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
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Beth Vukmanic, Program Director + fitness influencer, Vineyard Team/SIP Certified + Bethercize, San Luis Obispo, CA
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Messermeister Premium Kitchen Knives, Chelcea Dressler-Crowley + Kirsten Dressler-Wilson, vice presidents, Ojai
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Winemaker Samra Morris, Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards, Buellton, California
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Stephy Terrizzi, viticulturist, Giornata Wines, Paso Robles, California
Robin Puricelli, sommelier and winemaker, Locura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties, California
Sonja Magdevski, winemaker and owner, Casa Dumetz, Clementine Carter, The Feminist Party Wines, Los Alamos, California
Alondra Torres, vineyard management supervisor, Coastal Vineyard Services, Santa Maria, California
R.H. Drexel, wine writer and publicist, Atascadero, California
Sharde Shepherd, cellarmaster, Santa Barbara County, California
Riley Roddick, winemaker and owner, Hubba Wines, Paso Robles, California
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