With sold-to-capacity online crowds, the annual Kosher Food & Wine Experience (KFWE) is among the hottest tickets in the kosher culinary world. These massive events which have taken place in pre-pandemic times in New York, California, Israel, Miami, and London have attracted thousands of restaurateurs, chefs, caterers, and foodies who wait all year to sample the latest and greatest in fine kosher wines and creative cuisine.
Fans of the expo will be thrilled to know that the global pandemic won’t spoil the party this year. This year’s KFWE will be taking place online on Sunday 21 February 2021 at 5:30pm EST. All are welcome to sip and savor with the pros during this free livecast, presented by the Royal Wine Corporation. Program highlights include guided wine-tastings with Jay Buchsbaum, VP of Marketing and Wine Education for Royal Wine; Erik Segelbaum, Food & Wine Magazine’s 2019 Sommelier of the Year; wine blogger Gabriel Geller, Royal Wine’s director of PR, who was the featured guest on episode #42 of The Jewish Drinking Show, where he spoke about Royal Wine Corporation’s wines (including Kedem) and the company’s history; and others.
“We spent quite a bit of time behind the scenes trying to figure out how to safely bring this experience to people while still capturing the essence of the show,” noted Buchsbaum. “Yes, things will be a little different this year, but the virtual format creates new opportunities. For instance, the more intimate setting means we can do a deeper dive into the wines, wineries, and wine-making process.”
Another innovative twist is the Official KFWE Tasting Kit, which will allow viewers at home to sample wines with the experts. Each kit includes 100mL samples of 25 featured wines from some of the world’s most prestigious wineries. Kits also include a tasting guide, recipe cards, and shopping lists so guests can cook along, too. Available for $250 (plus processing and shipping fees), tasting kits can be ordered through EventBrite. KFWE urges people to order by February 12 to ensure delivery in time for the event, and, of course, one must be at least 21 years old on order to purchase the wines.
In addition to the wines, who can forget about the food? Celebrity chef, restauranteur, and James Beard Award winner Michael Solomonov will be on hand along with Chef Gabe Garcia of Tierra Sur, as well as personalities from Kosher.com. Viewers can watch their demonstrations and cook along in real-time. Detailed recipe cards with shopping lists and prep instructions will be available for download ahead of time.
“Just as Erik Segelbaum and Michael Solomonov are respected and admired in the global mainstream wine and culinary world, kosher and Israeli wines deserve the same indiscriminating quality and appreciation,” opined Geller. “KFWE was created to spread that message far and wide. So even though we are presenting on a smaller physical scale this year, KFWE 2021 will drive that message home to more people than ever.”
This year’s event focuses on the following releases – all of which are kosher for Passover:
- Carmel Signature Mediterranean 2017
- Barkan Special Reserve Winemaker’s Choice Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
- Shiloh Secret Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
- Jezreel Valley Argaman 2017
- Binyamina The Chosen Diamond 2017
- Gush Etzion Winery Blessed Valley Chardonnay 2019
- Tulip Black Tulip 2017
- Netofa Dor 2017
- Flam Noble 2017
- Tabor Malkiya Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
- Psagot Peak 2017
- Teperberg Essence Malbec 2016
- Hagafen Estate Bottled Coombsville Napa Valley Dry White Riesling 2018
- Covenant Red C 2017
- Herzog Variations Be-leaf Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
- Herzog Generation IX Stags Leap District Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
- Chateau Leoville Poyferre Saint-Julien 2017
- Chateau de Santenay Les Bois de l’Alier Mercurey 2019
- Château Guiraud 1er Cru Sauternes 2019
- Chateau Giscours Margaux 2017
- Chateau Montviel Pomerol 2018
- Capcanes Flor de Primavera Peraj Ha’abib Montsant 2017
- Elvi Wines Herenza Rioja Reserva 2014
- Terra di Seta Chianti Classico Riserva 2016
- Sforno Gran Reserva Red Blend Mendoza 2020
For more information on the event, you can check out Royal Wine Corporation’s Facebook page, as well as the event’s website.
