Case by Case on Substack with David Mastro Scheidt
Owner and Winemaker of Mastro Scheidt Family Cellars
Mastro Scheidt Family Cellars has been in operation since 2007. I am its founder and sole owner. It’s a small winery in Sonoma County, California. It’s a regional success story and it’s a lot of work.
I’m writing because the voice of the working winemaker and owner is almost silent. It’s odd, because we are the ones behind the brands, the wine, and the industry and I want more of us to speak up.
The wine business has me on edge, not just in 2025, it always has. I constantly have to innovate, adjust, push, design, plan, tweak, scrap the plan and start over again. There is no autopilot. No regularity. No critical mass. No formula. Just a little time to exhale before another deep breath.
I’ve gained experience standing at tasting events for hours, walking the vineyards, working with restaurant clients on their custom wine label and standing shoulder to shoulder with retailers hand-selling bottles. I’ve been through several seasons in Sonoma County watching fires rage through the valley and losing entire harvests. Perhaps I can exhale a little of that experience into words and explore the business of wine, from a small winemaker’s experience.
Logistics and Signup
Signing up for Case by Case is Free at present. There will be free content posted on a variety of topics in the winemaking world. In the future, I may put up a paywall for exclusive content and longer form subject matter. It’s a work in progress, just like the winery, so expect changes along the way.