T
hey say that two heads are better than
one; but so, too, are two passions.
And, in the case of Casks & Flights,
it was the combining of two heads
and two passions that took a modest vision to a
fully-fl edged brand with legs to stand on—and
a product that would have customers thirsty for
more.
The story started simply enough—much the way
that that of many other cottage industries do, in
fact. There was the garage-born endeavor brought
to life through trial and error, research and testing,
tweaking and re-tweaking. And while former loan
offi cer John Wilson tinkered his way through
recipe after recipe to land on one that fi nally
brought his love of wine and the desire to create
his very own label to fruition, it was his fortuitous
partnership with fellow wine enthusiast and friend
John McCorvey that ultimately took the simple
beginnings of a wine company out of the garage
and into a viable location.
Naturally, all of the expected challenges were
there for Wilson in the beginning—fi nancing,
equipment, facility space. But so was the challenge
of sourcing the ingredients for the wine itself, as
Florida’s steamy climate often makes the task of
growing grapes an arduous one. It was this initial
challenge, however, that brought him to the
realization that he could do something different,
something that would make him stand out—and
that was the very thing that is literally now causing
all the buzz.
Rather than using grapes for his wine, Wilson
began using honey and creating mead, an ancient
fermented drink that dates back to years B.C. Now
sourcing local honey to craft their mead, Wilson
and McCorvey have combined forces to launch
Swan Neck Winery, their independent label of
mead and wines that are all handcrafted with care
in their new facility at Casks & Flights.
While the fermentation process happens in their
cask rooms, their guests sip and savor the taste of
their dreams brought to life, happily taking seats
story by
Liesel Schmidt
photos by
Kristina Wright
O
F
G
RAPES
AND
H
ONEY
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8/29/18 8:07 AM