Niels and Bimmer Udsen, founders of Castoro Cellars Winery were named 2024 ‘Winegrape Growers of the Year.’
County Supervisors recently approved Resolutions honoring several important figures in the local wine industry that have been honored by the wine industry at the Mid State Fair.
Wine Persons of the Year
Molly Scott of Justin Winery was named “Wine Person of the Year.”
The founders of Castoro Cellars, Niels and Bimmer Udsen were honored as “Winegrape Growers of the Year” for 2024.
The two founded Castoro Cellars, located in rural Templeton, in 1983, according to the County Resolution. That founding demonstrated “an unwavering commitment to sustainable, organic, and biodynamic farming practices spearheaded by Bimmer, who convinced Niels of the manifold benefits of organic farming.”
The two grew Castoro Cellars and its organic wine growing methods, which were certified organic and led to having some 1,600 acres of vines “spread across 13 diverse vineyards” in the greater Paso Robles area.
This has established the married couple as “the largest organic vineyards on the Central Coast and perhaps in California.”
Going organic wasn’t their only accomplishment.
“Niels and Bimmer’s innovative approaches extend beyond the vines,” the Resolution said, “incorporating solar farms, direct sun to pump irrigating, electric tractors, and introducing the first custom wine services and mobile bottling trucks to the area.”
Castoro Cellars, which sits at the intersection of Hwy 46 and Vineyard Drive, has also turned its tasting facility into a concert venue, for years hosting shows by SLO Folks, and now with the Annual Whale Rock Music and Arts Festival.
At the Fair, they received SLO County Wine Industry Persons of the Year Award.
Wine Maker of the Year
McPrice “Mac” Myers, a winemaker in Adalaida was named ‘Winemaker of the Year.’ Jason Hickman Photography
Also honored was McPrice “Mac” Myers, who has been making wine for over 25 years, “creating wines of remarkable depth and balance that capture the diverse terroir and climates of California’s Central Coast, including the Paso Robles American Viticultural Area,” reads Myers’ Resolution.
He began a love affair with wine and wine making at 19 while working at Trader Joe’s in Whittier, Calif., the Resolution said. From there he toured wine tasting rooms and wine show all over the state and volunteered to work the grape harvest just to learn about the industry.
At 25, he put everything he had into buying a bunch of used wine barrels and a ton of Syrah wine grapes from the Larner Vineyard, made it into an impressive vintage that sold out quickly and set him on a path to eventually buying a vineyard in Adalaida and in 2017 buying an 85-acre estate and planting 25 acres of vineyards.
That path has led to Myers being named “Winemaker of the Year.”
Person of the Year
Supervisors honored Cal Poly grad, Molly Scott, as “Wine Person of the Year.”
Scott was honored for “outstanding contributions to the wine industry, her community leadership, and her dedication to fostering a collaborative and sustainable future for Paso Robles Wine Country.”
Scott studied viticulture and agribusiness at Cal Poly earning a Bachelor’s Degree. She and her husband moved to Paso Robles in 2011 when she joined Justin Vineyards where she “has played a pivotal role in expanding production and enhancing the brand’s reputation, initially focusing on research trials and sustainable certification of Justin’s vineyards, and rising to the position of Senior Director of Grower and Community Relations.”
She’s also led the company in its charitable work including “the Wines Community Grants programs in Paso Robles, which supports local non-profits and schools.”
Scott’s “influence and dedication extend throughout Paso Robles Wine Country, fostering its development as a prominent and celebrated wine destination, and spearheading initiatives such as the Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship, mentoring women in viticulture, and uniting over 30 women in the Paso Robles community.”
Scott has chaired the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance, served on the board of the California Association of Winegrape Growers, and co-chaired the Cal Poly Wine and Viticulture Advisory Board.
