By Jacqueline Weiss
Like Dov Behr Manischewitz innovated how matzah was modernized for Jewish people in the United States, the owners of the Brooklyn, New York-based Monarch Wine Company set out to do the same with kosher wine in the 1940s. The only problem? No one knew who they were.
Their solution was to license the name of a company many Jewish people in the United States were already familiar with – Manischewitz. Monarch proposed a licensing deal to the matzah makers, who allowed them to use their name on kosher wines for a fee. And so, Manischewitz Wine was born.
In 1987, Manischewitz Wine was purchased from the Monarch Wine Company and became part of the Centerra Wine Company portfolio, now known as Constellation Brands Inc., and is produced in Canandaigua, New York.
Like Manischewitz produces special Kosher for Passover products, so does Manischewitz Wine. During Passover, food and drinks containing leavened foods or grains are not allowed, which also includes products made with corn syrup like Manischewitz’s classic Concord grape. Special Kosher for Passover bottles are made that use real cane sugar instead of corn syrup as a sweetener, so you can still enjoy the sweet taste of Manischewitz during the holiday.
So even though they still share a name, Manischewitz and Manischewitz Wine don’t share much else beyond space on your Passover table.