Winery Story

The Herzog family traces its winemaking origins back to Philip Herzog, who made wine in Slovakia for the Austro-Hungarian court more than a ... (more...)century ago. His wines were so appreciated by Emperor Franz-Josef that the emperor made Philip a baron. Following many struggles during and after World War II, in 1985, the Herzog family decided to expand its winemaking operations to California, where the members make wine under two separate labels: Baron Herzog and Herzog Wine Cellars. After 20 years of renting space in various wineries, the family was finally able to build its own state-of-the-art winery just south of Santa Barbara, in the town of Oxnard. Here, under the supervision of head winemaker Joe Hurliman, Herzog Wine Cellars has created a center for high-end contemporary winemaking in a tradition that dates back nearly six centuries.