It’s actually a breakfast meeting with newcomer to the Australian kosher winemaking scene Mark Sztar, who left his stockbroking career after one of his many trips to Israel and a dinner conversation about the lack of quality in kosher wines.

That trip was back in 2012. Cut to today, and he has a pair of 2014 vintage wines on the table in front of me in a Melbourne café, but something is definitely not right with the picture. One of the wines has a big happy-looking pig on the label. Yep, it’s definitely a pig. The look on my face must’ve said “not very kosher” and Sztar starts in on the story without me even asking. It turns out it’s one of those ‘silk purse from a sow’s ear’ kind of things. “Yep, that was a mistake,” he says with a smile as he explains that during the process of making his kosher 2014 chardonnay, a passing winemaker working in the shared winery space put her foot in it.

She actually put her foot on it, the object in question being a timber pallet upon which rested an open stainless tank of said chardonnay. This was deemed to be a contribution to the winemaking (apparently if the lid was on, it wouldn’t have been an issue) and the 2014 Yarra Valley chardonnay was therefore no longer a kosher wine.

So Sztar, seeing the funny side, finished making the wine and slapped a big fat happy pig on the label, a move that definitely leaves no one in any doubt about its non-kosher status. The wine is still vegan (a pre-requisite of the kosher process) but the smiling swine is unlikely to have many of those folks reaching for it.

The name of the wine, aller trop loin, translates roughly from French as “go too far” and the sow on the front label has a conspicuously raised right hoof that celebrates the unholy deed of stepping on the palate. The back label designates it as unoaked, unfined, unfiltered and unholy – the pig on the front pretty much covers that last point already. The wine has been well received in the market and Sztar’s humorous approach alongside his more serious aim of better quality kosher wine has proven to be a winning combination. There are four aller trop loin wines underway from 2015; a Yarra chardonnay, a Bendigo verdelho, a Heathcote grenache rosé and a Bendigo malbec. The minimal intervention, unholy theme continues and all (including the reds) will be released in September.

“The offer of both kosher and non-kosher wines has worked out well,” says Sztar. “It opened up a wider business model which has been really good for a niche winemaking project and it’s also let me get my hands dirty and really explore the craft of winemaking.” Under kosher regulations, Sztar himself cannot touch the kosher wines from the moment the grapes arrive in the winery through to the moment they are bottled, a tricky thing for a would-be winemaker. In order to get around the need to boil or pasteurize (most kosher wine is cooked with white must flash heated to 88ºC prior to fermentation and red wine heated post fermentation), Sztar’s wines can only be handled by observant Jewish people during the winemaking process right up to bottling. Avoiding the need to cook the wines is a step he rightly considers critical to his desire to make better kosher wine. “I want to bring varietal expression to the kosher wine space,” Sztar says, “doing something more aligned with the current movement in Israel where over 200 wineries are feeding a growing international demand.” He describes the Israeli kosher wine scene as something akin to Australia in the 1990s, making bold and fruit-driven styles that still have room for refinement.

He is quick to point out there are many Israeli producers making wines of real character and interest, growing the right varieties well and looking beyond a basic mentality of generic red and white wines. “A lot of the world has moved past the misconception that all kosher wine has been cooked and spoiled,” he adds, “but the Australian mentality is still stuck on that idea. We’re trying to bust that myth here in the local market by making interesting wines with quality that’s on par with the rest of the scene.”

The kosher wines are released under the Six Parallels South label, a name that harks from the band of regions in Southeastern Australia that sit between latitude 32º and 38º South. He made four kosher wines in 2014, a rosé made from Heathcote shiraz, a Geelong pinot, a Yarra Valley cabernet and a Heathcote shiraz, all of which have sold out. Two premium kosher wines from 2014 are due for release soon, a Yarra cabernet and a Heathcote shiraz; the grapes are drawn from the same vineyards but vinified differently to the early release wines.

Sztar’s kosher wines from the 2015 vintage include a Bendigo verdelho, a white blend of sauvignon blanc, verdelho and chardonnay called Assemblage, a Geelong shiraz rosé, a Heathcote shiraz, a Yarra Valley cabernet and a merlot and malbec both sourced from Bendigo. He says the kosher winemaking approach in 2015 developed significantly from his first 2014 wines. “We had our own space, we had more time and we’ve refined the process,” Sztar says. “We had to wrap all of the ferments in 2014 as we were in a shared winemaking space and some of the wines could have used more oxygen. In 2015, we had our own room and we have been able to work the wines differently with total flexibility and you can see that in the wines already.” I tasted these two wines and based on the early signs, I’d say Sztar is looking like he’s not only changed the kosher wine game, but he’s also making wines of real interest.

Aller Trop Loin Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2014

The nose is fresh and lively with really bright peach and floral aromas sitting center stage. There’s a gently nutty and flinty edge too. The palate has a lithe, supple and juicy texture with tropical fruit flavors that are pinned down with crunchy, zesty acidity. It twists nutty and savory through the finish and holds well. 89 points. Drink now.

Six Parallels South Kosher Yarra Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

A distinctive leafy and slightly minty edge to the nose gives way to cassis, mulberry and red plum-scented fruits, straight to the point of the variety, a mission statement of winemaker Mark Sztar. The palate has juicy and crunchy fruit presence with a fine sheen of tannin that sits discreetly below a ball of fleshy cassis, mulberry and plum fruit flavor. Soft and easy. 87 points. Drink now.

Contributing Editor Nick Stock is a renowned Australian wine writer, author, presenter and filmmaker who reports on his worldwide wine tasting experiences for JamesSuckling.com.

Nick's Article: It’s Just Not Kosher