{"id":444271,"date":"2026-01-31T02:29:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T02:29:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/444271\/"},"modified":"2026-01-31T02:29:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T02:29:08","slug":"nba-all-star-isiah-thomas-launches-2-kosher-champagnes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/444271\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA All Star Isiah Thomas Launches 2 Kosher Champagnes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two-time NBA Champion, 12-time NBA All Star, and Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Isiah Thomas made wine history when he became the first African American owner-operator of a Champagne house a decade ago. Now, Thomas\u2019 Cheurlin Champagne<\/a> is breaking new ground again with the release of a two-cuv\u00e9e collection of kosher wines that will be the first celebrity-owned kosher Champagne available in the United States.\n<\/p>\n

When Thomas first learned about Cheurlin Champagne \u2014 which has been crafted in France for over two centuries by nine generations of the Cheurlin family \u2014 he was struck by the operation\u2019s commitment to tradition and quality and impressed by current grower-producer Thomas Cheurlin, their matching first and last names a touch of kismet. The basketball legend would go on to become the exclusive owner and U.S. importer of the Cheurlin brand in 2015, and Cheurlin Champagne even became the official Champagne of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) in 2019.\n<\/p>\n

The current selection of commercially available kosher wines is limited, and kosher Champagne is rarer still. \u201cI\u2019m a big believer in excellence being available for everyone,\u201d says Thomas. Industry reports project continued growth for consumer interest in kosher foods, with the market size potentially reaching around $35 billion in 2034, compared with $26 billion today, according to USD Analytics<\/a>.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

Isiah Thomas’ Cheurlin Champagne is launching two kosher cuv\u00e9es.<\/p>\n

Courtesy of Cheurlin Champagne<\/p>\n

When paired with Thomas and the Cheurlin family\u2019s desire to \u201cmeet people where they are,\u201d these market predictions prompted the latest major product development for the brand: two celebrity-owned and kosher-certified Champagnes that happen to have zero sugar added, just like the rest of Cheurlin\u2019s bottles of bubbly. The former Pistons point guard hopes that, \u201cby introducing the kosher certification, we aren\u2019t just adding a label, we are introducing more people into the Cheurlin family.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

While Manischewitz \u2014 a budget-friendly, sweet red wine that’s made in the U.S. and features Concord grapes \u2014 may be the category\u2019s most recognizable brand, kosher wine can be made in any region of the world from any variety of grape. \u201cKosher wine is wine that is produced according to Jewish religious laws under strict supervision,\u201d Thomas explains. \u201cIt specifies ingredients that are added as well as how the product is handled throughout the production process.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

To achieve this while still producing its wines in France, Cheurlin Champagne is working with Royal Wine Corporation, a New Jersey-based manufacturer, importer, and distributor of kosher wines. Thomas describes the manufacturer as a natural partner for his brand, saying \u201clike Cheurlin, Royal Wine is family-owned going back several generations. They are experts and one of the largest producers and distributors of kosher wines in the world.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Cheurlin Champagne\u2019s new kosher collection includes the Cheurlin Brut Sp\u00e9ciale<\/a>, a Double Gold winner of the New York International Wine Competition in 2018 that features the brand\u2019s flagship blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay grapes and rings in at a standard retail price (SRP) of $75.\n<\/p>\n

At a slightly higher price point, you can snag a kosher rendition of the Cheurlin Thomas C\u00e9l\u00e9brit\u00e9<\/a>, Thomas\u2019 signature, award-winning zero dosage Blanc de Blanc featuring 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Blanc for an SRP of $100.\u00a0Both bottles are mevushal, meaning they’ve been flash-pasteurized, so they remain kosher even if handled or served by non-Jewish people.\n<\/p>\n

The collection will officially launch at the 20th annual Kosher Food & Wine Experience<\/a> on Feb. 3. \u201cFor the last decade, my partnership with the Cheurlin family has focused on sharing the craftsmanship behind the brand with consumers in the U.S.,\u201d Thomas emphasizes.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

According to the NBA star, \u201cWhen we committed to creating a kosher offering, we knew we couldn’t just do it halfway.\u201d He’s launching at a kosher wine event, to win the community over. \u201cWe aren’t just joining the market, we are honoring [its] traditions. We have worked to ensure this Champagne meets the highest standards of both quality and heritage.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Fast Facts: Cheurlin Champagne Kosher Wines<\/p>\n

Cheurlin Brut Sp\u00e9ciale<\/p>\n

Blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay grapesKosher certified and meshuvalSRP of $75<\/p>\n

Cheurlin Thomas C\u00e9l\u00e9brit\u00e9<\/p>\n

Blanc de Blanc with 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Blanc grapesKosher certified and meshuvalSRP of $100<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Two-time NBA Champion, 12-time NBA All Star, and Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Isiah Thomas made wine history…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":444272,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[49,48,84,395],"class_list":["post-444271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-health","tag-nutrition"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/444271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=444271"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/444271\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/444272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=444271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=444271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=444271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}