SCHAPIRO SWEET WINES TO ATTEMPT COME BACK

FROM KOSHER TODAY

Schapiro Sweet Wines in Comeback Bid
by Feigie Leitman, KT Feature Editor

New York…Schapiro’s Kosher Wines , Manhattan’s only kosher winery for 100 years, is attempting a comeback, thanks to Kickstarter.com, a crowd funding tool which allows interested readers to donate to a specific cause or product. The donated money is then returned unless the needed amount is raised within the specified amount of time. It was in 1899 on the Lower East Side that Sam Schapiro created the first local kosher wine made from sweet concord grapes, so thick you can practically “cut it with a knife”, as he proudly advertised it. Produced underneath Rivington Street, the wine was sold for generations, including during the Prohibition due to its “sacramental” status. For over 100 years, Schapiro’s remained the only winery in Manhattan. In this Kickstarter project, grandson Daniel Schapiro aspires to continue his great grandfather’s iconic legacy by launching “Schapiro’s Sederade: Celebrate being Jewish and Kosher Kool!” As stated on their Kickstarter page.

Sederade is a sweet, kid-friendly beverage that is kosher for Passover and year- round. Citing changing kosher demographics and the birth of the new “Kosher Millenial”, the Schapiros point to recent survey data showing that nearly a fourth of all millennial Jews keep kosher, almost twice the rate of their baby boomer parents. Product highlights include benefits such as being under 100 calories, gluten free and vegan, sweetened with honey (a shout out to Rosh Hashanah), and “perfect for washing down burnt brisket.” Initial plans are to produce Sederade in Long Island City at the Organic Food Incubator, staying true to the “Made in NY” origins of their original sweet wine. Supporters can get anywhere from 6 to 150 bottles depending on their level of support, provided the fundraising goal is met in time.