An opulent showcase for kosher wines and food

“I’m not even Jewish!”

This is not the conversation I expected to have with an expert winemaker who has been involved with the production of kosher wines for more than a dozen years. But such was the case with the affable Philip Jones, senior winemaker and managing director of Goose Bay from New Zealand and the Pacifica label from Oregon. 

His Oregon pinot noir is certified kosher, and a terrific value for any Oregon pinot, really. The Bay Area native was raised Catholic but found himself intrigued by the idea of getting into kosher wine when a friend suggested it to him over dinner one night in Santa Maria, Calif., more than 20 years ago. 

The exchange I had with Jones, during which he talked about the challenges of bringing Jewish winemakers from Melbourne, Australia, to his remote New Zealand vineyard to produce Goose Bay’s kosher vintages, was one of the many unexpected pleasures of the Kosher Wine & Food Experience held March 2 at the Petersen Automotive Museum. 

Sample iconic French label Laurent-Perrier rosé and classic Champagnes, and taste vaunted Rothschild kosher wines? Nosh on short rib cavatelli and pastrami-style cured cod on a rye blini from the chefs at Herzog Wine Cellars’ flagship Ventura Country kosher restaurant, Tierra Sur? See the range of the famed enterprise’s kosher production, including reserve bottles and its special edition Camouflage blend that combines 12 varietals? All this, plus a chunk of Israel’s wine industry all present under one roof in L.A.? Twist my arm. 

For the sixth annual Los Angeles event that originated in New York City, organizer Royal Wine Corp. moved the tasting extravaganza with approximately 50 wineries and eight spirits brands to the Petersen from last year’s location at the W Hollywood hotel. Attendees tasted Israeli wines while snapping photos of Maseratis, rare alternative-fuel cars, vintage motorcycles and the like.