WEBVTT - How Did Manischewitz Become the Biggest Name in Kosher Wine?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, Lauren vog Obam. Here. You know a product

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<v Speaker 1>has become a staple when its brand name replaces the

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<v Speaker 1>generic term within the public's vocabulary. Popsicles, crop pots, q tips,

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<v Speaker 1>and Manischevitz as the de facto go to brand of

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<v Speaker 1>kosher wine. The Manischevits Company has led the charge on

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<v Speaker 1>traditional Jewish foods in America since the lady teen hundreds,

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<v Speaker 1>when Rabbi Dov Beer Manischevitz opened a small Mazza bakery

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<v Speaker 1>in Cincinnati. Now a hundred and thirty years later, the

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<v Speaker 1>Manischevitz Company does way more than produced sweet tart, low

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<v Speaker 1>priced kosher wine. It's also king when it comes to

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<v Speaker 1>kosher cookies, soup, skiffilter, fish, and way more. But how

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<v Speaker 1>did it get into the wine making business? Manischevitz is

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<v Speaker 1>typically shared during religious ceremonies and holidays like Passover, param Barnbot, Mitzvah's,

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<v Speaker 1>and weddings. The modern Manischevits as we know it now,

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<v Speaker 1>the uber sweet Concorde grape derived drink, came to fruition

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<v Speaker 1>in n when Brooklyn based Monarch Wine Company approached the

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<v Speaker 1>Manischevits company and proposed licensing deal. Monarch Wine wanted to

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<v Speaker 1>use the well known Manischevit's name on its new kosher wine.

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<v Speaker 1>The Manischevit's company was uninterested in pursuing wine making on Zone,

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<v Speaker 1>so it agreed to the deal, unknowingly cementing itself as

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<v Speaker 1>the purveyor of kosher wine. The manische of Its company

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<v Speaker 1>is known for its Kosher standards and regulations and it

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<v Speaker 1>applies them throughout to the wine making process too, from

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<v Speaker 1>crushing the grapes to bottling the final product. But we

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<v Speaker 1>spoke with Shanie seedman CMO of Kei Ko Kosher Foods

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<v Speaker 1>and Manischevit's. She said, we have rabbis at each and

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<v Speaker 1>every production to make sure all facilities are abiding by

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<v Speaker 1>strict Kosher standards. Along with strict rabbinical supervision. All bottles

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<v Speaker 1>of Manichevits must be certified by the Union of Orthodox

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<v Speaker 1>Jewish Congregations of America before they're sold to the public.

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<v Speaker 1>On top of this process, men Chevits wines go through

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<v Speaker 1>a process called mavuchal that means the juice for the

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<v Speaker 1>wine is cooked immediately after the grape has been crushed.

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<v Speaker 1>But why that makes Mani chevits amvuchial wine, which according

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<v Speaker 1>to Jewish dietary guidelines, means that it can be served

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<v Speaker 1>to observant Jews by non observant people. These days, it's

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<v Speaker 1>accomplished by a process similar to flash pasteurization, so it

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<v Speaker 1>doesn't greatly affect the taste of the wine. Mana Chevits

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<v Speaker 1>is available in six flavors concord grape, BlackBerry, elderberry, cherry,

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<v Speaker 1>extra heavy malaga, and medium dry Concorde, and the appeal

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<v Speaker 1>has long expanded past its Jewish base to the rest

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<v Speaker 1>of the world. Whether it's the five dollar price tag,

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<v Speaker 1>the low alcohol content, or the sweet flavors, Mana Chevits

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<v Speaker 1>is classic tagline there's a sader in every bottle. Let

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<v Speaker 1>the tradition flow now rings true for millions. Back in

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<v Speaker 1>ninety four, an article in Commentary magazine reported on the

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<v Speaker 1>then booming Kosher wine trend, noting how ten million gallons

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<v Speaker 1>that's about their eight million liters of Manas Chevitz was

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<v Speaker 1>imbibed the year prior. Interestingly enough, the same article mentioned

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<v Speaker 1>a spike in sales quote at Christmas and Thanksgiving several

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<v Speaker 1>times higher than for Passover, even noting how a relatively

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<v Speaker 1>minor occasion as Saint Patrick's Day causes a discernible rise.

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<v Speaker 1>The Manischevitz company's early tagline man O manas Chevitz proved

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<v Speaker 1>to be so popular that Apollo seventeen astronaut Gene Cernan

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<v Speaker 1>set it on the surface of the moon in nine

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<v Speaker 1>But what about today? It seems the wine still has

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<v Speaker 1>a big following, and not just by those who grew

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<v Speaker 1>up drinking the stuff at Satyrs and other Jewish holidays.

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<v Speaker 1>USA Today reported in seventeen that the wine is a

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<v Speaker 1>hit among Caribbean communities, especially around Christmas, and The Wall

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<v Speaker 1>Street Journal ran a similar story in twenty sixteen that

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<v Speaker 1>says the Constellation Manischevitz's parent company produced more than nine

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<v Speaker 1>thousand cases of Manischevits that year, two hundred thousand of

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<v Speaker 1>which were exported to its top markets in Latin America,

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<v Speaker 1>the Caribbean, and South Korea. It's sweet and fruity flavors

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<v Speaker 1>clearly have a broad appeal, and that taste comes from,

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<v Speaker 1>no surprise, a large amount of sugar that's added to

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<v Speaker 1>offset the bitter taste of the Labreska grapes it's made from. However,

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<v Speaker 1>when paired with salty passover foods, like mozza and can

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<v Speaker 1>filta fish. This table wine shines seedmen added Mana Chevits

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<v Speaker 1>dishes are comfort foods. The wine is sweet, robust, and

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<v Speaker 1>should be sipped with friends and family for those who

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<v Speaker 1>have never had the chance to sip this sweet drink.

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<v Speaker 1>You can find many Chevits in almost any liquor or

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<v Speaker 1>grocery store, often in the kosher section, and you can

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<v Speaker 1>use it for cooking any dish that calls for a

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<v Speaker 1>fruity wine. If you're looking for an easy dish to

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<v Speaker 1>pair with manischevit's try something like a hardy brisket, or

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<v Speaker 1>take it to the dessert course and mix up a

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<v Speaker 1>Manis Chevits slushy or granita cheers. Today's episode was written

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<v Speaker 1>by Jeremy Glass and produced by Tyler Clang. For more

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<v Speaker 1>of this and a slurry of other topics of how

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<v Speaker 1>stuff works dot com. Brain Stuff is a production of

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<v Speaker 1>I Heart Radio or more podcasts. My Heart Radio, visit

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