Kosher Italian Wine, Explained: Chianti, Prosecco and the Blue Bottle
Almost everybody who buys kosher wine has had an Italian one, whether they realised it or not. The blue bottle of Moscato on the Shabbos table is Italian. So is the Prosecco at the vort, and the Chianti someone brought to dinner. Italy has quietly become one of the biggest sources of kosher wine in the world, and it produces a wider range than most people give it credit for.
Here is what Italy actually makes for us, region by region, and which bottle to reach for when.
The sweet sparklers — Moscato and its family
Start where most people start. Bartenura Moscato in the blue bottle is the single most recognisable kosher wine there is, and it comes from Piedmont in Italy's north-west. It is lightly sparkling, low in alcohol, and unashamedly sweet — peach, orange blossom, a little fizz.
It has a reputation as a beginner's wine, which is unfair. It is a genuinely well-made version of a specific Italian style, and it does something no dry wine can do: it works for people who don't really like wine. That is worth a lot at a table of twenty.
Bartenura Asti is the fuller-sparkling sibling from the same corner of Piedmont, and Cantina Gabriele Moscato at $16.99 is a still, quieter take on the same grape. If you have ever wondered how these differ from one another, Moscato vs Asti vs Prosecco lays it out, and is Moscato sweet answers the question everyone actually has.
Prosecco — the dry sparkling option
Prosecco comes from the Veneto in the north-east and is the answer when you want bubbles without sweetness. Borgo Reale Prosecco Brut at $19.99 and Baglietti Brut Prosecco at $22.99 are both crisp, green-apple-and-pear wines that do the job Champagne does at a fraction of the price.
Prosecco is made in a tank rather than in the bottle, which is why it tastes fresher and less bready than Champagne and costs less. Champagne vs Prosecco vs Cava explains the difference properly. The full Italian sparkling shelf has the rest.
Tuscany — Chianti and the Sangiovese reds
Tuscany is where Italy gets serious about red wine, and Sangiovese is the grape. It gives you sour cherry, dried herbs, a little leather, and — this is the important part — bracing acidity that makes it one of the great food wines.
Bartenura Ovadia Estates Chianti Colli Senesi DOCG at $13.99 is the everyday version and remarkable value for a proper DOCG Chianti. Bartenura Rosso Toscano at $10.99 is simpler and softer. Casa al Vento T'amo Toscana Rosso IGT at $25.99 is the step up — more concentration, more oak, more length.
If Chianti is unfamiliar territory, what is Chianti covers the region, the grape and the bottle shape everyone remembers.
The south and the north — Primitivo and Piedmont
Masso Antico Le Anfore Primitivo at $59.99 comes from Puglia, the heel of the boot, and it is the opposite of Chianti in every way: ripe, dark, soft, almost sweet-fruited. Primitivo is genetically the same grape as Zinfandel, which tells you what to expect.
At the other end of the country, Pescaja Solo Noi Monferrato at $38.99 is Piedmontese and altogether more structured and savoury. Borgo Reale Pinot Noir at $19.99 is the light, easy option in the range.
And for the sweet reds — Rashi Joyvin Red at $12.28 is a fixture on kosher tables for a reason. It is lightly sparkling, sweet, and it does the same job the blue bottle does, in red.
Italian whites
The Italian white shelf is smaller but useful. Branizzi Pinot Grigio at $14.99 is the one to know — crisp, light, neutral in the best sense, and almost impossible to serve to the wrong person. Our guide to Pinot Grigio explains why it has become the default white in so many houses.
How to choose
For a crowd where you don't know everyone's taste, the blue bottle or a Prosecco. For a meat meal, Chianti — the acidity is the whole point. For a dairy or fish meal, Pinot Grigio. For a table that wants something rich and generous, the Primitivo.
Almost everything above is Bartenura, Rashi, Borgo Reale or Baglietti, and the Bartenura brand guide is worth reading if you keep finding their bottles in your cart. Browse the Italian reds, the Moscato collection and the Prosecco collection for the rest. We ship anywhere in the country.
