The "Seder" in Oxnard

The Kosher wines of Herzog, for all the right reasons

By Joel M. Fisher with Kay Tornborg Photos: Avi Roth/Vineyard Report

Oxnard, CA, 03/03/06 --- Fast forward from last summer, when I reported the grand opening of Herzog Wine Cellars in Oxnard even as the winery's restaurant, TIERRA SUR, was awaiting its new chef, Todd Aarons. He has arrived! And I, along with media from throughout California, attended a mock Passover Seder, pairing Chef Aarons reinvention of traditional Sephardic Jewish cooking with the wines of Herzog and with commentary by wine maker Joe Hurliman.

Attendees at Herzog's mock Passover Seder
pairing kosher wine with kosher food.

Lisa McKinnon (Ventura County Star), the LA Times Patrick Comiskey (also Wine & Spirits), Avi Roth of the Vineyard Report, J.P. Webb, Herzog's PR representative, Sara Schneider of Sunset Magazine and this celebrant were all enthralled by the program devised by Jay Buchsbaum, VP Marketing for Royal Wine Group, which manages the six divisions constituting Royal Wine, including Herzog. Moreover, the restaurant is comfortable and attractive, with an open kitchen, slate accents and a wood grill and fireplace. The main room seats 40, their private room another 50-70, and the outside terrace has an additional 9 tables.

Chef Todd Aarons

Chef Aarons is a 1993 graduate of the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. We chatted about his two-year tenure at Zuni Cafe there, before heading to Savoy in New York. During a yearlong break from Savoy he lived and worked at four restaurants in Tuscany but he particularly enjoyed Restaurante Da Delfina in Artimino, Italy. His Italian sojourn, joined with the Spanish/Moroccan cuisine of his Sephardic in-laws, has resulted in his Tuscan-influenced menus that put his own spin on this culinary coupling.

The meal began with Herzog's 2004 SAUVIGNON BLANC, from Los Alamos and Edna Valley. The wine had waited for us long enough to be a bit warm. But I founded spicy, with a long finish and hinting at some of the new French Oak in which it had been aged. It was paired with a delicious Hreimeh, or Moroccan spicy sea bass with red peppers and harisa. Even those who can't take too much spice will love this dish.