When I developed this season of California and Central Coast legends, I came across an article about sommelier and farmer Rajat Parr. It was written by Esther Mobley, the senior wine critic for the San Francisco Chronicle. She called him one of the wine industry’s biggest celebrities and California’s most influential sommelier—and she’s certainly not the only one. Rajat Parr is an absolute giant of the wine world, having worked as a sommelier for restaurateur Michael Mina for many years in San Francisco, and co-authoring two very important books: Secrets of the Sommeliers and The Sommelier’s Atlas of Taste. So imagine my surprise when he instantly accepted my email request for an interview. Since moving away from the sommelier and restaurant world, he has taken up as a farmer and winemaker in Cambria at Phelan Farm, Stolo Vineyard, Domaine de la Cote, and Sandhi Wines. We talked about his upbringing in Calcutta, his original goal to become a chef, the way he risked it all to move to San Francisco, and his legendary and well-documented blind-tasting abilities.
Website: phelanfarm.com / sandhiwines.com / domainedelacote.com / stolofamilyvineyards.com
Instagram: @rajatparr
Two Broads Ciderworks, Maggie Przybylski + Morgan Murphy, San Luis Obispo
Dr. David Cleveland, Environmental Studies Program, University of California, Santa Barbara
Hatch Rotisserie + Della‘s owner Maggie Cameron, Paso Robles, California
Mushroom hunter Dennis Sheridan, Los Osos, California
Hearst Castle, Dr. Amy Hart + Tara Stephenson, San Simeon
Village builder Roberto Monge, San Luis Obispo
Wine + food critic Stephen McConnell, Avila Beach, California
SLO Food Systems Coalition, Ellen Burke + Claire Tuohey-Mote, San Luis Obispo
Castoro Cellars + Bethel Rd. Distillery + Whale Rock Music Festival, Paso Robles, California
Home cook Vincent Rodriguez, Hesperia, California
Six Test Kitchen, Ricky Odbert + Matt Corella, Paso Robles, California
Lincoln Market & Deli owners Becky + Mike Hicks, San Luis Obispo, CA
Rancher Elizabeth Poett, “Ranch to Table,” Lompoc, CA
Whiskey & June owner Daniel Green, Atascadero
Farmhouse Corner Market chef/owners Will + Kari Torres, San Luis Obispo
Beda’s Biergarten owner Beda Schmidthues, San Luis Obispo
Lonely Palm Ranch photographer + homesteader, Christa Pfleeger, Arroyo Grande, CA
Filmmakers/photographers Carter + Veronika Hiyama, Sundae Cereal + Datsu Films, Santa Barbara, CA
Certified herbalists Angela-Sarah North + Sadie Rogers, San Luis Obispo, CA
Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project, Arcenio Lopez, Santa Maria + Oxnard, CA
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