Complex Numbers

Appropriate

Cultural appropriation!

    How Kosher Wine Became a Hit in the Caribbean and Beyond  
Manischewitz has a historic consumer base not only in the Caribbean, but also in African-American and East Asian communities.

...no, not really cultural appropriation. Mani was the first wine I ever had, which should surprise no one. I can't remember the first beer I ever had. The first beer I ever finished was a Red, White, and Blue, and that didn't end well at all.

Growing up on the Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao, 34-year-old Diahann Alexandra Maria Atacho’s parents would regularly turn to an unexpected beverage when they wanted something “special to drink.” They’d pull a bottle of Manischewitz—a brand of incredibly sweet wine well-known to American Jews—and serve it in a crystal wine glass, filled to the brim.

On Pesach, you drink four glasses of wine with the seder meal. Traditionally, these glasses were filled to the brim. My parents never let me do that, though, despite the very clear commandment of You-Know-Who.

Manischewitz has a consumer base not only in the Caribbean, but also in African-American and East Asian communities. Of the over 900,000 cases produced in 2015, some 200,000 were exported, largely to the Caribbean, Latin America, and South Korea. What is most surprising is this is not a new trend.

I'm not sure about "surprising." Lots of things transcend their original culture. I drink Scotch, and I'm not Scottish. I eat sushi, and I'm not Japanese. Last week, I did those things at the same time. Sure, Manischewitz may not be, objectively, a great wine, but it's accessible to people without the taste for more French-style wines.

The reason for the beverage’s sweet—some might say sickly—taste is due to the grapes used to make it. By the 20th century, immigrant Jews were producing kosher wine from cheap, hardy, and sour Concord grapes from the American Northeast. Adding significant amounts of sugar made it drinkable.

It's also far from the only fortified wine in existence.

The article delves a bit into the history, then:

Horowitz argues that the Great Migration to northern cities may have exposed African Americans to Manischewitz, which became known as “Mani.”

Which is at least a more respectful name than what happened to that other Jewish winemaker, Mogen David, who put out MD 20/20 and had it promptly called Mad Dog.

Lots more history at the link. I'll just wrap up by saying that cultural exchange is a good thing, especially when it comes to delicious fermented and/or distilled beverages. But also food. Pretty much everyone eats, and we're sharing a planet here, so why not share the food (and wine)?