Galzignato will oversee the entire winemaking operation, vineyard management and grower contracts; as well as implementing systems and operational changes to meet current and future growth of Herzog Wine Cellars.
“Joe and I are honored to welcome David Galzignato to our team,” says Joseph Herzog, VP of Operations at Herzog Wine Cellars. “We are excited to bring talent of this caliber from the North Coast to Central California’s wine country. David’s joining Joe is another major milestone for the family.”
Galzignato has built an illustrious career, beginning in the fall of 1998 at La Fracce Winery, Oltrepo Pavese, Italy. He has led winery teams in Napa, Sonoma, Paso Robles, Washington state, and Italy. Over 17 years as a head winemaker, Galzignato has focused on farming first and attention to detail in the cellar as a close second, always approaching scenarios from a hands-on perspective. Galzignato’s winemaking mentors include First Growth and Cru winemakers and consultants from Bordeaux and Chateauneuf du Pape. He has spent 15 years in Napa learning from some great houses, including Peter Mondavi Sr. family Estates–Charles Krug, Duckhorn Wine company, and most recently at Provenance Vineyards Rutherford. As a result, David and his teams have garnered over 100 scores of 90/90+ points from the top wine media influencers.
“Over the years, I have come to value authenticity, humility, and innovation as the key drivers that make both people and businesses successful,” says Galzignato. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for the 150-year history of Herzog Wine Cellars. I’m excited to work closely with the team focusing on sustainable farming and winemaking priorities, as well as continuing to work with some of the best vineyards in both Napa and Sonoma.”
Although Galzignato is not Jewish, the kosher winery is already well-accustomed to navigating that scenario among its senior staff, as its Head Winemaker Joe Hurliman and winemaker Barry Henderson are also not Jewish.
“What it means in a kosher winery such as Herzog Wine Cellars is that all hand-on operations, from crush through bottling, are done by Sabbath-observant Jewish workers with the winemakers leading and supervising the process similarly as a conductor with an orchestra,” explained Gabriel Geller, director of PR for Royal Wine Corp. “Eli Ben Zaken is the proprietor and head winemaker of Domaine du Castel, an Israeli winery whose wines are imported and distributed in the USA by Royal Wine Corp. Ben Zaken once said in an interview to international TV channel i24 News that while he is himself Jewish, although not Sabbath-observant, he had to forego the hands-on work at his winery after deciding to convert his winery into a fully kosher-supervised operation in 2003. Ben Zaken said that led to an improvement of the quality of his wines, as he had more time to focus on improving the farming and his vineyards, which resulted in better grapes.”
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Preceding provided by Herzog Wine Cellars.