Each year when thinking about the Seder wines, I try to come up with a list of wines that are both practical for each kos while being appropriate for the mitzvah, in that they are truly excellent wines that deserve to adorn my Seder table. In general, I am NOT makpid on all of my wines being from Israel for the Seder, and most years I end up with a mix of wines from various appellations. But in the spirit of the season – Why is this year different from all other years? While part of the answer is obvious, as with the Haggadah, there are also deeper reasons why we should be supporting Israel now more than ever. First and foremost, the current situation here in Israel from October 7th onward has made farming in Israel VERY difficult across the board, but, of course, including vineyards. Yes, most of the harvest was complete by October 7th, but wine production was far from completed – with most wineries likely in the middle of fermentation when the war broke out. With the massive callup of forces, most wineries were VERY understaffed and struggled to get the wines made for the 2023 vintage. Add to that the wineries in the North being severely impacted by the constant bombardment from Lebanon. Add to all of this the fact that the Israeli wine market was already suffering during the Corona years due to depressed sales to the restaurant sector. Add to that that last year’s vintage 2022 for the most part was NOT exported due to Shmita, and we have a REAL problem here in Israel. And so I will be doing my part to support Israeli wineries, and I encourage my readers to do the same if at all possible.

The Seder itself presents a number of challenges in terms of drinking. First and foremost, all of the four cups are drunk for the most part without food. Two cups prior to the meal on an empty stomach no less and two cups after the meal when we are already full and the hour is late. My Seder night strategy has served me well each year, and so I see no reason to change it up. So here it is, along with my choices for this year’s seder.

[My only criteria besides the wines being from Israel is that I have enough on hand to provide all of my Seder attendees with the same wine (we are about 15-20 people this year and most of them will be drinking wines, so 2-3 bottles of each. ]