Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1013885
august 2018 / the tasting panel / 93 T here are many multigenerational winemak- ing families in California, but few can trace their roots as far back—or have endured as much—as the Herzog family. Spanning eight generations with four members of the ninth already involved, the Herzog winemaking tradition has outlasted innumerable global conflicts, crises, and relocations, so it's truly apropos they've named their latest Herzog Wine Cellars portfolio Lineage. "There's a lot of great wine being made in California—a lot of great winemakers and great stories—but eight generations in wine? We don't think that exists," says Joseph Herzog, Herzog Wine Cellars General Manager and eighth-generation member of the Herzog winemaking family. "It's some- thing unique regardless of winery or country, and very few people in the industry can say that." The Lineage line comprises six single-vineyard and sin- gle-varietal wines with the exception of a rosé and a field blend featuring a dozen varieties. That may sound like the recipe for a top-tier brand, but all the wines are priced at a serious value: $20. "We feel the market is trending and moving toward a $20 wine, and we really didn't have a Herzog brand at that sweet spot," Joseph says. Because they're all kosher, the wines share another common thread, but to the Herzog family—pioneers in the kosher wine industry—that's simply a notation on the label, as Herzog wines are sipped by a wide demo- graphic of drinkers. "Our goal was to bring a quality $20 retail wine to market. We know what quality wine is, and these wines are quality wines which just happen to be kosher," Joseph explains. A Story of Survival A triumphant tale of overcoming adversity, the Herzog family story could easily serve as fodder for the silver screen. It begins in Slovakia during the early 19th century, when Philip Herzog made wine for the Austro- Hungarian court and was named a baron by the emperor. But more trying times were on the horizon. Philip's grandson Eugene hid from the Nazis throughout World War II, reclaiming the winery when the war was over, and soon after the family fled to New York after power shifted to the Czech communist regime. As they Herzog's latest portfolio, Lineage, is a nod to the family's long history of winemaking tradition. The Herzog Family Reflects on Nine Generations of Winemaking Through Their New Lineage Portfolio