July
26, 2011 - Southport, NC - Caitlin Pianetta of the
Pianetta Winery will be at
Uncorked by the Sea Wine Shop & Gallery on
Thursday, July 28, from 4:30-7:00 pm for the
bi-monthly “Good Wines for a Great Cause” tasting.
The Pianettas, a four-generation farming family, has
vineyards in Southern Monterey County north of Paso
Robles, CA where the cool Central Coast nights
produce a premium red wine grape. With a production
of less than 3,000 cases a year, Pianetta Wines are
highly sought after.
The winery is a labor of love for Caitlin and her
father, John. After growing up on the farm, John
decided to get back to his roots and planted the
vineyard in San Miguel during the mid 1990s. The
original plan was to grow grapes for a few larger
wineries. After a few years of selling fruit, it was
suggested that he start making his own wine. In
2002, Pianetta Winery celebrated its first harvest
producing 370 cases of Estate Cabernet.
This year marks the 10th harvest for Pianetta
Winery. The majority of the wine is estate, being
grown on site. Pianetta also sources fruit from
other local well-known farmers in the Paso Robles
area. Big bold reds and quality flavor are what
highlight the wines.
Caitlin
Pianetta is involved in all aspects of producing
their award winning wines from growing and
harvesting all the way to the final bottling. After
working several summers for her dad and graduating
from California Polytechnic University in 2004 with
a degree in Agricultural Business, she began working
full time at the winery. With the first vintage of
wine being released in 2004, Caitlin's primary job
was sales and marketing. After two years with sales,
Caitlin spearheaded the opening of the Pianetta
Tasting room in downtown Paso Robles which will
celebrate its 5th year of being in business this
October.
The growth at Pianetta Winery has been slow and
steady and they intend to keep it that way. "This is
truly a family business through and through, and we
don't want to jeopardize quality by growing too
large too fast," said Caitlin. "I’m really looking
forward to being in Southport and the tasting of
Pianetta wines at Uncorked by the Sea. It’s so
exciting to meet people and share our product with
them. Blood sweat and tears have really gone in to
producing this wine, and it is really an honor to
share that with people who appreciate our wine, our
family, and our story."
The Uncorked tasting will include four of the
winery’s eight wines…the Estate Bilancio, the
Barbera, the Petite Sirah and Nonna’s Vino Rosato.
The Petite Sirah took a platinum medal in this
year’s Winemaker Challenge competition and the LA
International Wine Competition. Each of the wines
will be available at special pricing. “I think
Pianetta wines are just stellar and feature several
at Ports of Call,” said Chef Rhonda Uhlmann. “Their
Petite Sirah is one of my favorites,” said Debra
Borsuk of
Joseph’s Italian Bistro.
All funds raised through the $5 tasting fee will be
donated to The Oak Island Beach Preservation Society
whose mission is to see that our beaches are kept
clean, our dunes remain protected and our
environment respected. Last month, tastings at
Uncorked by the Sea raised more than $400 for
Operation At Ease benefiting active duty military
families.
Uncorked by the Sea Wine Shop & Gallery is located
in the 600 block of Howe Street adjacent to Renee’s
Fine Jewelry, Loco Jo’s Restaurant, Fresh Produce
Clothing and Cat on a Whisk. The shop is open Monday
through Saturday from 10am – 6pm. For more
information, call 910-454-0633 or go online to
www.uncorkedbythesea.com.
