The name of the kosher wine already exists, and the labels have also been designed.

The label for the kosher Riesling is sage, the one for the kosher Lemberger is light brick red.

The wine should be called "LeChaim", which is Hebrew and means: "To life".

It should be another three years before the first bottles leave the State Training and Research Institute for Viticulture and Fruit Growing in Weinsberg (LVWO) and the wine is toasted.

Kosher food production is complicated and requires a lot of knowledge, more staff and thorough work.

Kosher wine is produced in small quantities in Rheinhessen, in the Rheingau and in the Moselle-Saar region.

So far, this has not been the case in the wine-growing regions of Baden and Württemberg.

Ruediger Soldt

Political correspondent in Baden-Württemberg.

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On the initiative of CDU parliamentary group leader Manuel Hagel and CDU member of parliament Christian Gehring, the state winery is launching a three-year project for 20,000 euros.

Hagel has been committed to the fight against anti-Semitism and the cultivation of Jewish culture in Germany for years. He also wants to strengthen his party's historical awareness - also to consciously differentiate itself from revisionist, right-wing extremist and right-wing populist positions, which have been more popular in society for years to get.

"With the project, we make it possible for people of the Jewish faith to identify with the cultural asset of wine from Baden-Württemberg," says Agriculture and Viticulture Minister Peter Hauk (CDU).

Overseen by a qualified rabbinate

The production regulations for the cultivation and vinification of kosher wine are strict: from the cultivation to the harvesting of the grapes to the bottling and sealing of the bottles, the entire wine production must be supervised by a qualified rabbinate;

only male Jews who honor and observe the Shabbat can participate in the production of wine.

The commandments of the Jewish religious law – Halacha – apply to all work processes.

After bottling, the rabbi checks that all regulations have been followed, only then does he sign the kashrut certificate and declare the wine to be a kosher product.

Only vines that are at least four years old are permitted, they may not be grown in the immediate vicinity of fruit or vegetables,

No grapes may be harvested during the sabbatical year, and all equipment in the cellar and for the harvest must be cleaned under the supervision of a rabbi.

Only wild yeasts are allowed in the vinification.

In addition, the wine may only be filtered with paper filters.

The regulations are so strict that the kosher wine can easily be sold as a vegan and vegetarian product.

According to Jewish religious law, one percent of the wine produced must be given to the poor.

“Many helpers from the Jewish community will be added, who will receive an expense allowance.

I don't see it as a project, it can also become part of the training," says Simon Bachmann, head of the winery in Weinsberg.

When the first bottles are filled in 2023, the majority will be sold in Baden-Württemberg.

The state winery wants to fill about 4,000 bottles of Riesling and 3,500 Lemberger next year, the bottle should cost about ten euros.

The Stuttgart Rabbi Yehuda Pushkin said when presenting the project: "We want the kosher wine from Germany, from our country."