The Press and ESSA Wine Co. Launch Luxury Kosher Cocktails and Reserve Wines

A great meal can feel incomplete when the drinks list does not meet the same standard as the food. For kosher diners in Cape Town, that gap has often been felt most clearly around wine and cocktails: the food may be carefully prepared, the room may feel special, but the pairing options can be limited.

The Press, in Cape Town, is changing that.

Josh Rynderman of ESSA Wine Co. has partnered with Justine Levitan of The Press to launch a premium drinks list built around ESSA’s own kosher spirits and a reserve wine selection. The result is a more complete kosher dining experience, one where guests who want to splurge can do so without compromising on kashrut, flavour, or occasion.

The Press is now the only stockist of ESSA products in the Western Cape. For diners looking for kosher meat options paired with a serious kosher wine or a carefully made cocktail, that makes the restaurant a notable new destination.

The new list brings a more elevated drinks experience to kosher dining in Cape Town.

A partnership built around a better kosher dining experience

The collaboration brings together two clear strengths.

ESSA Wine Co. brings the drinks expertise, including kosher spirits and wines selected for a more premium table experience. The Press brings the restaurant setting, with a kosher menu centred on meat options and a dining room already designed for guests who want a proper meal out.

Together, they have created a drinks list for moments when dinner calls for something more considered. That might be a celebratory cocktail before the mains arrive, a bottle from the reserve list for the table, or a wine pairing that makes a meat dish feel more complete.

The idea is simple, but meaningful: kosher diners should have the option to order something special.

For many diners who keep kosher, the food decision comes first. Can the restaurant serve a kosher meal? Is there a menu that suits the occasion? Are the meat options strong enough for a group booking, date night, birthday dinner, or family celebration?

The drinks often come second, and too often the choice is narrow. A standard bottle may be available. A basic drink may be possible. Yet the sense of occasion can fade if the drinks list feels like an afterthought.

This partnership treats wine and cocktails as part of the meal, not a side note.

Why this matters for kosher diners in Cape Town

Cape Town has a strong food culture and a deep wine identity. The Western Cape is closely associated with wine, cellar-door experiences, and long meals built around good bottles. Yet kosher diners have not always had the same ease of choice when eating out.

That is what makes this launch significant.

The Press is now the only stockist of ESSA products in the Western Cape. For guests who already know ESSA, that gives them a clear place to find the brand locally. For guests who are new to ESSA, it offers a chance to experience the products in the setting where drinks often make the most sense: alongside food.

A restaurant can show a wine or spirit differently from a retail shelf. A bottle becomes part of a pairing. A spirit becomes a finished cocktail. Guests can taste how it works with a starter, a main, or the rhythm of the evening.

This also gives kosher diners more choice without asking them to step outside their standards.

That matters for celebrations. It matters for visitors. It matters for families and groups where some guests keep kosher strictly and others simply want a good meal. A strong drinks list helps make the table feel unified, rather than divided between what is possible and what is preferred.

The Press becomes a destination for kosher meat and wine pairing

The Press already offers kosher meat options, which gives the drinks programme a clear direction. Meat dishes create natural pairing opportunities, and a reserve wine list helps guests choose with intention.

A good pairing does not need to be rigid. It should make the food taste better and the drink more enjoyable. With kosher wines, the same broad principles apply:

• Rich grilled meat

  
  

Look for reds with structure, darker fruit, and enough tannin to stand up to the dish.

• Spiced or sauced dishes

  
  

Choose wines that do not fight the seasoning. Softer reds or wines with fruit-forward notes can work well.

• Lighter meat dishes

  
  

A medium-bodied red or a fuller white may suit better than the biggest bottle on the list.

• Shared plates

  
  

Pick a versatile wine that can move across different flavours without dominating the table.

A stronger local platform for ESSA Wine Co.

For ESSA Wine Co., the partnership gives the brand a visible home in the Western Cape. Being the only stockist of ESSA products in the province makes The Press more than a restaurant partner. It becomes a point of access.

That matters in a category where trust and familiarity count.

Kosher consumers often want to know where products come from, what standards they meet, and how they taste before bringing them to their own tables. A restaurant setting helps answer some of those questions through experience. Guests can try a cocktail, enjoy a bottle with dinner, and build an opinion through the meal itself.

For Josh Rynderman and ESSA Wine Co., the partnership also places the brand inside Cape Town’s broader dining culture. It connects kosher spirits and wines with hospitality, celebration, and food pairing, rather than treating them as niche products that sit apart from the mainstream.

For Justine Levitan and The Press, the list adds another reason to visit. It gives the restaurant a stronger identity for guests seeking a kosher meat meal with drinks to match.

What guests can expect from the new offering

The new premium list is likely to appeal across several dining occasions.

A couple looking for a special evening can start with cocktails and share a stronger bottle with mains. A family celebrating a milestone can order from the reserve list to give the table a more festive feel. Visitors to Cape Town who keep kosher can enjoy a local restaurant experience with a drinks option that feels considered.

The key expectation is choice.

Guests can still dine simply if that is what the occasion calls for. The point of the new list is not to make every meal expensive. It is to create the option to elevate the experience when the moment suits.

That word, option, is central. Luxury works best when it is available, not forced.

A premium cocktail before dinner. A reserve wine for the table. A kosher spirit poured with care. These are small details, but they can change the pace of the evening.

A new reason to book the special table

The partnership between Josh Rynderman of ESSA Wine Co. and Justine Levitan of The Press gives Cape Town’s kosher dining scene something it has needed: a premium drinks experience that sits properly alongside a kosher meat menu.

The Press now offers unique cocktails made with ESSA’s kosher spirits, along with a reserve wine list for guests who want to splurge on a more memorable meal. As the only stockist of ESSA products in the Western Cape, the restaurant also becomes a key local destination for those who want to experience the brand.

For diners, the benefit is simple. A kosher meal at The Press can now be paired with a drink that matches the occasion. That could be a crafted cocktail, a special bottle of wine, or both.

And sometimes, that is exactly what turns dinner into an evening worth remembering.