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“Dam Fine Wine” – Discover why we say so! Spectacular array of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay,
Merlot, Pinot Noir, Rhône varietals, special blends and dessert wines. Stroll up our grape arbor and enjoy beautiful vineyard
views, gourmet foods and wine related gifts. Picnic facilities. Children welcome. Family-owned with the same Gold Medal winemaking
team for over 20 years.
The husband and wife team of Niels and Bimmer Udsen established Castoro Cellars with the goal of producing world-class
wines from Paso Robles-appellation grapes. Each vintage presents a new challenge and Niels is more than willing to constantly
and creatively experiment. This on-going research is only one of the many factors that ensures they meet their goal.
Niels’
long-time nickname “Beaver,” evolved further when he was working in Italy and his friends soon took to calling
him “Il Castoro,” beaver in Italian. The name and the motto stuck. Castoro Cellars’ “dam fine wines”
sport a picture of a beaver on each label.
Castoro is now a winemaking team effort. The team includes Niels, his mentor
Tom Myers, and Mikel Olsten. Together they discuss and decide how they want to handle each variety.
“There’s
a lot less romance in the every day wine world than appears from the outside,” Niels explains. “The winery isn’t
a showplace; we don’t have big stone pillars and art collections, but we have everything we need to make great wine.”
Establishing their own winery in San Miguel and being able to produce their wines in one place as opposed to producing different
wines in different locations, still ranks as one of Niels’ most gratifying experiences.
Niels, born and raised
in Ventura, California, got started in the Paso Robles wine business while studying Agribusiness at California Polytechnic
University, San Luis Obispo. After working on a few winery-related projects he became intrigued by the field and went to work
at what would become his second “Alma Mater,” Estrella River Winery. There he worked in the cellar doing anything
and everything that needed to be done during the 1981 harvest. During the next five years at Estrella, Tom Myers taught him
the finer points of wine production while Niels learned a few things on his own. His love of production and wines then led
him to establish his own winery in the area.
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Wines ProducedCabernet Franc
Chardonnay
Gewürztraminer
Grape Juice
Merlot
Muscat Canelli
Petit
Verdot
Petite Sirah
Pinot Blanc
Pinot Grigio
Pinot Noir
Port
Primitivo
Red Blend
Syrah
Tempranillo
White
Blend
White Zinfandel
Zinfandel
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Knowing that there are always going to be peaks and valleys when dealing with agriculture and the wine industry, Niels
utilized his agribusiness degree to build a diverse business in the wine industry. He operates three mobile bottling lines
which he rents to wineries throughout the state. A custom-crush operation is housed at the Castoro Cellars facility to allow
Castoro Cellars access to larger more efficient equipment. “I always wanted to have something going on in every phase
of winemaking,” Niels explains.
In the span of a dozen years, Niels and Bimmer have gone from making a few barrels
of wine for family and friends in a rented corner of someone else’s winery to developing a custom-crush operation and
a 25,000-case operation for Castoro Cellars. The Udsens purchased two local vineyards, one aptly named “Hog Heaven”
after the wild hogs that inhabit the area. The second vineyard, “Blind Faith,” got its name when the opportunity
to buy the vineyard arose. Niels’ wife Berit, or “Bimmer,” was in Denmark at the time. Niels called her
and together they acted quickly on “blind faith.”
Castoro Cellars currently buys approximately 50 percent
of their fruit from a number of local vineyards. “Buying grapes from over 40 different vineyards has given me great
flexibility in producing a consistently good product each year,” says Niels. However, “with more and more vineyard
owners in Paso Robles establishing their own wineries, there’s a lot less fruit to go around.” As a result, the
Udsen’s have embarked on their own vineyard development program. Hog Heaven and Blind Faith are just the start.
Surrounding
the tasting room is a grape arbor, Zinfandel vineyard, and cork trees, (only 20 years until they harvest their own cork)!
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