From Fields to Flights: A Nebraska Farmer's Wine and Cheese Journey

In this episode of the Dream Catcher podcast I talk with Michael Consbruck!Michael Consbruck is the owner of The Cheese and Wine Shop in Hastings, Nebraska! He opened the shop because when he moved back to Nebraska, there was no access to cheese, wine, cured meats and other delicious things he had became accustomed to living on the West Coast.  Each neighborhood had their own cheese shop in Los Aneles in addition to several places to find good wines, cured meats and specialty grocery stores.  Since he couldn't find these things locally he decided open and combine all these things into one store, The Cheese and Wine Shop!   He stated that he didn’t move to California to get into the wine industry, the wine industry kind of found him.  In California he went from a writer into the architecture world where he took a large pay cut.  He needed to find a second job to make ends meet, and  basically fell into the wine world.His undergraduate degree is in agronomy and plant science.  When he moved to California, he used to drive up to the wine regions to escape the city and get back into an agricultural setting, one he was familiar with.  At this time, he pretty much only drank beer.He did not go to the wine regions for the wine, but rather to learn about how grape vines grew, how they were cared for, how they were harvested and so on.  As he learned more about the vines, he was curious about the wine side and began studying winemaking.  Many people ask him if he is a sommelier, and the answer is no.  He took the WSET classes that sommelier’s take, but he took his training a bit further into the agricultural aspect and production of wine.  So, his title in the wine world is certified specialist of wine.  He likes to tell people that his specialty is from Vine to Wine and everything in-between. Michael currently farms full time and opened the shop as a hobby selfishly so he had access to all the cheeses, wines, cured meats and other grocery items that you simply cannot find in this area.  Check out The Cheese and Wine Shop!https://thecheeseandwineshop.toast.site/about