Manischewitz Wine is the Drink of Choice on Some Caribbean Islands

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Hazel Bethel is a Manischewitz wine devotee. She's originally from Trinidad and was introduced to the wine by friends who worked in Jewish homes in New York. NADEGE GREEN / WLRN

Just over a year ago I was scrolling through Instagram when I saw a picture of  a billboard in Haiti advertising Manischewitz wine.

The kosher wine has been a constant in Jewish homes for Passover seders and sacramental occasions, but in Jewish circles, while admittedly nostalgic, it’s typically scorned and made fun of.

Or as one bartender recently told the Washington Post, it’s “the drink of choice when you were 14 and nothing else was available in the liquor cabinet.”

Yet the very sweet Manischewitz wine is a hit in some Caribbean communities where it is met with respect and praise, especially around Christmas.

“It’s the immigrant’s fine wine,” explains Carla Hill. Her mom, who is originally from Trinidad, is a Manischewitz wine aficionado. Hill is not.

Read full story here: http://wlrn.org/post/manischewitz-wine-kosher-drink-popular-caribbean-communities

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