Move over Manischewitz! Kosher plonk has finally come of age and where better to showcase its talents than downtown NY’s mecca for wine lovers – City Winery.

Dedicated food addicts recently gathered amongst the venue’s metal vats and oak barrels to enjoy a selection of exquisite Carmel and Yatir vintages in conjunction with a 5 course delectable dinner.  Guests literally sampled wine ‘by numbers’ as each setting flaunted 8 glasses in various shapes and sizes.  While sommeliers decanted each course’s liquid temptation, Adam Montefiore, Carmel Israel’s dapper development manager, tutored the audience on the key facts and figures.

Esprit caterer’s first course of wild mushroom sformato topped with quail egg and teamed with Carmel Ridge White (2009) was particularly noteworthy – its presentation, flavor and texture were so perfect, I thought I had died and gone to ‘Snack Daddy’ heaven.  Fortunately, seated to my left was the President of the New York Kosher Wine Society, Aron Ritter, who kindly hauled me back to earth and guided me through the alcoholic maze.  The Carmel Limited Edition (2005) that accompanied the fourth course of Basil marinated lamb chops has been awarded 90 points by the wine critic Robert Parker, but the evening’s outright winner was the late harvest dessert Gewurtztraminer (2006) decorated as Israel’s highest ranking wine ever by wine columnist Howard Goldberg.

Although this particular event exclusively spectacled Israeli wine, surprisingly, 25% of City Winery’s bi-annual harvest is strictly kosher.  This challenge is right up owner Michael Dorf’s alley, whose vision is to offer an inviting spot that is truly open to all.