Growing Local: Sovereign Vines Brings Hemp Wine to America

On a crisp spring evening, I drive down a lonesome boulevard in Johnson City. Outside a nondescript grey building, I look for a sign to point me to Sovereign Vines, the newest and most local of Binghamton’s wineries. As others pull their cars into the repair shop next door, I watch as a young man walks into the complex, and I figure I must be in the right place.

Through the glass door, the lobby is clean, but still cluttered with signs of renovations (the winery has recently been remodeled to be as environmentally sustainable as possible). Kaelan Castetter is a young man who speaks quickly, in a softly authoritative manner. From one conversation I can tell he is incredibly bright, and has a vested interest in local business, delicious products, and the future of our town.

On the wall hangs a map of New York State, showing all of the locations where the wine has already been sold, and the prospects to which he hopes to expand over the summer. Kaelan remarks, “Binghamton’s the place for this to happen; I grew up here. The market is way beyond [Binghamton] - it’s all across the country. It’s a different kind of a wine than you can get at the liquor store.” Hemp-infused wine, that is. And Castetter wants to put Binghamton on the map.

What is hemp infused wine? Hemp is a non-psychoactive relative of the marijuana plant. By infusing hemp with wine, Kaelan explains, “You add a smooth finish, and add a different, more complex flavor. It changes the chemistry of the wine. People have been incredibly receptive to the taste.”

The flavor of the wine is musty, but not in the sense of a dusty bookshelf - more the smell of opening a book that’s been sitting in the sun too long. It’s a delightful addition that adds a delectable and endearing taste.

The wine is sourced out of Glenora Wineries on Seneca Lake, and made from the distinctive Cayuga grape. The Cayuga is a hybrid of the Sauvignon blanc grape and a native hardy grape, which grows well in the climate of the Finger Lakes. The wine produced from the grape is on the sweeter side, with a delicate finish. The hemp is sourced from Bluebird Botanicals in Colorado, one of the leading hemp producers in the United States.

Kaelan grew up hearing stories from his father, James Castetter (the president and CEO of Sovereign Vines), who had originally tried to bring hemp wine to the States in the 1990s after visiting Europe and trying the blend in Amsterdam. However, shortly after an article was published about Al Gore drinking hemp beer on Air Force one, the FDA cracked down on regulations, and he was forced to close the business. Today, regulations around the production of hemp and its consumption have loosened, and Kaelan saw this as an opportunity to fulfill his father’s dream. “This is vindication,” he declares, “for my father and our family.”

Soon, Kaelan hopes to expand the business by producing hemp in Binghamton. Sovereign Wines is likely to be one of the early businesses picked up by New York’s pilot hemp growing program, which is a boon to both our economy and ecology. Hemp is a non-destructive crop, and with acres of land available for growing hemp, it could turn the fiscal tide in our region.

Hemp’s uses are nearly unlimited: from fiberboard to clothing, flavoring to insulation. “It’s an easily renewable source; it can replace things that aren’t so easily renewable, like paper and timber products, gypsum board and concrete. Hemp is a better substitute - lighter, and environmentally, a lot better.”

On top of growing their own hemp, Kaelan hopes to soon expand into red wine, and a rosé champagne. He stressed to me that one of the main focuses of the company is to “do things the right way”. By that, he means reducing his impact on the environment. From the building facilities (low-electricity LED lighting, sustainable insulation, compostable tasting cups, etc.) to the production of the wine, he is working to bring positive change to our world.

For more information about Sovereign Vines, visit sovereignvines.com. Triple Cities Carousel will be hosting Sovereign Vines at our “What’s Behind the Green Door?” party on Friday, April 21st at Atomic Tom’s in Downtown Binghamton. Come on down, have a good time, talk to the staff, and try the wine for yourself.