Recap: Wine Club Pick Up Party!
This past weekend we had the honor of hosting a wine club pick-up party out our winery facility in San Miguel. It’s not very often we have people from the general public out at the winery, since our Tasting Room is in town and our winery is quite a ways out there (in what can seem like the middle of nowhere). We thought it would be a lot of fun to get our wine club members out to see the facility, meet the crew and show them where the magic happens and it was!
When members arrived they were greeted with a glass of Champenoise and an assortment of light snacks, including cheeses, salamis, hummus and crackers. Spread throughout the area were little stations featuring various Castoro wines, giving members the opportunity to navigate their way to their favorite or try them all! As the numbers grew, we divided the members into groups of 50 and sent them off on guided tours of the winery. The tours were given by our Winemakers Tom, Mikel and Sherrie along with owners Niels and Bimmer and finally my brother Max and I.
Each tour began on our scale, where trucks are weighed in as they arrive with grapes, and continued through the winery, crush pad and presses. Members got the opportunity to taste fresh wines directly from tanks, barrels and presses, including 2013 Late Harvest Orange Muscat, 2013 Whale Rock Chardonnay, 2013 Viognier, Malbec and 2013 Primitivo straight from the press! It was really a lot of fun trying these wines at varying stages of the winemaking process and getting/giving an insight to where they are headed. One wine in particular that stood out to me was the Whale Rock Chardonnay, straight from the barrel! Even though the wine is still aging it tasted amazing and I can confidently say, “Tom has done it again!”
The last stop on the tour was a demonstration and presentation of our Still, where Mikel described the distillation process and how we are making Grappa and Brandy. I think it’s safe to say the still was a big hit! It’s a beautiful machine and such a fascinating process to learn about. And, to top it off, everyone got to sample our Grappa and Brandy on their way out of the cellar and into the courtyard for lunch.
By this time the group had loosened up and conversations were flowing between club members new and old. Our staff did such a wonderful job of making sure everyone had what they needed, along with spending time to interact with and educate the members. I met some really nice people at the event and as always it feels great to be appreciated for years of hard work!
As the party came to a close, members were able to pick up their shipments and head on their way with a wonderful assortment of Dam Fine Wines. This shipment in particular is one of the best I’ve seen and it feels good knowing our club will have some great wines for the holidays!
If you’ve ever considered joining a club click HERE to learn more about ours and if you’re so inclined, join the family!
Cheers,
Luke
