Devo star Gerald Casale has joined the ranks of the celebrity winemakers after uncorking his first Pinot Noir.

The Whip It hitmaker realised his lifelong dream of owning a winery a few years ago and now he's ready for fans to taste the products of his labour.

The rocker tells Billboard.com he has spent decades perfecting his wine knowledge with tips from culinary experts and pals like Wolfgang Puck and Michael MCCarty - and he's pouring all the information he has gathered into his 50 By 50 vineyard in Napa Valley, California.

His first vintages of Pinot Noir and Rose of Pinot Noir will be released this week (30Apr14).

He tells Billboard, "I never knew how I would be able to do it."

Casale adds, "Wine is part of a ritual and to me, rituals keep anything of value in human society alive. Rituals glue us together. Music is a big part of that obviously. In the 20th century, going to the theatre was a big ritual, which has been kind of destroyed. Wine - eating and drinking together and matching food and wine - is a huge ritual. The more you know about it, the more you care about it, the more pleasure there is."

The wine launch gives Casale something to smile about following the death of brother and Devo bandmate Bob Casale in February (14).