Vineyard Dreams

Paul Castronovo, 51
Radio personality / The Paul and Young Ron Show; president, co-owner / Castronovo Vineyards - Lighthouse Point

From left: Gianluca Galasso, Paul Castronovo and Eros Spinozzi. Galasso and his family run San Lorenzo Winery in Italy. Spinozzi, a wine exporter, introduced Castronovo to the Galassos.]

Paul Castronovo's path to vineyard co-owner involved a bit of serendipity: On vacation with his family in Italy last year, he was struggling to select a wine from a restaurant's list when a local man offered to help. They hit it off, and the man invited him to visit the Galasso family, owners of the San Lorenzo Winery in Abruzzo. While there, Castronovo casually remarked, "It sure would be nice to have a section of this vineyard for myself." Friendships were forged, and on the flight back to America, Castronovo's seat mate turned out to be the president of Shaw-Ross International Importers. "He knew the Galasso family," Castronovo says. Several meetings and phone calls and some friendly negotiating later, a deal was struck.

Where it's sold: Castronovo Vineyards wine is available at Crown Wine & Spirits and ABC Fine Wine & Spirits and is on the menu at restaurants such as Morton's and Joe's Stone Crab.

Man with a plan: "I wanted to offer a quality product that we were proud of but that was still affordable to my audience. Our wine retails at an average of $14.99."

His idea of a perfect Sunday: "A glass of wine, a chunk of Pecorino, a Dolphins victory followed by The Godfather and a spicy arrabbiata sauce over linguine."

Words of wisdom: "Life's too short to eat crappy food and drink bad wine."

Grapes on the vine at Castronovo Vineyards

Tags: Dining & Travel