Jules Polonetsky
In 2002, Jeff Morgan tasted a bottle of Castel Grand Vin from Israel and was inspired to make similarly world class kosher wine in Napa Valley, California. Castel was not yet kosher at the time, but Morgan assumed an Israeli wine would be kosher and a seminal venture in premium kosher winemaking was launched. Famed wine writer Jancis Robinson once declared Covenant “the best kosher wine I have ever tasted,” serious praise from perhaps the most respected wine expert in the world.
Originally a musician, Morgan’s appreciation for wine had taken him to the post of West Coast editor for Wine Spectator and to a venture dedicated to making top-quality rose wines. His spouse, Jodie Morgan, soon left her role as executive director of the American Institute of Food and Wine (founded by Robert Mondavi and Julia Child) to join him, eventually becoming the Covenant Winery’s CEO.
The Covenant style is to use minimal intervention, meaning native yeasts, native malolactic fermentation, no fining and minimal filtration if any. Covenant doesn’t grow any of its own grapes. Instead, it secures long-term relationships with top growers and seeks to highlight the terroir of those plots. Obtaining access to some of the most celebrated and sought-after grapes in Napa and Sonoma is no easy feat, given the intense demand from winemakers in the region. Relationships and trust are critical, explained Morgan during my recent visit.
In early years, Morgan’s business partner was the late philanthropist Leslie Rudd, of Dean & DeLucca fame and the owner of many other ventures, including celebrated wine estates in Mount Veeder and Oakville, thus providing Covenant access to top-tier terroir. Today, relationships with the owners of leading properties such as Bien Nacido Vineyards, a prestigious estate that requires tastings and approval of the wines made before allowing sales, ensure Covenant has continued access to quality fruit. Morgan explains the importance of trust and faith in these relationships, recounting the challenges growers faced after the California wildfires. Morgan stood by his contract with a leading grower despite uncertainty about the resulting wine, taking a significant risk and luckily being rewarded with top-quality wine unaffected by the smoke. Commitments like that have ensured long-term access to top vineyards, but Morgan does hope to one day grow his own grapes in the region. Other aspirations include making wine with a partner in Bordeaux or Burgandy, regions he has been inspired by for his winemaking.
One region where Morgan’s aspirations met both success in quality winemaking but also ran into the hard economics of the wine business was Israel. Spearheaded by daughter Zoe Morgan, who had made aliyah, Covenant Israel launched in 2013 into a competitive market where most local sales were made in restaurants. Since Covenant wines are structured to pair well with food, Covenant Israel had great success in many of the leading restaurants in Israel. Morgan is also a serious foodie and has authored multiple cookbooks, including “The Covenant Kitchen: Food and Wine for the New Jewish Table.” But the COVID shutdown of restaurants, followed by the Shmita year (the sabbatical year of the land), which severely restricted export of Israeli wines, made the economics too challenging, and the Israel division had to cease operations.
Zoe Morgan now oversees hospitality, digital marketing and other roles at the winery, which is located in the “drinks district” of Berkeley, where the facility hosts tastings, tours, musical performances by Jeff Morgan on the saxophone and serves a lovely mezze platter.
During my recent visit, Zoe Morgan proudly pointed to the magnificent figs and passion fruit on the platter, noting they were among the items grown in her nearby home garden. She grew up in the St. Helena area of Napa, where Covenant was initially located. The current location is closer to the local San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley Jewish communities, making it easier for many of the Covenant staff to get to work and more convenient for visitors, whether locals or tourists. And the Morgans, who have been drawn closer to traditional observance through their wine journey, can participate in local synagogue life, a challenge in the more remote Napa region.
One important Israel legacy for Zoe Morgan was her active role in Hashizra (The Stem), a venture that supports women in wine in Israel, an important priority given the importance of the wine trade to the Israeli economy and the challenges for winemakers in Israel during the current conflict.
To meet the needs of both high-end connoisseurs and younger consumers looking for quality and economy, Covenant offers wines at multiple entry points. The high-end Solomon line (in honor of co-founder Leslie Rudd’s Hebrew name, Shlomo) fetches top-shelf pricing, with a 2023 barrel fermented Sauvignon Blanc to be released this November that will be the first to spend time in an amphora. The Covenant-labeled wines are the mainstay, and additional brands provide economy options. Landsman single vineyard releases are available only to club members, while the relatively new “black label” is reserved for high-end “mevushal” wines. A new “Tartikov” kosher certification will please the ultra-Orthodox market, a segment increasingly important to premium winemakers.
With its accessible location not far from the San Francisco International Airport, Covenant is the only kosher winery that is easy to access, and a tour, tasting, mezze platter and perhaps even a musical performance make it a memorable experience. Reservations required.
Jules Polonetsky is a Wine and Spirits Education Trust Level 3 Certified wine expert who writes for the Wine and Whiskey Globe when not occupied with his day job as CEO of a tech policy think tank. He is a former consumer affairs commissioner of the City of New York.
