Herzog Has A Long History Of Making Kosher Wines

With Passover beginning next week, I was browsing through wine displays to see what was available in good kosher wines. One of the most visible ones in recent years has been the Baron Herzog brand coming from both California and Europe.

Like others, I have often wondered just who this baron was and what did he have to do with fine wines. I only recently learned the fascinating story of this wine family that dates back to mid-19th-century Europe.

The Herzogs began in the small Slovakian village of Vrobove and often supplied wine to Emperor Franz Josef of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. For this service the emperor bestowed the title of baron on one of the Herzogs. In those times, although the family was Jewish, most of the Herzog wines were not kosher.

When the Nazis came into power in the late 1930s, Eugene Herzog and his family went into hiding and the winery was kept open by the Germans. The manager, a Christian, risked great peril by secretly helping to support the family. But even after the war, life was no easier. The communists overran Czechoslovakia and the Herzogs fled to the United States, leaving everything they had built behind.

As a poor refugee, Herzog found work where he could. He went to work for the Royal Wine Corp. in New York City, serving as the winemaker, truck driver and salesman. When the business began to falter, the owners paid him with shares of the company. Eventually he accrued enough shares to become the majority owner.

By 1958 he had purchased the entire business, put his four sons to work and became successful under the Kedem name (a name still used on some of their European wines).

Later, the family decided to expand its interest to California and now make their home at the former San Martin winery, 70 miles south of San Francisco. They purchase grapes from some top-notch regions of the state - chardonnay from the Russian River Valley, cabernet from the Alexander Valley and Paso Robles and even pinot noir from Oregon.

Eugene died just two years ago, but his sons have continued their commitment to fine kosher wines, wines that seem to be favorable to kosher and nonkosher consumers alike.

If your idea of a kosher wine is a sweet and sticky type, these wines will come as a happy surprise. I recently enjoyed the following examples from Herzog and can happily recommend them whether you're celebrating Passover or not.

Baron Herzog 1994 California Chardonnay, $11: Very dry, but flavorful with apple and pear fruit. A clean, crisp finish rounds it out, making it a great seafood wine. I enjoy it any time for before-dinner sipping.

Baron Herzog 1994 Clarksburg Chenin Blanc, $6: An off-dry styled chenin blanc with some nice soft peachy flavors. The grapes come from Clarksburg, one of the best regions in California for chenin blanc. Serve this one with poultry or light pastas with cream sauces.

Baron Herzog 1995 California White Zinfandel, $7: Light copper in color and quite dry for a white zin. The surprise is the fresh strawberry/cranberry flavors with a lingering finish. It would go nicely with spicy seafood or chicken dishes; even Asian food.

Herzog Selection Merlot (Vin de Pays d'Oc), $9: The Herzogs also import wines from Europe such as this little merlot. The "Vin de Pays d'Oc" refers to the fact that the wine is from the Languedoc in Southern France where merlot does quite well. It is soft, fruity and very easy to drink with meat or chicken dishes.

Tip of the week

Did you know the first American gamay noir (the grape used in French Beaujolais) was made in Oregon? Amity Vineyards originally made it in 1988 and still does. The '94 vintage is out now and couldn't be nicer - fresh, fun and frisky. And, this month, it's only $8.

Wine by Tom Stockley appears Wednesday in the Food section of The Times. Now offered on The Seattle Times InfoLine, Tom Stockley gives weekly tips and advice for choosing wines. To hear the recorded messages, call 464-2000 on a touch-tone phone and then enter category WINE (9463). Calls to InfoLine are free in the greater Seattle area.