Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey
Speaker 1: brain Stuff, Lauren vog Obam. Here. You know a product
Speaker 1: has become a staple when its brand name replaces the
Speaker 1: generic term within the public's vocabulary. Popsicles, crop pots, q tips,
Speaker 1: and Manischevitz as the de facto go to brand of
Speaker 1: kosher wine. The Manischevits Company has led the charge on
Speaker 1: traditional Jewish foods in America since the lady teen hundreds,
Speaker 1: when Rabbi Dov Beer Manischevitz opened a small Mazza bakery
Speaker 1: in Cincinnati. Now a hundred and thirty years later, the
Speaker 1: Manischevitz Company does way more than produced sweet tart, low
Speaker 1: priced kosher wine. It's also king when it comes to
Speaker 1: kosher cookies, soup, skiffilter, fish, and way more. But how
Speaker 1: did it get into the wine making business? Manischevitz is
Speaker 1: typically shared during religious ceremonies and holidays like Passover, param Barnbot, Mitzvah's,
Speaker 1: and weddings. The modern Manischevits as we know it now,
Speaker 1: the uber sweet Concorde grape derived drink, came to fruition
Speaker 1: in n when Brooklyn based Monarch Wine Company approached the
Speaker 1: Manischevits company and proposed licensing deal. Monarch Wine wanted to
Speaker 1: use the well known Manischevit's name on its new kosher wine.
Speaker 1: The Manischevit's company was uninterested in pursuing wine making on Zone,
Speaker 1: so it agreed to the deal, unknowingly cementing itself as
Speaker 1: the purveyor of kosher wine. The manische of Its company
Speaker 1: is known for its Kosher standards and regulations and it
Speaker 1: applies them throughout to the wine making process too, from
Speaker 1: crushing the grapes to bottling the final product. But we
Speaker 1: spoke with Shanie seedman CMO of Kei Ko Kosher Foods
Speaker 1: and Manischevit's. She said, we have rabbis at each and
Speaker 1: every production to make sure all facilities are abiding by
Speaker 1: strict Kosher standards. Along with strict rabbinical supervision. All bottles
Speaker 1: of Manichevits must be certified by the Union of Orthodox
Speaker 1: Jewish Congregations of America before they're sold to the public.
Speaker 1: On top of this process, men Chevits wines go through
Speaker 1: a process called mavuchal that means the juice for the
Speaker 1: wine is cooked immediately after the grape has been crushed.
Speaker 1: But why that makes Mani chevits amvuchial wine, which according
Speaker 1: to Jewish dietary guidelines, means that it can be served
Speaker 1: to observant Jews by non observant people. These days, it's
Speaker 1: accomplished by a process similar to flash pasteurization, so it
Speaker 1: doesn't greatly affect the taste of the wine. Mana Chevits
Speaker 1: is available in six flavors concord grape, BlackBerry, elderberry, cherry,
Speaker 1: extra heavy malaga, and medium dry Concorde, and the appeal
Speaker 1: has long expanded past its Jewish base to the rest
Speaker 1: of the world. Whether it's the five dollar price tag,
Speaker 1: the low alcohol content, or the sweet flavors, Mana Chevits
Speaker 1: is classic tagline there's a sader in every bottle. Let
Speaker 1: the tradition flow now rings true for millions. Back in
Speaker 1: ninety four, an article in Commentary magazine reported on the
Speaker 1: then booming Kosher wine trend, noting how ten million gallons
Speaker 1: that's about their eight million liters of Manas Chevitz was
Speaker 1: imbibed the year prior. Interestingly enough, the same article mentioned
Speaker 1: a spike in sales quote at Christmas and Thanksgiving several
Speaker 1: times higher than for Passover, even noting how a relatively
Speaker 1: minor occasion as Saint Patrick's Day causes a discernible rise.
Speaker 1: The Manischevitz company's early tagline man O manas Chevitz proved
Speaker 1: to be so popular that Apollo seventeen astronaut Gene Cernan
Speaker 1: set it on the surface of the moon in nine
Speaker 1: But what about today? It seems the wine still has
Speaker 1: a big following, and not just by those who grew
Speaker 1: up drinking the stuff at Satyrs and other Jewish holidays.
Speaker 1: USA Today reported in seventeen that the wine is a
Speaker 1: hit among Caribbean communities, especially around Christmas, and The Wall
Speaker 1: Street Journal ran a similar story in twenty sixteen that
Speaker 1: says the Constellation Manischevitz's parent company produced more than nine
Speaker 1: thousand cases of Manischevits that year, two hundred thousand of
Speaker 1: which were exported to its top markets in Latin America,
Speaker 1: the Caribbean, and South Korea. It's sweet and fruity flavors
Speaker 1: clearly have a broad appeal, and that taste comes from,
Speaker 1: no surprise, a large amount of sugar that's added to
Speaker 1: offset the bitter taste of the Labreska grapes it's made from. However,
Speaker 1: when paired with salty passover foods, like mozza and can
Speaker 1: filta fish. This table wine shines seedmen added Mana Chevits
Speaker 1: dishes are comfort foods. The wine is sweet, robust, and
Speaker 1: should be sipped with friends and family for those who
Speaker 1: have never had the chance to sip this sweet drink.
Speaker 1: You can find many Chevits in almost any liquor or
Speaker 1: grocery store, often in the kosher section, and you can
Speaker 1: use it for cooking any dish that calls for a
Speaker 1: fruity wine. If you're looking for an easy dish to
Speaker 1: pair with manischevit's try something like a hardy brisket, or
Speaker 1: take it to the dessert course and mix up a
Speaker 1: Manis Chevits slushy or granita cheers. Today's episode was written
Speaker 1: by Jeremy Glass and produced by Tyler Clang. For more
Speaker 1: of this and a slurry of other topics of how
Speaker 1: stuff works dot com. Brain Stuff is a production of
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