Meet the Harvest Headliners: Cast Wines
Why did CAST Wines decide to participate in this event?
My wife Ann and I have many friends with homes in the Florida panhandle and we have been visiting for years. We love the laid back lifestyle and the focus on good food and wine. The DCWAF does great things for the community and we are fortunate to have an ability to participate and contribute to their mission and successes.
What makes CAST Wines special?
CAST Wines is a relatively small producer of high-quality wines which was born about nine years ago when we were able to bring together many friends and family. We focus on creating wines that are approachable and delicious to drink, not just wines that you put in a cellar. We are blessed by abundance and variety in our Sonoma County growing region and so are able to have several wines to accommodate a range of foods and circumstances.
What are some of your favorite CAST food pairings?
Ann loves to pair our sparkling Blanc de Noirs with potato chips! Food doesn’t have to be fancy to be enjoyable.
What is one thing everyone should know about the winery?
Located just over an hour north of the Golden Gate Bridge, it is often 30 degrees warmer in our Dry Creek Valley than in the city. Many locals visit us to warm up in summer, and of course take in amazing wine-country views and wines.
What do you hear most often when people try your wines for the first time?
Wine and the reaction to and enjoyment of it, is such a personal thing, it would be hard to generalize. But it always makes us feel good when people tell us “… I usually don’t like XYZ, but I like yours…” Whether it's our delicious sparkling wines, bright whites or “white tablecloth” zinfandel, it’s always good to help people expand their flavor horizons.
What is the best part of being in the wine-making business?
We are fortunate to produce a product that brings people together and is associated with celebrating life and forming great memories. It’s rare that someone comes to our winery in a bad mood!
Tell me about the CAST wine-making process.
All of our grapes are hand grown, hand nurtured and hand picked using biodynamic, organic and sustainable practices. In the winery each batch of grapes is tended to with minimal intervention, allowing the wines to express the nuances of the vineyard, the flavors of the grapes and the particular vintage. There are more economical and quicker ways to make wine, but we strive to create a product that we would want to purchase and consume, which tends to be more artisanal and interesting.
Is there anything else important you would like us to know about CAST Wines?
CAST Wines are generally available only through our wine club membership or by directly contacting the winery. We only have representation in restaurants and wine stores in three places in the country: northern Ohio where Ann and I grew up, Dallas, TX where we have lived for 30 years, and the Florida panhandle, where we choose to visit as often as we can. We can’t wait to return this November!
Published on Wednesday, August 25, 2021