Expert Shares Tips on Passover Wines
Elina Brager is in the business of educating and refining her clients’ wine tastes and collections.
After 37 years with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and now with the AJT, , Jaffe’s focus is lifestyle, art, dining, fashion, and community events with emphasis on Jewish movers and shakers.
Elina Brager knows how to inhale a bouquet … of vino. As the chief wine connoisseur of Cellar Filler, she ditched a corporate career to become a sommelier to taste, serve and sell wine to clients who are building collections.
She said, “I’ve had a successful corporate career as an expert in shopper insights and marketing analytics. This is a tremendous skill that I use to make sure I appeal to my customers in the right way and bring in the wines that suit their preferences.”
With all the cups, finger dipping, and filling for Elijah, there’s no better time than Passover to refresh trends and current notions for oenophiles and “wannabes.”
Brager started out with a service evaluating peoples’ cellars which evolved into events and tastings. She decided to open a shop and a tasting room. She has invested significantly in wine education, earning a Wine and Spirit Education Trust Level 3 (Advanced) certificate and becoming a Certified Specialist of Wine. Her primary income derives from wine sales. Her business is unique in that she offers a concierge model: she “understands what her customers like and prefer, curates their selections, often finding hidden gems that they would have never found on their own.”
During COVID, she recalled that folks opted for less expensive wines. She reflected, “In general, now when people host a gathering, they look for more upscale wines. Events are back with a vengeance — people value gatherings a great deal more. They love traveling to the wine regions and discovering new things, and this translates into being open to a lot of new varieties.”
Brager hedges when asked, “What’s good that’s kosher” vs. just “What’s good?” which she categorizes as a loaded question, varying with levels of kashrut. She stated, “If you are Chabad/Orthodox, you will likely look for mevushal wines, where you may be limited to only a couple of good selections. I like Vera Wang Party Prosecco (surprisingly beautiful, dry) and Rothchild Bordeaux for a red that will be a good match to your brisket/meat situations. Barkan Platinum Cabernet Sauvignon will also be excellent.” (Check for a “P” to be sure)
Then for Conservative Jews, Brager would relax a bit with non-mevushal wines like Galil Blanc de Noirs (white) and Gilgal Cabernet Sauvignon (red) — both are Israeli. Some Conservative synagogues allow all domestic wine as kosher, because as a rule, they don’t use non-kosher ingredients in U.S. winemaking. She suggests, “Grab a bottle of an Oregon chardonnay and a Washington state cab, and you’re good to go.”
She also recommends Oregon as a wine region for both chardonnays, pinot blancs, and pinot noirs. Washington State is for big reds, because of climate change, and they haven’t yet been “priced up” like Napa or Sonoma.
She added, “There are some very beautiful rosés that will always be appropriate in the spring and summer.” She cautions not to get swayed by marketing gimmicks.
“Most wines are fermented fully dry; sulfites are a byproduct of fermentation and if someone tells you their wine is sulfite-free, they’re lying. Drink what you like, explore new things, and enjoy wines responsibly.
In terms of cost, Brager thinks it’s tricky to find a good wine under $25. Generally, if less than $15, there’s a risk of overloaded additives, mass production, and headaching. She explained, “I do my homework and will only sell wines that meet a high level of scrutiny. Some wines could be around $18 to $20 and up.”
For champagne, she likes Vadin Plateau which is made by a mother-and-daughter team. “It’s delicious and over delivers for its $52 tag. If champagnes are too pricy – they’re options of sparkling wines made in the same method, but outside of the Champagne region. They’ll cost $20 to $25 but will be super tasty and easy on the wallet.”
For gadgets, she recommends a Coravin that pierces the cork, dispenses wine, and adds inert argon gas into the bottle which otherwise would be filled with oxygen to extend the bottle’s lifespan.
Brager immigrated to the U.S. from the former Soviet Union in the 1980s. Her family attends Chabad of Sandy Springs. Her son attends Georgia Tech and her daughter is at Riverwood. For more information, please email ebrager@cellarfiller.com.
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