The Jewish Community of Thessaloniki, in collaboration with the Wine Cooperative of Samos with its long wine tradition, created the first Greek producted Kosher Mevushal wines.
TODROS Agaios, TODROS High Peaks, TODROS Samena and TODROS Vin Doux are produced from the finest grapes of the Samian vineyard and bear the following jewish dietary certifications:
- Chatam Sofer
- Star-K
- Jewish Community of Thessaloniki
These wines are produced under strict monitoring of all phases of production according to the Jewish dietary rules for Kosher/Mevushal products.
These wines are for export to the demanding U.S.A market as well as to the Jewish communities of France, Israel, Greece and Cyprus.
WINE AS AN EXPRESSION OF LOVE AND PEACE
The honorable Rabbi Aharon Israel, referring to this innovative collaboration, stated:
“The creation of a new, exportable product was based on mutual trust, the historicity of Samian wine and the Cooperative, as well as the long and strong presence of the Jewish community in Greece. We were justified by this choice as the conditions of harvesting, winemaking and bottling applied by UWC of Samos are fully compatible with the standards of Kosher products.
Samian Kosher Mevushal wines are life-feeding and appealing to both the mind and the heart…” he commented. “All the rabbis that participated to the certifications, controlled very strictly all stages of production, from grape picking to winemaking and pasteurization. The tanks of the Cooperative were sealed and the Samian Kosher Mevushal wines, under our certification, come to accompany moments of life. This association of love and peace, brings people closer together, just as it brought the Jewish community together with the community of vine growers of Samos, who honor the ancestral values and laboriously cultivate their ancestral vines, as their fathers and grandfathers did…”.
Mr. David Saltiel, president of the Central Board of Jewish communities in Greece and the Jewish community of Thessaloniki, who is also Vice President of the world Board of Jewish communities, commented about the island of Samos and the “big family” of the Cooperative’s Winegrowers. He stressed that these were the elements that led to the collaboration for the production of Kosher/Mevushal wines, for the first time, in Greece.
“As far as I know, the history of Samian wine extends from antiquity to the present day. This underlines its timelessness, the producers’ love for Muscat and the quality of the wines, elements that one naturally seeks when aiming to develop a long-term and mutually beneficial cooperation. Besides, Samos was, as the historian Strabo reflects, a place that hosted an organized community of Jews.
When making an edible product you have to be very careful and show absolute respect to the human being, the final consumer. In this direction, the choice of raw materials and the care with which production is carried out play a key role. In the case of the Samos Cooperative, we are dealing with people who give special importance and love to production, to the grape -the raw material- because apart from the technologically advanced machinery in the production process, this is the first and most necessary element. The wines produced by the U.W.C Samos have aromas, taste and the certified quality that make them an excellent Kosher/Mevushal offer…»
Asked about his expectations for this historic partnership, he replied characteristically:
“We aim to help our country, contributing to opening up the markets for Samos Wine, all over the world. Through this, we scope to help the economy of Samos and see positive results for the wine producers and their families. With that in mind, I think we have established a truly historic partnership!»
John Skoutas, president of the United Winemaking Cooperative of Samos, gave weight to the mutual trust that developed, under codes of law and quality. “The creation of these wines opens up new prospects for the Cooperative but also for Samos, the island of Pythagoras and Agaios.. It is worth noting that the production was based on Samian tradition as maintained by our vinegrowers, as well as the modern winemaking processes with the careful supervision and guidance of the rabbis, whom we thank. For the production of these wines, the Cooperative has procured special mechanical equipment and we are planning further modernizing actions,” said Mr. Skoutas, concluding with the phrase: “We look forward to a solid and longlasting collaboration with the International Jewish community in this field and we are confident that the results will be visible shortly….»
