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HISTORY & ACHIEVEMENTS KOSHER WINE HISTORY
& ACHIEVEMENTS The Royal Wine Corporation is a producer,
importer and the world’s leading distributor of upscale kosher wines,
liquors, spirits and grape juices. For almost 50 years, Royal has been
owned and operated in the United States by the Herzog family, whose winemaking
roots date back eight generations to 19th century Czechoslovakia.
Founded in 1848, the Herzog family winery was renowned as the exclusive
wine supplier to the emperor of the Austro-Hungarian empire, Franz Joseph,
earning one of the early Herzogs the royal title of Baron.
The winery was seized by the Nazis at
the onset of World War II and placed under the control of a Christian
man designated to manage production. The Herzogs survived the war in hiding
and were supported with smuggled profits from the winery. In 1948, after
the Communist takeover in Czechoslovakia, Eugene Herzog, the head of the
Herzog family, decided to move the family and the winery to the United
States.
Settling in New York City, Eugene Herzog went to work for the Royal Wine Company as a winemaker, truck driver and salesman, Part of Eugene’s salary was paid in company shared. By the 1958, Eugene was a majority stockholder and he purchased the company. Eugene, with his four sons, incorporated the name Kedem, and began a quest to regain the past splendor of the Herzog family name. While the company began modestly with
annual sales of a mere $120,000 and one line of traditional wines for
sacramental purposes, the Herzogs set their sights on greatness and have
never relented in striving toward that goal.
Today the Royal Wine Corporation has earned a reputation in the kosher wine and beverage industry as the leader in modern production methods, innovative packaging and marketing. Because of family tradition, all Royal products are certified kosher and therefore prepared in adherence to the highest standards of cleanliness and purity, requiring meticulous care and pristine winemaking conditions. Made from only pure wine or grape based ingredients, Royal’s wines do not contain non-wine yeast, gelatin or animal based acidifying agents that may be used by other wineries. Royal imports unique foods from around
the globe. It’s products hail from Italy, Israel, France, Scotland, Chile,
Hungary and the United States. Most notable is the Baron Herzog line of
California varietals.
Located in the former San Martine wineries and headed by master winemaker Peter Stern, the Baron Herzog winery enmeshes the future of high quality California wines with the Herzog family heritage of perfection. These elements are what produce wines unique for their award winning qualities and taste. In ten short years, Baron Herzog has established itself among the other California wineries by winning countless awards and gold metals in various prestigious wine competitions such as the Orange County Fair, the Los Angeles Fair, and the London International Wine Competition. The list of awards continues to grow on a monthly basis. In January 1988, Royal and M&G Wines of France, owned by Baron Edmond Rothschild, made history with the introduction of the first kosher Rothschild wine – Barons Edmond et Benjamin Rothschild Haut Medoc 1986, produced at the famed Chateau Clarke. Today, Royal continues to work with the Rothschild family to produce other super-premium French varietals. In November 1993, Royal Wine and it’s subsidiary, 3-D Marketing, obtained exclusive distribution rights in the United States for Golan, Gamla and Yarden Wines. In 1994, 3-D purchased Weinstock Cellars, a boutique winery, from Robert Weinstock. In addition, 3-D Marketing presents prominent Israeli spirits such as Sabra liqueurs.
Experiencing growth in every year since
its inception, Royal’s wines have been praised by critics in such noted
publications as The New York Times and Robert Parker Jr.’s Wine Advocate,
and are consistently reviewed and written about in major wine and consumer
publications, including USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, The Miami Herald,
Newsweek, the Wine Spectator and Bon Appetit. Royal sells over one million
cases of wines and grape juice annually in more than 16 countries worldwide.
As the company grows, so too does the Herzog family’s desire to expand and enhance the Royal Wine Corporation. With the entry of the 21st century, the Royal Wine Corporation has remained committed to the vision of Eugene Herzog and to producing fine kosher wine with a heritage of perfection. An often-misunderstood concept in society
today is what exactly makes wine kosher. Common knowledge may suggest
that the dubious distinction of kosher wine is related to the blessing
of a rabbi. Past experience may dictate that kosher wines must be sweet
and sticky in order to be kosher. However, none of this is true. Kosher
wine is a completely natural product, from grapes to the finished wine.
There are no artificial additives; nothing is put in at any stage that
is not natural. A simple definition of "kosher," is a food prepared in
accordance with Jewish dietary laws. The term "kosher wine" refers to
a process in the way the wine is produced and is not a variety of wine.
In other words, kosher wine is not like Chinese or Italian food, which
are varieties of food. Since kosher law does not prohibit the use of specific
wine styles, grape varieties, or origin, any wine made in accordance to
these rules can be kosher. This explains the "surprisingly" large variety
of kosher wines available from around the world, including New York, California,
France, Israel and Italy.
The production of kosher wine entails
the following:
1. The equipment and machinery used to make the wine are used exclusively for the production of kosher products. 2. From grape crushing to the sealing of the bottle, only Sabbath observant Jews may handle the grapes and wine, unless the wine is Mevushal (pasteurized). 3. Only certified kosher products (yeast, filtering agents, etc.) may be used in processing. 4. Kosher wines are subject to a very stringent filtration procedure and no foreign substance may be used (unlike non-kosher wines, which often use gelatin, rice, milk products or animal products for clarification and purification processes). 5. No artificial coloring or preservatives may be used. Many kosher wines, including those of Baron Herzog, are made mevushal, or pasteurized. A mevushal wine is one that may be handled by the general public, like a non-Jewish waiter, and still remain kosher. Mevushal wines undergo an additional step that non-mevushal wines do not go through. In this added step, the crushed juice is flash pasteurized before fermentation (for white and blush wines) or just after alcoholic fermentation (for red wines). A common misconception is that the wine must be boiled in order to become mevushal. The wine is not boiled and the taste of the wine is not diminished in any way as a result of this, or any other process in the production of kosher wine. It is important to note that flash pasteurization today is a fine, delicate and highly sophisticated process where the wine is heated up to a temperature of approximately 85 degrees Celsius for just a few seconds and then it is cooled "in a flash." Experiments at the University of California at Davis have pinpointed the time/temperature threshold at which a sensory difference can be perceived. Baron Herzog kosher wines are flash pasteurized at one-tenth that threshold factor. In fact, there is evidence that in some ways the wine may benefit from this process. Aroma, especially in white wines, appears to be better, shelf stability is improved on all wines, and some aspects of flavors seem to be enhanced by the mevushal process. The origin of making kosher wine "mevushal" dates back to ancient times. Wine was once used for idolatrous worship. However, wines that were mevushal were considered unfit for pagan worship due to the pasteurization. Making kosher wine mevushal became a means of preventing wine produced for Jewish ceremonies to be used in pagan rituals. While at one time the process of pasteurization altered the flavor of the wine, modern implementation of this process assures that the wine remains unaffected. In regard to the perception that kosher wines are sweet, the response is that this perception is due largely to historical circumstance, having nothing to do with kosher supervision. The Concord grape, the only variety that was available for Jewish immigrants arriving in the New York area, is an acidic grape that must be balanced with sugar to be enjoyed. This explains the prevalence of sweet kosher wines. As time passed, this compromise in quality became an association with kosher wines in general. Today, the range of grape varieties used for the production of kosher supervised wines has greatly expanded. Consequently, kosher wines are available in all varieties from around the world. By employing the services of master winemakers, using only premium grapes and applying state-of-the-art viticultural techniques, modern kosher wines are often superior, or at least identical in quality to non-kosher wines. The result- award winning wines for every occasion. Peter Stern Pierre Miodownick Victor Schonfeld
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