The Herzog family holds the distinction of being the oldest winemaking family in the United States. Our winemaking legacy dates back to the early 19th century in the Slovakian countryside, spanning over ten generations. However, it was in the late 1800s that we established ourselves as one of Europe’s most prestigious winemakers. My great great grandfather Philip Herzog was bestowed the title of Baron and became the royal winemaker to Franz Josef, Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Baron Herzog entrusted his son Jaqob with the family’s wine enterprises, who then passed it on to his son Eugene, my grandfather. Eugene found himself in the challenging position of shepherding the family through Nazi-occupied Europe. He, his wife, and their children managed to stay safe thanks to his actions of always helping in the community when needed. The Herzogs spent a significant amount of time hiding in a local Christian family’s shed, concealed behind a false wall or deep underground. Despite Eugene and his immediate family’s survival, his parents and many other relatives were tragically apprehended and perished in Auschwitz.

After the war, the communists seized control of the winery, prompting Eugene to take the family to America. In 1948, with no money or prospects, they arrived in New York City, settling in and working for a small winery on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. After ten years of dedicated service, Eugene, along with his sons Ernest and Philip, purchased the small winery and began rebuilding the wine business the family had established over a century earlier in Europe.

For the next 30 years, Ernest, my father, and his brothers built both Kedem and Royal Wines, producing grape juice and wines with grapes sourced from the New York area. In 1985, with a vision to recreate the wines they had made in Europe, my father’s brother David championed the idea of establishing a presence in California, the heart of America’s winemaking industry. Thus, Herzog Wine Cellars was born.

For the first 20 years, we rented space across California while searching for the ideal location for a permanent home. In 2004, with a growing portfolio of wines like the Special Reserve and Baron Herzog lines, the family chose Oxnard, California, as the headquarters for their California winemaking. In the decades since, Herzog has grown to become one of California’s leading wine producers, crafting hundreds of different wines from the most storied and sought-after regions in the state.

Every day brings new opportunities and challenges, with special projects, new wines to craft, technological investments, and much more. The Herzog family’s journey is a testament to their resilience, innovation, and unwavering commitment to excellence in winemaking.