I’m sorry to say that even after a fine presentation by not one, but TWO Wine Guys at Jewlicious @ the Beach in April, I still can’t really taste the difference between a cabernet and a merlot, or a chenin blanc and a chardonnay. Which clearly means I need to spend more time in a winery. Or maybe just drinking alone in my apartment.

Whether you prefer your wine boiled or unfiltered, whether you’re a connaisseur of every grape or just enjoy the kiddushy goodness of wine in general, you’ll be glad to know that Royal Wine Corp has just opened a new facility for the fruit-of-the-vine-lover in you.

From the article in the Jewish Journal (L.A.):

…the largest producer, importer and distributor of kosher wines and spirits in the United States, recently spent an estimated $13 million to create its high-tech facility. The new winery, which opened for tours and tastings June 27, is capable of producing up to 220,000 cases annually.

The winery produces two labels, Baron Herzog, a value-brand, mevushal line, and Herzog Wine Cellars, the special reserve line with less than 10,000 cases total production. The latter carries a much higher price tag due to fruit sourced from premium vineyards, and a more labor-intensive process, including hand-harvesting and aging in high-quality French oak barrels, which are more costly than their American equivalents. Herzog winemakers believe flash pasteurization can improve quality. All the whites are mevushal, but none of the special reserve reds, most of which are not even filtered.

Wine…it’s not just for breakfast anymore. Is it, Wine Guy?

Can I get a borei p’ri hagafen, my homies?

About the author

Esther Kustanowitz

For more posts by Esther, see EstherK.com, MyUrbanKvetch.com and JDatersAnonymous.com.

38 Comments

  • Yeah, never really could taste the difference between different qualities of wine. To me it was either Too Sweet, Sweet but not overpowering, or plain disgusting. Never got into that dry stuff, though it’s all you can really drink on Purim if you want to go Adah Lo Yaddah and not get upset stomic and headackes from the sweet stuff.

  • I just want to throw in a pitch here for kosherwine.com. I am in no way affiliated with this site, but man, they have a huge selection, little wine reviews, and they always seem to get me my big wine orders very quickly and unbroken. The shipping costs aren’t too bad, either–especially if you order a lot of wine. It is a different wine world from our youth.

  • Last night I danced with Wine Guy (Jonathan Haidu) at his brother Michael’s wedding in Woodland Hills. We had a great selection of wines for the wedding… I’ll let Jonathan (and Gavriel) know that you are looking for him Esther! And I am told that the winery is really a place to see. We plan on doing a field trip up there before the Holydays.. Gut Shabbos!

  • the winery will be open to the public on july 5th. We’re going to have a kosher restaurant there that will be open during lunch hours by mid august and for dinner by november. It will be called tierra sur. The chef is really good his name is Todd Aarons and was running a restaurant in Jersey called Mosaica.
    Wine guy is still running around with his family and hasn’t been on the internet for a while.
    Esther if you want to taste the differences between cabs and merlots get a few bottles of each and pour them into seperate wine glasses. Swirl ,sniff and taste them simultaneously. when you try them at the same time you should be able to discern their distinct characteristics.
    You call that really drunk? hah! That’s nothing. I only get REALLY drunk if I’m drinking with my Polish friend Matti Kos. He was going to come to that wedding but had an appendicitis just before the wedding.
    reuven klein I can’t remember who you are.

