(HP) - Ohio art rockers Devo were always known for pushing boundaries and definitely thinking outside the box. Now, nearly 35 years after the band's 1980 debut Freedom of Choice, co-founder Gerald "Jerry" Casale has launched his very own wine brand, The 50 By 50--a 23-acre property in the Wooden Valley of Napa, CA. You might expect a bold and daring varietal from such a creative force but instead he opted to produce his "vino" obsession, Pinot Noir.

"They tell writers, 'Write what you know,' so I started with Pinot Noir grapes because I love them," Casale explained about his new wine.

A self-described "Pinot Noir junkie," Casale, who grew up in Kent, Ohio, still recalls his first encounter with wine. Back then, a young Casale said "cheese was Velveeta" and he drank Coca-Cola and Gordon's Gin.

"I hated the wine and cheese people," Casale recalled. "I didn't understand them at all. But when I went to Kent State University, I met a lot of students from update New York and they turned me on to some big time Château Lafite Rothschild. But when it all really started is when Devo signed to Warner Brothers Records and moved out here from Ohio. California was like another country and we plopped right down in the middle of food and wine revolution. Being in California was like being in your own Italy. The food was tremendous and California wines were starting to win awards and there was an explosion of critical acclaim and acceptance by Europe. It was fantastic."