When respected South African wine critic Michael Fridjhon conducted a blind tasting featuring both kosher and non-kosher wines, the results challenged long-held assumptions about kosher wine.
Five wines from Cape Town-based ESSA Wine Co. received some of the highest scores, demonstrating that they could hold their own against leading South African producers. For founders Josh and Chana Rynderman, it was powerful validation of a vision they had pursued since arriving in Cape Town several years earlier.
Historically, kosher wine has often been regarded as a niche category, with many assuming it could not rival premium non-kosher wines. The Ryndermans were determined to change that.
“Our focus has always been on producing wines of exceptional quality,” says Josh. “We believe every bottle should reflect the very best South Africa has to offer.”
That commitment has also earned ESSA international recognition. The winery was named Kosher Winery of the Year 2024 by the internationally respected publication Kosher Wine Musings, further cementing its growing reputation.
The story began long before the couple settled in South Africa. Josh, originally from California, entered the wine industry in 2014 as an apprentice at Four Gates Winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Like many newcomers, he started with the least glamorous tasks – cleaning barrels, moving boxes and helping wherever needed.
What began as physical labour soon developed into a fascination with the blend of science, agriculture and craftsmanship that lies behind every great bottle of wine.
After several harvests, Josh and Chana, a Johannesburg-born South African, recognised an opportunity to create something unique in the local wine industry.
“We were drawn by the opportunities within the local wine industry and the chance to create something that had never been done before: premium South African kosher wines with an uncompromising focus on quality,” Josh says. “Looking back, it was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made.”
The company launched with its first tiny harvest of just two tonnes in 2018. Since then, it has steadily expanded while remaining firmly committed to quality over quantity.
That philosophy influences every aspect of production. Rather than owning vineyards, ESSA deliberately sources grapes from carefully selected growers in some of the Cape’s premier wine regions, including Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, Elgin and Stellenbosch. Each vineyard is chosen for the variety it produces best, with an emphasis on cool-climate and dry-farmed vineyards that yield grapes with freshness, concentration and complexity.
“We firmly believe that great wine begins in the vineyard,” says Josh. “Partnering with growers who truly understand their land is one of the most important decisions we make each vintage.”
The winery has also adopted production methods that distinguish it within the kosher wine world. It remains the only kosher winery in Africa that does not flash-pasteurise its wines, helping preserve the character and quality that wine enthusiasts expect from premium South African wines.
The name ESSA also reflects the couple’s philosophy. Josh’s original California label was called Kos Yeshuos. When they established their South African venture, they chose another word from the same verse in Tehillim (Psalms 116:13): “Kos Yeshuos Essa, U’v’shem Hashem Ekra” – “I will raise a cup of salvation and call upon the name of Hashem.”
“For us, wine isn’t simply a beverage,” Josh explains. “It’s present at our most meaningful moments – Kiddush, Yom Tov, weddings and countless simchas. We hope every bottle of ESSA adds another small moment of gratitude to those occasions.”
Innovation has also become a hallmark of the business.
During the past year alone, ESSA released one of the world’s few kosher wines fermented and matured entirely in acacia barrels; launched South Africa’s first kosher three-year-old potstill brandy that is also kosher for Pesach; and introduced its first Reserve wine – a 2023 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon matured for 25 months in French and American oak barrels.
The company has also expanded beyond wine, producing kosher gin, vodka and limoncello.
International growth has followed. In another significant milestone, ESSA recently signed an agreement with an Israeli importer, becoming the first South African winery to export kosher non-mevushal wines to Israel. (These are wines that are not heated, thereby protecting the grape’s natural flavours. According to Jewish law, only observant Jews may open and pour the wine.) The move opens the door to a wider international audience and further strengthens South Africa’s growing reputation in the premium kosher wine market.
The Ryndermans look forward to their wines being viewed as strong South African wines, rather than being judged only in terms of their kosher identity.
ESSA wines can be tasted at the ESSA winery in Somerset West. See the winery’s website for more information: https://essawine.com/.
