Recap: Wine Club Pick Up Party!

November 13, 2013

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

Wine of the Month: Roussanne!

November 7, 2013

For the month of November the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance has chosen Roussanne as the varietal of the month and in turn so have we! For the rest of the month our 2012 Roussanne will be 25% off (35% for members) with free shipping on all orders of a case or more. This is a great deal on a wine that is not only refreshing but also unique and versatile!

For this blog I decided I wanted to do something a little different and incorporate more points of view into the discussion on this wine. So, I asked Ryan and Rhiannon at the Tasting Room a couple questions about the wine. First I had each of them try the wine separately and give me their analysis. Ryan told me the wine was “aromatic as a Rhône wine should be, with a light mouth feel and hints of pear.” He summed it up by saying “the wine coats your mouth with a feeling of pure bliss!”

Next I had Rhiannon try the wine and give me her honest assessment. On the nose Rhiannon detected “honeysuckle and vanilla with a slight minerality,” and upon sipping the wine declared, “it would pair well with turkey.” Next I asked them both a very different question, “If you could be anywhere with a bottle of this wine, where would you be and what food would you be eating?”

Ryan went first and after some thought decided he would be floating on a barge down the Rhône river in France, while eating fresh oysters! Wow! I will admit, I was impressed with his make-believe scenario and almost hopped straight on the Internet to book a flight! Rhiannon took a different approach (one much more suited for this time of year) and told me she would be somewhere warm and tropical, ideally a beach, while enjoying fresh caught Halibut with Salsa Fresca! Mmmmm!!

Now, it was my turn to take a crack at this wine and dream up my ideal spot for enjoying it. Along with Rhiannon, I immediately picked up honeysuckle on the nose of the wine and a slight sweetness to the aroma. I also found the wine to have a full mouth feel that I believe comes from the short time (2 months) the wine spent aging in neutral oak barrels. To me the oak is not very apparent in the aroma but more so in the texture of the wine on the palate. So, the big question is where would I be and what would I be eating?! Well, it didn’t take long before I knew exactly where I’d be…. in a hot tub in the mountains, surrounded by snow, while eating an assortment of sharp cheeses on lightly salted rice crackers. Of course, in all of our scenarios the wine would be enjoyed with good company!

So, now it’s your turn to try this wine, tell me what you think and then drift off to that special place, or perhaps you’re already there! Either way this is a wine that is meant to be enjoyed with great food, in a great setting with great company!

Click HERE to order and let your imagination run wild!

Until Next Time,

Cheers,

Luke

Goshi, a North County Treat!

November 4, 2013

Growing up in Paso Robles there weren’t a lot of eclectic food options for most of my childhood. If we wanted to have something a little more adventuresome we had to go out in San Luis Obispo or beyond. As time went on and the wine industry grew, along came more and more great places to eat. One of those places is Goshi Japanese Restaurant, located in downtown Paso on Pine St. near the train station. Specializing primarily on fresh Sushi (one of my favorite foods) Goshi’s has been a go to spot for my family and I since it opened.

As a kid, the only time we ever got sushi was down in SLO (at Goshi’s other location) and it was always a special treat, as it didn’t happen often. When Goshi opened a restaurant in Paso we were ecstatic, as Paso never had a legitimate sushi restaurant and we love sushi! I still remember the first time I went to Goshi in Paso with my parents, I think I was home on a break from college or traveling and they told me we were going out for sushi in Paso and I thought they were kidding!

Last week my girlfriend and I had the pleasure of going out to dinner at Goshi to enjoy some delicious sushi and thank them for carrying Castoro wine. Currently they are carrying our Blind Faith Pinot Noir (one of my favorites) and a great choice to pair with their foods. Being a Pinot Noir, the wine is lighter in body but it has a nice acidity that goes very well with food. The combination of the spicy tuna with the wine was definitely a hit inside my mouth.

Through our meal we enjoyed a variety of dishes including seaweed salad, vegetable tempura, miso soup and some delicious rolls (rainbow roll, spicy tuna and Goshi special). All of the food was very good and the staff was very helpful with questions and suggestions, which goes a long way in my book!

So next time you’re craving sushi in the North County, give Goshi a try and order a glass of Pinot Noir while you’re at it! I promise you won’t be disappointed! For more info on Goshi visit their website HERE.

Cheers,

Luke