Passover Wine and Food Pairing Ideas

There’s no question that you’ll be serving wine at Passover if you’re planning a traditional seder. But there’s no reason your Passover wine can’t be paired with the foods to turn this religious event into a gourmet experience.

What kind of wine is used for Passover?

The Passover Seder is filled with rich tradition, including traditional foods. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be a culinary experience. The meal calls for four cups of wine. And these four cups of seder wine don’t all have to be Manischewitz wine!

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start with some basics of choosing wine for Passover.

RELATED: Unlocking Wine Pairing Secrets

Kosher wine for Passover

If you haven’t taken the time to explore the growing options for Kosher wine, you might be surprised to discover the remarkable variety and quality of Kosher wines now available from Israel as well as those produced in the U.S. In fact, Yarden, Inc., a noted Kosher wines importer of some of the best Passover wine from Isreal’s Golan Heights and Galil Mountain regions has put together a guide to wine pairing tips for Passover.

Frankly, we like to think of every meal as a gastronomic experience. So we’re embracing this concept of turning what was once considered a long evening of tasting and tradition into a gourmet affair. So we’re sharing these pairing ideas with you. Our hope is that, if Passover is a part of your tradition, you experience it to the fullest this year!

RELATED: Some unique Kosher wine reviews

Pairing kosher white wine for Passover

For Matzo Ball Soup:

Try pairing this soup of chicken stock, dill and garlic with a crisp white wine. Consider a Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier or Semillon.

For Gefilte Fish:

A tart Sauvignon Blanc or Oak-Aged Viognier should pair with its mellow whitefish flavor and spicy horseradish accompaniment.

Pairing kosher red wine for Passover

For the Main Course:

Typically, families today will serve a hearty chicken dish or beef brisket. If your choice is chicken, a Merlot should be work well. (Alternatively, you might enjoy a full-bodied Chardonnay.) And with the beef, consider a Cabernet Sauvignon or a full-bodied, kosher red wine blend.

TO TRY: The Best Simple Roast Chicken Recipe

Passover wines for dessert:

A sweet and spicy Gewurztraminer would make a perfect partner for classic coconut macaroons.

We hope that these wine pairing tips for Passover will help to inspire you to make it delicious. And we’d like to add that if you’re hoping for a few aphrodisiacs as a part of your experience – why not eat foods that potentially improve libido whenever you can – you might want to check out Amy Reiley’s Saffron Matzo Ball Soup recipe from Fork Me, Spoon Me: the sensual cookbook.