The opening of Rancho Castillo tasting room on Highway 82 in Sonoita was the culmination of a zigzagging journey that began when winemaker Brett Wagner was barely old enough to attend school.
“Pursuing moving to Sonoita was the goal in my life. I’d always, from the time I was 5, wanted to move to Sonoita,” Wagner said. “I’d always thought it was beautiful.”
Connecting the dots from then to now and there to here requires more than a few crooked lines.
Wagner, a native of the Vail-Tucson area, began the journey with a stint in law enforcement from age 18 until 27. Then came a stint as a personal trainer — “to get myself and other people in shape” — followed by music and concert promoting, search engine optimization and internet marketing. When asked if he had any formal training in computer science, he replied, “No, I’ve been lucky to have a lot of friends who have been entrepreneurs who didn’t go the whole education route and started from the knowledge they knew and built upon that.”
Using that marketing knowledge, he started his own company putting on larger events for nonprofits, at the same time working three days a week at a psychiatric hospital, taking advantage of his experience in behavioral health. But some unfortunate zoning issues with a planned event led to his business folding, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
After that, his goal of winding up in Sonoita became a reality. “I initially saw a job at Flying Leap Vineyards hiring for a head winemaker,” he said. As a “hobby winemaker” for several years, he didn’t think he would have the necessary experience, but he got an interview and was hired in 2017. This was his start as a professional winemaker in his favorite area. From there he went to other vineyards in the area to hone his skills. He became certified in viticulture through the UC-Davis program, but the majority of his training was on the job, refining the skills he acquired from local winemakers.
He picked up more positions from local vineyards, one of them helping owners Chris and Lori Johnson with Sunset Ride. As it happened, the Johnsons were looking to sell the tasting room side of their business, and serendipity and excellent timing led to Rancho Castillo in the building formerly known as The Coop.
“I was still making wine at my father-in-law’s house, and we had a big temperature-controlled storage building on Curly Horse (Road),” Wagner said. “We’ve been making wine there for the last three years.”
The purchase of the tasting room gives Wagner and business partners/in-laws Josh and Kim Dopko a perfect opportunity and place to market their wines. The name, Rancho Castillo, comes from the Dopkos’ ranch and vineyard.
Wagner and his wife, Autumn, have created a new menu and plan on expanding the building to incorporate and emphasize the breathtaking views that are along the north side of the tasting room. He also has plans to make a stage area for live music outdoors. They hope to expand the kitchen and make Rancho Castillo a lunch destination and perhaps also include a local bakery with specialty coffees and pastry options.
They also plan on expanding the current art gallery as well as displaying many of the gems that the Dopkos have collected from all over the world.
With the help of family and two employees, the Wagners are living their dream at Rancho Castillo. “Our goal with this place is to make it a welcoming, nonpretentious place for all, a place where you can enjoy the wine, enjoy the food and the view and just relax and have a good time,” Wagner said.
