Seeking kosher wine? Pembroke Park warehouse has showroom, membership club, concierge service

This is “Small Bites,” a South Florida Sun Sentinel feature with tiny tidbits on the food and beverage scene — because we know that sometimes you just don’t have room for a long article. You want a little news brief instead, an amuse bouche of information, if you will. Enjoy!

WHAT:

Kosher Wine Warehouse in Pembroke Park is billed as “the first fully kosher wine store and showroom in South Florida.”

“There’s not another kosher wine store here in South Florida, maybe not in all of Florida,” says owner Alana Weinshel. “And there is such a  large Jewish population here. We have wines from Europe, Israel, South America. We’re open to everybody to come though and try wine and enjoy.”

WHAT IS KOSHER WINE?

Kosher — as applied to Jewish dietary law — means that meats coming from animals must be slaughtered in a particular way. Only certain animals can be consumed (no shellfish or pork, for example), and meat products must never be mixed with milk products.

But when it comes to vino, Weinshel says that a rabbi oversees the process, making sure nothing non-kosher is involved, from the harvesting of the grapes to the crushing of the grapes to the bottling of the wine.

“The main thing is the process of making wine, everything that goes into the wine, from the additives to the process of making … has to be watched by someone who is under the rabbi,” she explains.

THE WAREHOUSE

Weinshel moved to South Florida from the Boston area two years ago, settling in Aventura. Seeing a niche in the market, the former retail and fashion executive parlayed her love of wine into creating the warehouse. A soft opening took place in 2021.

“We were primarily e-commerce, now we are brick-and-mortar retail. We expanded quickly,” she says. “They sell in kosher markets and places like Publix and other random liquor stores, but there is not a one-stop shop.”

Now, she’s been putting more emphasis on in-person, in-store shopping experiences. She has a showroom of about 3,000 square feet.

“We have made some major strides. We have partnered with various nonprofits through our charitable partner program and hosted many events and wine tastings in the space,” she says.

There is a Wine Membership Club: “We’ll actually curate for you every month 30, 60 or 90 days of diverse products from our warehouse. It gives you a chance to try something unique.”

And there’s a Wine Concierge: “We have a team assisting the customer for any celebration … whether it’s  a wedding, bar mitzvah or whatever special occasion it might be, the concierge … will curate wine for that event, helping you if you don’t know what you want or how much you need. We can also help you personalize the menu with wine pairings.”

WHERE:

Head to 2880 South Park Road, Pembroke Park. Weinshel says, “I planned and chose this location to be in the middle of Boca, Fort Lauderdale and South Beach, and to have access to make those deliveries down and up I-95. And here the warehouse is surrounded by kosher restaurants, markets, kosher eateries all in this area.”

INFORMATION:

Visit winewarehousestore.com or call 954-408-3347.