From Food on Shine...

Not all kosher wine is syrupy gunk. We've rounded up an international mix of top-notch varietals
By Howard G. Goldberg

1. Gonzalez Byass Tio Pepe Palomino Fino (Spain, nonvintage)

(About $20)

Kosher sherry isn't an oxymoron. Gonzalez Byass, the great sherry bodega in Jerez de la Frontera, Andalucia, broadens the spectrum of modern Jewish wines with this rabbinically supervised extra-dry fino; it offers woody, olivelike aroma and flavors just like the regular version. While fino can be used for kiddush, the prayer over wine at a sabbath or seder dinner, it can simultaneously do double duty as an incomparable aperitif. Afterward it may accompany chicken and fish dishes.

Meaty Recipe Pairing:

Chicken with Lemons, Green Olives, and Capers
Mediterranean flavors, embodied by olives, make for an ideal fino mate—lemons and capers add zing. Tip: Sip the high-alcohol fino slowly.

Meatless Recipe Pairing:

Smoked Fish with Fennel and Arugula Salad
In Spain, tapas and fino are a classic combination. This recipe's thinly cut morsels are stand-ins for tapas.

2. Goose Bay 2008 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand)

($21)

Although Goose Bay Chardonnay, made by Spencer Hill Estate, can brighten a first course, so too can the Sauvignon Blanc. The 2008 displays the signature grassy scent and aroma of Kiwi Sauvignons. This bold, succulent version also manages to be creamy and zippy, and offers a long finish. Pair it with a salad, but hold the vinegar.

Meaty Recipe Pairing:

A '90s Twist to a Grandmother's Roast Chicken
Unlike California Chardonnays that overwhelm mild poultry, this one's zippy acidity lets the delicate white-meat flavor come through.

Meatless Recipe Pairing:

Salmon Trout Poached in White Wine
The Chardonnay's weight and delicacy, reflecting the fish's lightness, does not trounce the salmon.

3. Flechas de Los Andes 2008 Gran Malbec (Argentina)

 ($20)

This hearty, sultry, spicy, mouth-filling dark-ruby wine offers raspberry, chocolate, dark licorice, and lightly oaky flavors along with soft tannins. It is produced in Mendoza Province by Baron Benjamin de Rothschild and Laurent Dassault, the French investor and owner of Chateau Dassault in St. Emilion.

Meaty Recipe Pairing:

Beef Brisket with Dried Fruit, Yams, and Carrots
The red's enticing fruitiness flirts—and marries perfectly—with the sweetness of the apricots, prunes, and yams in the recipe.

Meatless Recipe Pairing:

Zingerman's Mushroom and Barley Soup
Talk about heartiness! What is more reviving than the forest-and-field earthiness in a warming, ingratiating red?

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