TORONTO — A syrupy sweet Passover staple will be absent across much of Canada this year thanks to restrictions on the sale of American booze, bringing the trade war to the Seder table.
Manischewitz wine is a mainstay of Jewish celebrations and ceremonies, but it's manufactured in New York so many provinces have pulled it from the shelves in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs on some Canadian goods.
As a knock-on effect, Manischewitz will be missing from many Canadian Passover Seders, which Rabbi Aaron Flanzraich said "seems to be becoming a symbol of the wider suffering and hurt that Canada is going through" because of the division between the two countries.
Four cups of wine are traditionally drunk throughout the Seders, the ceremonial meal on the first and second night of Passover, which begins on Saturday. Flanzraich said he's "fielded a number of calls from congregants" asking him what they should use instead of Manischewitz.
"Seeing that bottle and that label on your table, it's a flood of memories," Flanzraich said. "In some respects it's an anchor that takes the moment, brings it back to where you come from and also brings it forward to where you're going. It's a very unique thing, and food in general possesses that. You can certainly make that case for the Manischewitz Concord grape sacramental wine."
He said some people are driving down to Buffalo to pick up bottles, but he's generally advising congregants to use whatever red wine they have on hand.
Some others are using grape juice, he added, because it feels a little more like Manischewitz, which is very distinct.
"It's a deep, deep grapey colour. It's dark, and it has a wine flavour, but it's not like regular wine because it's viscous. It's thicker and it's sharply sweet," Flanzraich said.
The taste isn't really the draw, he said.
"Lots of people have associative memories of food and moments that transcend the taste of a food."
Manischewitz did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to Statistics Canada, the majority of Jewish people in Canada live in only five provinces: Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Manitoba and Alberta. The first four have all pulled American booze from their shelves, while Alberta — where liquor stores are privately owned — has barred alcohol imports from the U.S., limiting Manischewitz's availability.
In Manitoba, Premier Wab Kinew was asked if he'd carve out Manischewitz from the ban, but told reporters that he'd conferred with other provinces and none of them planned to do so.
"From what I understand, there are substitutes. This might be a preferred brand, I understand, and I apologize if that causes disappointment," he said last week.
For Toronto chef Anthony Rose, who has made his appreciation of Manischewitz well known, those substitutes don't hold water compared to the real thing.
In one breath, he describes it "weirdly extremely cheap and also not particularly good," while in the next he calls it "quite cool," as well as "retro and awesome."
Rose has included Manischewitz in some of the cocktails he serves at his restaurant Fat Pasha — though he acknowledges they're mostly a novelty for his Jewish clientele and aren't the top-sellers on the menu. He also keeps a handful of bottles on hand for decor.
"You know, I made a huge mistake. When the trade war happened, it was really easy for us to say 'I don't need this California Cabernet or California Chardonnay or whatever,'" he said by phone Wednesday, while rolling matzo balls with his mother.
But a few weeks ago, he said, he was at the restaurant and it hit him: "I forgot to get Manischewitz. There's nothing comparable."
He has a few cases left, he said, but he doesn't think he'll stock up once he runs out.
"I think that the cocktails we've done with it are spectacular," he said. "I think if they're not on the menu, they'll be missed...by the people that order it."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 10, 2025.
Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press
