Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/552044
78 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2015 As kosher wines continue to win awards and critical acclaim from magazines including Wine Spectator and THE TASTING PANEL, the potential for market expansion among kosher and non-kosher on- and off-premise customers grows as word spreads on flavor and quality. According to Simon Shamoun of Tarzana Wine & Spirits in Tarzana CA, purchasing high-end kosher wines can do more than make a statement about his customers' per- sonal taste in wine. "We sell a lot of Israeli-made wines because our American customers want to support Israel in their own celebrations," says Shamoun. "There are some great Israeli selections from the Herzog family's Royal Wine Corp. Prices range from under $10 a bottle to $50 or $60. I recommend wines from Segal, Barkan and Binyamina's reserve tier, which are some of the better bottles imported by Royal Wine Corp." Shamoun also notes the California-made kosher Cabernets from Herzog Wine Cellars, which he calls "great bottles at a decent price." And there's more where that came from. Jeff Smith, founder and President of Carte du Vin wine cellar management in Van Nuys, CA, notes that top French champagne producer Laurent-Perrier offers a kosher wine that is almost identical to its regular Champagne. He is also a big booster of Berkeley-based Covenant Wines and and its founder/winemaker Jeff Morgan. Covenant's portfolio includes Morgan's Red C, The Tribe and Chardonnay Lavan. A Gold Standard for Kosher Wines Herzog Wine Cellars is a state-of-the- art kosher wine facility in Oxnard, CA, owned by the Herzog family, who also own Royal Wine Corp. Simon Shamoun, owner of Tarzana Wine & Spirits in Los Angeles, with a selec- tion of kosher wines from Herzog Wine Cellars and Royal Wine Corp. by Elyse Glickman PHOTO: DAVID GADD HIGH-END STATUS IS THE NEW NORM FOR THIS GROWING CATEGORY