I remember like it was yesterday the first time I tried kosher wine. It was Pesach in Philadelphia, and having visited a local shul for the first time (I had not yet realized I was destined to become Jewish), I was invited to attend a seder in the trendy Fairmount section of town. I wasn’t the only non-Jew invited; another young man had also been given the opportunity, and neither of us understood it wasn’t necessary as non-Jews for us to bring wine to a Jewish meal.
That night, only he and I drank the bottle of wine he brought. The young man admitted he picked up a bottle of a certain well-known brand because he was told by the store clerk that it was the most traditional and most loved of all Jewish wine offerings. Indeed, it was delicious – and also very sweet. We drank the whole bottle, and our hangover the next day was truly next level.
Years later, I would be assigned an article for the food and wine section at The Jewish Press. The article featured Harkham Wines, a small batch winery out of Australia that was competing with the top non-kosher wines in the world for “Best Wine.” It was then that I realized just how far kosher wine had come – from the simple and functional to the sophisticated and complex. And while for centuries the non-kosher wine lover had been exploring and enjoying new wine experiences (through wine tastings events that could be found nightly in almost every major city), aside from the once-a-year kosher wine festival, the kosher wine lover’s palette was left in the dark. Until now.
Lazer Cohen is the owner and founder of Vaan Wine Concierge, which brings a wine-tasting experience, or more accurately, a wine concierge service, to your simcha – be it a birthday or a wedding – or your business or entertainment event. Vaan’s services are different from traditional wine-tasting as they offer their clientele the opportunity to select from a pre-curated selection of wines designed to meet the needs of their specific event. In just a short time, Vaan has hosted nearly 100 events to date. The attendees love it because it’s always fun to be a part of the next new thing – and wine concierge services are the next hottest trend featured at Jewish events.
Wine is truly a living, breathing item, and finding the right wine is a lot like buying stylish clothing; every season new styles are coming out. The characteristics of a good wine are affected by many factors, including weather, crop harvest, and production, and these factors ultimately affect the quality and the taste. Vaan helps its clientele understand and navigate these factors in order to identify the right wines for each event. Some bottles may not be mature enough, some too mature, and some just right. At Vaan, the concierge selects the right bottles, prepares them, and guides you through to a delightful wine experience.
“In the nicest restaurants there’s always a wine specialist walking around, opening up bottles and pouring wine into decanters,” Cohen told The Jewish Press. “The specialist takes the time to explain how certain bottles are going to satisfy you; ensuring you like and appreciate it before you decide to purchase it. It’s a whole experience unto itself.
“Unfortunately,” Cohen continued, “there isn’t a kosher restaurant today that has this level of service, so many people struggle with understanding whether the wine will be enjoyable or not. To fill this void, Vaan Wine Concierge brings the knowledge and excitement of a wine specialist directly to private events.”
Cohen remembers the moment Vaan was conceptualized. While managing a liquor store in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, Cohen noted he had a knack for leading people to the exact wine of their liking, simply by asking the right questions and remembering their reactions to what they had bought at an earlier visit. At one point, the management at Hazorfim, the fine silver company, requested Cohen do a private wine tasting at one of their events, and it was a huge success.
“I decided I wanted to devote more time to helping people find the wines they enjoy,” Cohen said. Indeed, when it comes to wine, Vann believes enjoyment is important, even on a spiritual level. “If people are trying and drinking wines they don’t like or that don’t match their tastes, then perhaps it’s questionable if the bracha they made on the wine is complete. Because when someone makes a bracha, they are supposed to have that feeling of enjoyment, it’s the final step,” he said. “So, Vaan is allowing wine to be enjoyed and to fulfill its purpose.”
An important part of Vaan’s mission is to have the participant rethink the idea that because a wine is good for someone else, it’s automatically good for them as well.
“There was an older couple in their 80s, and [the wife] came over and asked, ‘Do you have anything sweet?’ So I asked her if I could recommend something different than sweet, and she joked, ‘Not at my age.’ The husband was more of an experimental drinker, so on his wife’s behalf he said, ‘Do your magic.’ I asked her a couple of questions about how she likes her food, and she answered honestly. I gave her something to drink she hadn’t considered before and she goes, ‘Wow that’s great.’ I did the same for the husband, but I understood he couldn’t let on how much he liked it in front of his wife or there would be repercussions later!”
Cohen continued, “At one event I was talking to a young man who said he doesn’t drink wine. I asked him about what types of food he likes to eat, then I gave him a glass of wine with the bottle nearby and went off to mingle. When I returned an hour later, the bottle was three quarters empty and he was like ‘This is good!’ So, there he was: not getting drunk, simply taking his time enjoying it. Moments like that give me the biggest feeling of satisfaction.”
Possibly more than any other culture on earth, wine is an integral part of the Jewish experience. Cohen remembered when he learned that in some Sephardic traditions, wine is even drunk during shiva.
“A Sephardi client hired me to serve wine at their shiva,” Cohen remembered. “It was a little of a shocker for me. It wasn’t a party mood, obviously it was serious, but there was a lot of food and everyone was in a good mood. It’s a thing for the Sephardi to say a lot of brachos – especially over food – at their gatherings, and the wine was another bracha they wanted to make.”
Vaan attributes part of the success of its events to the fact that as kosher wine becomes more sophisticated, thankfully, so are the palates of kosher wine drinkers. Therefore, any opportunity to expand their knowledge and experience of wine is well received, making Vaan’s wine tastings an instant crowd pleaser.
As has always been intended throughout Jewish history, wine can bring Jews together, and serves as a symbol of both our relationship with Hashem and each other.
“At every Jewish event where you are serving wine and you have a sophisticated crowd who truly understand what they are drinking, there is a good percent of attendees who don’t understand and are feeling left out,” Cohen said. “At Vaan, we want every person to have the opportunity to bond together over good wine.”
