Bennett Lane Winery owners, Randy and Lisa Lynch, have a passion for wine and auto racing.
They
are the first winery to own and sponsor a NASCAR racing team. The
Bennett Lane race team, operated by Lynch racing, won the 2007 Grand
National NASCAR division, and is the primary sponsor of the Bennett
Lane 200 race weekend at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma , CA on June
20th-22nd.
Bennett Lane has two cars entered in the Grand
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2007 NASCAR Grand National Division West Series Championship Ford, and
the #2 Maximus car (name for Bennett Lane’s signature feasting wine),
which is owned by Lisa Lynch.
We spoke with Lisa about her passion for wine and racing.
How did you get into auto racing?
My
husband Randy has been passionate about racing for years. A NASCAR
devotee since his teenage years, Randy once raced cars himself. His
passion for things is contagious. I’ve become an ardent racing fan, and
support our all-volunteer crew by preparing hearty, healthy meals for
them the day of the race. Last year, I entered my own car in the Grand
National division race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma , California .
Called the Maximus car after Bennett Lane ’s signature wine, I started
a rivalry with my husband, who had entered the #2 Bennett Lane Winery
Ford in the same race. I had so much fun, I’m doing it again this year.
Besides, we're a competitive family and enjoy a good rivalry!
Tell us a little about your efforts to bring wine and NASCAR together?
Randy
and I have found success in the road less traveled and it just seemed
like there was a huge, untapped market in the racing world. It's the
fastest growing sport in the country and there is also a growing
interest in wine. It felt like a natural step to bring our two passions
together.
NASCAR crowds are definitely more beer drinkers...is
this a hard task to accomplish? Not once they taste our Maximus! There
is a growing interest in wine, especially among NASCAR fans, which
makes it a really fun challenge. We keep one of our NASCAR race cars in
the winery cellar, so we get a lot of visitors to our Calistoga winery
and tasting room—they come for the car, and they return for the wines.
Are
these your two passions? Wine and racing? Absolutely. Wine is something
we came into later in life when we founded Bennett Lane Winery, but
we've been involved with racing for years. It is very exciting to blend
together our passions right here in wine country.
Tell us about your wines and the winery?
Our
flagship wine is a non-traditional blend called Maximus made up of
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. Its partner, the White Maximus,
is an aromatic blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Muscat . We
also make a Napa Valley Cabernet, a Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet, a Los
Carneros Reserve Chardonnay and a limited production Port-style wine.
We do some really fun things out at the winery! Saturdays we put
together wildly popular Maximus wine and chocolate pairings. For more
ambitious wine tasters, we run a great program called "Put a Cork In
It" where groups are invited to blend their own red wines á la
unconventional Maximus style—Bennett Lane’s signature Cabernet, Merlot,
and Syrah “feasting wine” blend, lead by the expert staff at the
winery. It costs $175 per person and the package includes limousine
service to and from the winery from either the Calistoga or St. Helena
area (for up to eight people), a blending session, an
individually-blended bottle of wine to take home for each guest, and a
wine and cheese pairing.
Will Bennett Lane be sponsoring a Sprint Cup car at this years Infineon Speedway road race?
The
Bennett Lane Race Team is NASCAR West team that regularly tours the
Western United States and won the 2007 NASCAR Grand National Division
West Series Championship. Bennett Lane Winery is sponsoring an entire
weekend of events, called the Bennett Lane 200, of which the Sprint Cup
race is part, at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma , CA from June 20th –June
22nd. Our #2 Bennett Lane Winery Ford and my #24 Maximus car will
compete in the Grand National race at Infineon raceway on June 21st.
It’s a fun rivalry that I began last year. I’m also happy that as the
title sponsor of the Bennett Lane 200, our wines will be available for
tasting at the track. We were the first winery to sponsor a NASCAR
team, so it’s great to showcase our wine and our cars at the same time.
What do you hope to gain from your racing sponsorships?
We hope to share our passions, exposing the joys of wine to NASCAR fans and the joys of racing to wine lovers.
by Linda Przygodski
Contributing Editor
AskPatty.com
bennett lane winery
