Description
Kosher for Passover
About the Winery:
Tischler & Halpern make Kosher wines from grapes grown at the Disznókő Estate, and produced by the winemakers at Disznókő in a separate area in the winery designated for making kosher wines. This is done under the religious supervision of rav Daniel Hanan, an Israeli rabbi approved by the Israeli Beth Din Tzedek. The wine is kosher for Passover.
Péter Tordai, owner of Tischler & Halpern, has long been fascinated by kosher wine and (with the help of Israeli rabbis) has been making it in the Tokaj region for 18 years. He saw that there was a need for kosher wine, and that Tokaj would be an ideal place to produce a range of kosher wines—dry, semi-sweet, and sweet versions—in a region which has deep kosher winemaking traditions, which have almost disappeared. During kosher wine production, there are ancient rules which must be followed, and the winemaking process must be carried out by observant Jews. The name Tischler & Halpern pays tribute to the family names of Tordai and his wife. Their daughter has also joined the family business, helping with sales.
About Tokaj’s Jewish History:
The Tokaj wine region has a long history of kosher winemaking, and before World War Two the region had a substantial Jewish community. It played a vital role in the production, sale, and transport of wine from Tokaj to the rest of the world. Tokaj’s Jewish story began in the mid-1700s when Polish Jews began to settle in the region. In the early-19th century, Jews from Galicia (an area along today’s Polish/Ukrainian border) arrived. Many of them were followers of the Hasidic movement and by the beginning of the 20th century, Tokaj had arguably become the most important center of Hasidism in Europe west of the Ukraine. The Jews of the region contributed enormously to the fact that Tokaj wine remained widely recognized internationally for centuries. Jews or non-Jews, everyone living in the region loved the wine.
