Former Bad Company Musician Paul Cullen of Delaware gets his own wine label

Local troubadour Paul Cullen has three loves: food, music and wine. Learning to cook at his Italian grandmother’s side gave him an appreciation of the culinary. Learning to play guitar landed him a gig as bassist for Bad Company. Learning about wine led to his own label, Sonata, which numbers three offerings. The wines were chosen after dozens of public blind samplings of products from several wineries. A producer in the eastern foothills of California’s Sierra Nevada won out. Its Sonata Rosé is a dry, spicy blend of Petite Syrah and Fiano grapes. Rosso blends Syrah, Zinfandel and Cabernet Franc to make a fruity, spicy wine. Bianco is a medium-bodied Sauvignon Blanc with a touch of Chardonnay. All are worth your investigation. And, yes, the silhouette of the guitar player on the bottle is Paul himself. “I discovered that if you want to put yourself on a label,” he laughs, “you have to get your own wine.”