is the managing director, and Abe Israel, Robby’s son, heads Noble Wines, the exclusive U.S. importer for CEDEV wines. CEDEV produces about 65 wines from France, Hungary, Italy, and Spain, including this Vieux Clocher from Côtes du Rhône.

The Vieux Clocher Blanc is a blend of 60% Grenache Blanc and 40% Viognier. The nose is highly aromatic and expressive, with stone fruit, candied lemon, fresh melon, green apple, floral notes, some saline. The palate shows good body and weight, more medium to full-bodied than most, bright acidity, long finish. Very nice. Drink now until 2026.

$35, 13% ABV, non-mevushal