Several months ago, I had the opportunity to visit Scheid Family Wines based in Monterey County, California in order to help celebrate their 50th anniversary. Family owned and operated, the winery was founded in 1972 and is estate-driven with sustainably certified vineyards. The winery and bottling operations are powered by 100% renewable wind energy, thanks to their 400-foot tall wind turbine which also supplies energy to homes in the local area. Within the Scheid portfolio are Scheid Vineyards, Sunny with a Chance of Flowers, District 7, Ryder Estate, Metz Road, VDR and Stokes’ Ghost. They also produce regionally distributed brands for clients and distributors.
During my visit to Scheid’s tasting room and production facility on Hobson Road in Greenfield, I tasted a plethora of intriguing wines, had a tour of the property and met the gregarious Casey Di Cesare, Scheid’s winemaker. His backstory is compelling. While at UCLA, Casey was a Division 1 Pole Vaulter and Decathlete as well as the New York State record holder in the Pole Vault. After graduating from UCLA, he was a personal trainer to “the stars” in Santa Monica and worked with the actors in Los Angeles and London to prepare them physically for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Besides his current winemaking role at Scheid, Casey is married and has two little girls – one is 10 months old and another is due in April of this year.
Following are the results of a recent conversation about a variety of topics – enjoy the read!
Casey Di Cesare (CDC): I’ve been at Scheid since 2017. I am the winemaker focusing on our premium tier wines and specialty projects, including organic production, low alcohol wines, sparkling and canned products.
GE: How did you get into the winemaking business?
CDC: I started my winemaking journey in Paso Robles, California working in the cellar as a winemaking intern and cellar rat, then moving on to get my Masters in Enology from Cornell University. After getting my degree, I landed a job as assistant enologist at Scheid Family Wines in 2017. I worked my way up to Winemaker in 2020 to work on innovative projects like native fermentations and low alcohol wines.
GE: What is your philosophy or style in winemaking?
CDC: I try to make the best wine possible through curiosity and intelligent effort.
CDC: Two of my best mentors have been Dave Nagengast and Dr. Gavin Sacks. Dave inspired and gave me the opportunity to enter the wine industry. His level head and thoughtful attitude have allowed me to grow as an individual, leader, and winemaker. I have learned the ins and outs of the wine industry from him.
Gavin is an incredibly brilliant and innovative thinker. He challenged the way I think about and solve problems, which has been instrumental to my success at Scheid. Both of their guidance and inspiration at various stages in my life have shaped my outlook and career trajectory.
Dave Nagengast at Scheid Vineyards
GE: I was excited to taste the Sunny with a Chance of Flowers low alcohol wines – they were delicious!
CDC: Thank you! It took a lot of time and effort to develop those wines. I asked our sales and marketing team about how it’s doing and they let me know that Sunny is the fastest growing “Better for you” brand in the Total US[1], with our Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir leading the charge.
As far as aging potential, the wine still has all the characteristics as a normal bottle, just less alcohol. Through our current shelf-life trials, these wines are holding up to their full alcohol counterparts. The wine is made to drink now but can definitely age to the same degree as any other bottle of wine. Our first vintages of Sunny are still tasting beautiful. https://sunnywines.com/
CDC: Unlike most wine regions, Monterey County has a wide range of climate zones. In fact, it is the only appellation that can lay claim to having all four of the premium climatic zones, regions I – IV as defined by the Winkler scale, within its boundaries. What this means is that within the Monterey AVA, there are sub-regions that match the climates of Champagne, Chablis, Burgundy, Bordeaux, Rioja, and Sicily – to name a few. This allows our winegrowers to grow and produce a wide range of varietals at a world-class quality level.
All of these varietals benefit from the range of climates and are influenced greatly by our powerful afternoon winds. The “blue canyon” of Monterey Bay (as the underwater, deep submarine gorge is known) cools and billows a sea of morning fog down the Salinas Valley. As the fog recedes back to the bay, the desert heat of Paso Robles pulls 20+ knot winds down the valley, creating extended hangtime for all the beautiful Monterey fruit. This allows the grapes to gracefully mature through the growing season to create distinctive and balanced wines.
GE: With regards to your 2016 Reserve Claret, I remember you stated that it’s “Old World with New World flair.” Can you elaborate?
CDC: For me, we get the depth and complexity of an old world wine, with some riper fruit notes and a blend of oaks that give it a new world twist.
GE: Can you describe some of the differences between the Metz Road Chardonnay and Pinot versus the Scheid wines portfolio?
Metz Road Chard and Pinot are both focused solely on Riverview Vineyard and its unique terroir. It’s an exploration of what makes Riverview so great, and this means using techniques like native yeast fermentation and doing fermentations out in the vineyard.
CDC: Sustainability is a company-wide value which is always top of mind. In the vineyards we are composting, limiting our passes through the vines by having tractors with multiple tools, and using technology like agrothermal—which helps with vine health and limits our sprays. Our winery is 100% powered by our wind turbine, we have skylights for natural light in our cellar, and compost all of our grape pomace.
GE: How was the 2022 vintage year?
CDC: 2022 was a lighter crop this year, but colors and flavors have been good. The season started and ended early. We had a heat wave in early September which accelerated ripeness, but that generally ended up being beneficial for most of our fruit.
GE: 2022 was the 50th anniversary of Scheid. Where do you see Scheid going in the next 50 years?
CDC: With all our sustainability efforts, I think we have set ourselves up to have continued success and growth over the next 50 years. I feel our business will continue to grow, while still maintaining our quality and focus on showcasing the best of Monterey.
CDC: Family, friends, cooking, and golfing are my other passions/hobbies. It’s great when I can combine them all together!
GE: Do you have any favorite Scheid wine and food pairings?
CDC: Our Scheid Vineyards Barbera with Thanksgiving Dinner is my favorite pairing.
Thank you, Casey!
Cheers! ~ Cindy
[1] IRI L52wk ending 6/12/22, “Better For You” Brands scanning in IRI: Sunny, Fitvine, Cupcake Lighthearted, Kim Crawford Illuminate, Yellow Tail Pure Bright, Liquid Light, Avaline, Lifevine, Mind & Body, Matua Lighter, Babe 100, Barefoot Bright & Breezy, Cense, Starborourgh Starlite, Brancott Flight Song, Evenly, & Lightly.
