2023 Unorthodox - Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Simonsberg-Paarl Kosher (750ml)

Unorthodox comes from the Back family, longtime figures in South African winemaking, and this bottling was created as a tribute to the family's Lithuanian Jewish roots. The wine is produced under kosher supervision from both the Cape Town Beth Din and the Orthodox Union, and it carries Mevushal certification, making it kosher for Passover use as well as suitable for a wider range of kosher food service settings.

The fruit is grown in Simonsberg-Paarl, a warm, mountain-backed appellation within South Africa's Cape winelands well suited to both Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The two varieties are crushed together and co-fermented in a single stainless steel tank for fourteen to twenty-one days, using an automated pumpover system that keeps the juice untouched by hand, a method that preserves the wine's Mevushal status. After fermentation, the blend spends eight months maturing in a mix of French and American oak barrels.

The result is a deep, brilliant ruby-red wine layered with red fruit and cassis, framed by a gentle touch of vanilla from the oak. Full-bodied and generously wooded, it has enough weight to stand up to red meat, braised short rib stew, or herb-roasted chicken.