Passover lasts a week, and for those who keep kosher and also love wine, relying on Mogen David or Manischewitz could make it a long week to endure.

Cork and Canvas, Wine and Art Gallery in Highland Park has some suggestions for kosher wine alternatives.

Cork and Canvas owner and sommelier Mick Ter Haar said kosher wines are not all from Israel; they’re from all over the world.

Ter Haar said the quality of kosher wine has improved.

“Five years ago, I wouldn’t think twice to have any kosher wines in the store, but a couple months after we opened I was approached by the importer that we work with, and he tasted me on these wines and I was very impressed,” Ter Haar said. “They’ve really come around with their wine-making skills and they’ve just started doing a better job. I just think there’s a higher demand for better quality wine out there.”

Ter Haar said there are a few ways to identify kosher wine by looking at the bottle’s label. 

“You can look on the back or on the front, and typically they’re going to have either a ‘U’ with a circle around it—that’s the certification organization that oversees everything—and then there’s a ‘P’ next to it,” Ter Haar said. “It means kosher for Passover. And then there’s also either a circle ‘K’ or the circle ‘U’ with a ‘P’ next to it on the label.”

Ter Haar suggests the following:

-2006 Binyamina "Yogev" Sauvignon Blanc/ Chardonnay, Samson, Israel $18.00

• Tasting Notes: A blend of 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Chardonnay. A pale green hew with an aroma of tropical scents and fresh herbs. Medium-bodied with refreshing acidity and a lengthy finish.

• Food Pairings: Baked fish or Grilled Chicken

-NV Bokobsa "Cuvee du Centenaire," Cotes du Rhone, France $17.00

• Tasting Notes: Dark berry and cherry flavors, well balanced, with an inviting dry finish. 

• Food Pairings: Cheeses, Salads, Meat, Veal and Chicken

-2006 Binyamina "Yogev" Cabernet/Shiraz, Samson, Israel $19.00

• Tasting Notes: An equal blend of 50% of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. Aged intentionally in used oak barrels for only eight months in order to not let the oak dominate. Medium-bodied, with smooth tannins and tempting hints of vanilla and smoky oak that allow the spicy currant, berry and light earthiness. 

• Food Pairings: Medium flavored dishes of chicken or veal.

-2006 Capcanes Peraj Petita, Montsant, Spain $26.00

• Tasting Notes: Medium ruby in color; fresh, seductive aromas of red berries and cherry. Loads of red fruits in taste, concentrated and well balanced but not over-powered. Medium finish with fresh, soft tannins.

• Food Pairings: Meat or Mediterranean dishes.

-2006 Carmel Young Carignano, Shomron, Israel $12.00

• Tasting Notes: A light, refreshing, sweet red wine. It is slightly sparkling, low alcohol, sweet, with an aroma of fresh ripe berries. 

• Food Pairings: Serve as an aperitif or dessert wine.

Ter Haar said his personal favorite is the 2006 Capcanes Peraj Petita from Montsant, Spain.

“I’m a big fan of the Spanish red…just because it’s medium-to-full bodied. I like to barbecue a lot, so it works with a lot of grilled meats and vegetables, and things like that. And it’s just really well-balanced and it’s just got little bit more weight to it,” Ter Haar said.

Ter Haar said the wine is made of darker fruits and berries with a little bit of spice.

“The Tempranillo kind of gives a little richer backbone to the wine on the finish. There’s not much in there, but enough, so that it hits you on the back of the pallet and just kind of finishes on a bigger note,” Ter Haar said.

For those who are new at selecting wines for general purposes, Ter Haar encourages customers to ask questions and try several different wines.

“It’s always good to start with the lighter style and then work your way up to something bigger and bolder and dryer,” Ter Haar said. “It’s more about preference and it’s about getting out and tasting a lot of different wines, because there’s such a huge flavor profile of every varietal that’s it’s about tasting and re-tasting.”

Ter Haar and his wife, Sonia, opened the shop that doubles as an art gallery about a year and a half ago.

Ter Haar is a Michigan native and his wife is from Bulgaria.

“The idea of the store came [out] of putting our two passions together,” Ter Haar said. “Mine is wine and my wife’s is art. She grew up studying art. So, she’s the photographer, she makes the jewelry and she makes the art pieces also.”

In addition to wine, one can view or purchase the art on the walls, along with jewelry on display that Sonia made.   

Ter Haar said they rotate their main exhibit every six weeks with local artists’ work.

“It gives our store a fresh look every six weeks, but it also helps the struggling artists who don’t have a place to hang their art, to use our store as sort of their platform,” Ter Haar said.

Currently they’re exhibiting Sonia Ter Haar’s photography and it will be up through the end of May.

The two of them are a team: “She’s the talent and I’m the taste buds,” Ter Haar said.

--Blair Chavis/Triblocal.com reporter and Mick Ter Haar

To see more images from Cork and Canvas, click here!