Rosh Hashanah Wine Pairings

As the summer is winding down, it’s time to start thinking about the High Holidays. With the growing trend towards better food, better wine and a better understanding of how they’re intertwined, let’s discuss our Rosh Hashanah pairings. Rosh Hashanah is a day focused on structure and tradition, and the food served generally echoes that feel. However, even traditional foods can have a classic flavor profile or take a more modern approach to the flavor, and it is the same with wine as well. Below we’ve selected the perfect complementary wine to each of your classic Rosh Hashanah foods.

On Rosh Hashanah, we put honey on our challah for a sweet New Year. Whether your challah is round as per the custom, or a simple braid, we’re looking for the perfect matching wine. We want to ensure that the wine will be sweet enough to complement the honey without leaving the wine tasting bitter, or acidic. I recommend the Adir Barbera Rosé - it’s a rosé with just a hint of sweetness that is a great start to the meal, and is a beautiful accompaniment to the challah with honey.

While we eat gefilte fish year-round on Shabbat, on Rosh Hashanah we specifically eat a fish head as a symbolic prayer to have a good year (heads and not tails). For the fish you’ll want a wine that has plenty of flavor, and acidity, to carry the fish taste while not overpowering it. In this case, I would go with the Gito Shenhav Chardonnay. This light and crisp chardonnay packs a punch with its acidity but is still light enough to enjoy with a fish course.

What’s a Yom Tov meal without a classic, meat roast? Whether it’s brisket, corned beef, or any other type of meat roast, you’ll probably meet this a few times throughout the holidays. For the roast we’re looking for a big flavorful wine, one that can stand up to any meat dish your heart desires. The Shiloh Secret Reserve Merlot is a perfect match with its silky tannins and big oak flavors. Decant the wine, serve the meat and I’m coming right over!

I have fond memories of having a whole roasted chicken on Rosh Hashanah night, complete with herbs, vegetables and all the good trimmings. This hearty meal calls for a hearty wine, and the Psagot Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is just the thing! This wine is full-bodied and flavorful. It has just enough of a green character to match the herbs of the chicken, and enough of a body to pair well with your main dish.

This Rosh Hashanah staple dish is made with carrots, sweet potatoes, honey, and prunes; It is a personal favorite. The earthy root vegetables have a tinge of sweetness and earthiness that goes perfectly with chicken or meat. I would recommend pairing this traditional dish with the Herzog Late Harvest Orange Muscat - it  will not only match the sweetness of the honey, it will also match the amber color.

Apples and Rosh Hashanah go hand in hand, so we must not forget our apple dish. Is the apple kugel served as a sweet side dish or a delicious strudel dessert in your home? For now, we’ll view it as a dessert, so the wine will pair accordingly. The Dalton Anna is a sweet wine that’s a perfect fit. It’s made from Muscat grapes and has some baked apple notes, which will match beautifully with your sweet apple dish.