Castoro Cellars to launch Bethel Rd Distillery
-By Rachelle Tellez
New spirits will be premiered at Feb. 27 event
–Castoro Cellars is expanding to include spirits, and will soon be opening a new distillery called Bethel Rd. across from their tasting room.
“We have been working on producing spirits for over a decade and have only recently (the past couple years) been able to dedicate time and energy to the project,” said Sales, Marketing and Social Media Manager Luke Udsen. “Our owners (my parents) are huge fans of Italian wines and tradition and have dreamt of making grappa for years. Grappa has a lot of history in Italy and is considered a ‘digestivo’ or after dinner drink to aid with digestion.”
Grappa is made from pomace, the leftover grape skin, seeds and stalks. The first two grappa’s being bottled are being made with moscato grapes and primitivo grapes. The release dates for these have yet to be determined, however before being available to the public, a wine member event will be held to highlight these new beverages. This new venture will be part of the Paso Robles Distillery Trail. Udsen says they are currently aging brandy in oak barrels and they plan to produce more. Construction is still under way, but a great way to keep track of their progress is through their Facebook.
Castoro will be premiering their new spirits at the Fire and Ice event, through the Distillers of SLO County, a nonprofit organization. Festivities will be held at the Paso Robles Inn on Feb. 27. There attendees can have the first taste of Castoro Cellars’ grappa in a cocktail designed to highlight their flavors, accompanied by the local “power-folk” duo Bear Market Riot. Tickets are $95, and can be purchased at http://www.pasoroblesdistillerytrail.com/events/.
New grappa prototypes.
About Castoro Cellars
Castoro Cellars is best known for their “Dam Fine Wines,” a play on the origin of the winery’s name. The owner Niels Udsen was nicknamed “Beaver” and while visiting Italy, he quickly took to the Italian version of the word: Castoro. Niels and his wife, Bimmer, cultivated Castoro Cellars from one vineyard to seven. Each vineyard is sustainable in practice (SIP). It is one of the oldest established wineries in the area. Castoro Cellars features different art exhibits each month and music performances that range from local bands to foreign musicians.
Castoro Cellars is located off Highway 46 at 1315 North Bethel Rd in Templeton.
