Pierre Miodownick -- A Force Behind Kosher Wines

"I make all these wines," he boasts, with a wave of his hand at two tables laden with top labels from France like Chateau Pontet-Canet and Leoville Poyferré as well as wines from Spain, Australia, Israel and more. How is it possible for one man to make so many wines? We have just arrived at the Herzog 4th Annual International Food and Wine Festival celebrating kosher wine from around the world. Speaking to us is Pierre Miodownick, who does indeed make wine for an astonishing variety of wineries under the auspices of Royal Wines, the parent company of Herzog Wine Cellars. Kosher wines must have a "hands-on" observant Jew making the wine from harvest to bottle. Wineries such as the aforementioned will allow Miodownick to work in tandem with their winemakers, using the same grapes and exact techniques, with a "shadow" winemaker from the label, to make identical wine, but under kosher protocol. In this way, those who keep kosher can still enjoy a wide range of wines, spanning all styles and price points.

The Festival was a first-class event, held in Herzog's gleaming state-of-the-art winery. After reading their promotional flyer, I was expecting a room with less than a dozen wineries and a few samples from their restaurant, but was astounded to find room after room of wineries. On arriving we made a beeline to the "French" room where we met the effusive Miodownick. Mindful that I had to drive back to Santa Barbara, I limited my tasting to just one sip each, taking more time to experience the bouquet of the wines, which were a feast for the senses. I was captivated by the 1999 Chateau Guiraud Sauterne which was not sweet with a cloying sugar but sweet in the way nectar from the bulb of a honeysuckle flower is sweet, with a sweetness that kisses the tongue then ascends to the nose with layers of citrus and caramel.

Among my other favorites: the Puligny Montrachet (I think a 2004), the perfectly balanced 2005 Leoville Poyferré,  the 2004 Pontet-Canet which was aromatic and tannic (94 points from Robert Parker), the still young and tight 2005 Chateau Malartic La Graviere, which Miodownick thought might be ready to drink in another 10-15 years. I think it will be absolutely stunning when the corners are rounded. We were so intrigued by Miodownick's wines that we barely had time to try any others--a shame as what we sampled was just a drop in the bucket of what was available to taste. On my list of "absolute must-try" wines: the highly-rated Covenant Cabernet (full-bodied and full of flavor) and their Red C, which is a press wine priced only around $25, but still rating high marks from Parker. While enjoying those wines, we met the winemaker Jeff Morgan, whose inspirational history I had read in the NY Times. Herzog had been instrumental giving him a 'leg up' in establishing his winery in Napa. I wish we'd saved more time for Herzog's wines; I didn't realize the scope of wines Herzog makes, from value priced table wines, mostly from grapes from the Central Coast, to their top end Herzog labels. Their 2004 Chalk Hill Cab and 2003 Special Reserve Syrah were both terrific.

Of course, we had to leave time to sample Tierra Sur's cuisine after hearing so much about the restaurant in press and from word of mouth. Once again, I was amazed at the quantity and quality of tasty appetizers: three rooms of food! Chefs at each station were busy assembling hand-preparing delicacies like mini-stacks of layered potato and Jerusalem artichoke with bowfin tuna, aoili and pickled sea beans; cold-smoked yellowtail, Meyer lemon aioli and pickled beets on a hand-made potato chip; and pan-fried corn tortilla with tomato, pickled onion, and spicy peanut sauce (obligingly prepared for me--the vegetarian--without the braised tongue and duck confit which Nancy declared delicious). The pièce de résistance was one of the best cocktails I've ever tasted: made from Arango Reposado tequila (rated Highest Recommendation by Wine Enthusiast), just-squeezed cucumber juice, Yuzu Luxe Sour (Yuzu is a Japanese citrus), and rimmed with chile verde salt. Wow--it was fresh and clean like a mouthful of garden goodness.

Sated, we rolled back to Santa Barbara, impressed with Herzog/Royal Wine's role in developing quality kosher wines and promoting them to the public. We barely scratched the surface of all there was to experience at the Festival--I'll hope to return next year and will definitely make a point to drive down to Oxnard dine at Tierra Sur.