  • I generally like Merlot better then Cabs…
    The best Merlot I had was a bottle I got from
    this Kibbuts in the Gallil called Amiad.
    The company bottling name is called The Hills
    of Gallilee. The Heksher was Tsvat Bestritski
    and had american circle K as well on the wines
    I saw. Of course, it wasn’t mevushal…. I also
    had a bottle of thier Cab, but it wasn’t that
    good to me. Amiad doen’t export anywhere at
    all. Also Amiad doesn’t advertise or compete
    much in any market in Israel either it seemed
    to me.The only way I know to get thier product is
    going to the Kibbutz itself. Amiad is not a dati
    kibbutz. However, I am connected to Amiad
    through my folks. Both my Mom and Dad were
    there in one of the rooms they rent to tourists
    when 9-11 happened. My folk’s return flight
    was that thursday. As I am sure you all
    remember, Airspace was shut down in Israel
    and US durring that time for more then a week
    in most areas. The people in Amiad offered to
    give my folks free boarding for the durration of
    the shutdown. I thought that very sporting of
    the folk at Amiad. The office lady at Amiad told
    my folks they were at home….It was well into
    the next week before the skys opened up to
    make flights back to US. I wasn’t worried for
    them or Israel, I did have my concerns for
    what was happening here….

  • reuven, do you really believe what your parents tell you? the only thing your mom talked to me about is that there were attractive women at the wedding.

  • there is no way gavriel was really drunk! but gavriel dont worry will make it up. i have still few l’chaims to recite to you.

  • reuven, there’s a difference between intoxication and drunk, your parents just don’t know intoxication when they see it. Oh, when you can legally drink, I’ll show you how it’s done.

  • man, i m telling you leave it! some people are just made diffrent and pashut lo mevinim!

  • Whew!! boy that was a crazy week

    I’m very touched you guys were looking for me

    Esther thanks for the post next time you are out here you really must come visit. We’re open to the public starting tomorrow, and as the man mentioned we have a restaraunt opening next month, and we aint talkin about knishes and stale mondle bread people!!! We’ve got a brilliant new chef and hes put together a very Jewlicious menu indeed

    There was certainly some major wine drinking this week between the wedding and sheva brachas about 9 cases, and I don’t think I’ll be able to look at food for at least a week.

    Happy 4th to all u Americanzi Jews of the Galut out there

  • Or like I got a quote from themiddle or who ever it was, cause it wasn’t clear, the
    “the Golden Galut of America”

    Sorry wine guy for that stupid ponfar smoking joke…

  • Between an invite from Wine Guy, and the man’s description of the food, I don’t need to be asked twice. Maybe in November sometime…

    WG, mazal tov on the brother’s wedding…

  • Hey! this thread is funny. Uh wine guy? Grand muffti and I are in LA like… right now. Call us at 1-213-892-8080 room 1217 and we’ll come down, do a tasting or whatever it is you wine fags call it and blog it on Jewlicious. Deal?

  • netsach: yes I do. Or you can call me at the hotel later – I am off to east LA now, so I’ll talk to you later!

  • Wine fags huh? CK you can come over anytime ..I’ll uncork a bottle of wup ass on u

    u can call the winery 805 983 1560 and make a reservation for a wine tasting and an ass wuppin

  • Dudes, I was the one who was invited. There will be no Jewlicious @ The Winery without She Who Started This Thread. Harumph.

  • NSN the restaraunt is Basar

    Esther dont worry it could never be jewlicious with out you anyway

  • NSN the restaraunt wont be open for at least another month but you can call me any time

    and if you score any ponfar count me in

  • Kosher wine has never been better. This is a golden age. You can get Kosher wine from six continents now, everything from Herzog’s $5 Chenin Blanc to its much better Reserve wines to great Napa Vintages to top growth French wines. And for those who hate the French, remember, Kosher wine has to be made by Jews, so you are helping the tribe by purchasing

  • I heard that a vintage from Portugal has come out with the the Abrabenel label. That would be first time in more then 500 years kosher wine is produced in that country.

  • NSN it’s true I tried it unfortunately it wasn’t very good how ever there is a good wine being produced in Capcanes Spain Paraj al Ha’aviv which is one of the best kosher wines in the world

    There are two kosher wines being produced in New Zealand which will be the first ever to come from that region I hope theyre good

  • Which New Zealander wines are those?

    There are quite a few kosher Australian wines which have been produced for the last few years – Teal Lake, Red Rock, Beckett’s Flat, Kidron… Teal Lake merlot is my personal favourite but the others ain’t bad.