Thursday, January 30, 2014

CARR WINERY - I HAVE A CRUSH ON YOU



CARR WINERY - I HAVE A CRUSH ON YOU


It's been a few years since I reviewed the Carr Winery on the Urban Wine Trail...


My brother Bob and sister-in-law, Nguyen, were visiting us in Ojai for a couple of days and had never been - so it was time to introduce them to the "Trail"... Santa Barbara's "Sideways" tour of up and coming wineries.  First stop, the tasting room in the Carr Winery.

When we arrived, we discovered owner/farmer/vintner, Ryan Carr, and his wife, Jessica (general manager/sales), in the middle of a crush... 


Tons (literally) of grapes from his vineyard had been delivered, ready to be crushed (the technical term for "smashed") for their juice... the first stage of wine making (well, after growing the grapes, that is).


I could only think of one thing upon seeing those huge vats filled with grapes: 

Cue Lucy and Ethel!!!  Visions of them stomping around in those big wooden barrels in gypsy costumes in their bare feet wouldn't leave my head.


As they continued to prance and stomp on my mind's internal TV screen, I sipped some of the delicious Carr label grenache and cab franc, as well as the Harvest Gold label chardonnay and a viognier.  But, I was so lost in my Lucy and Ethel reverie, I forgot to take notes!

Alas, because of modern technology, I didn't get to enjoy what would've been the hilarious sight of Ryan and Jessica taking off their shoes to do the Lucy/Ethel thing. But, it was still fascinating to see them high atop the crusher "working it" as the grapes began their journey to becoming fine wine... I did miss the gypsy wardrobe, though.
 


the crusher
All you really need to know, however, is that Ryan makes some absolutely delicious wines... many of which are specifically reviewed in the link above, which includes his bio/backstory on how he happened to become such an accomplished winemaker.

By the time we finished tasting and watching, it was too late to visit any other tasting rooms.  That was perfectly fine with us.  What we had at the Carr Winery had delighted our taste buds and we were ready to head home.

So, the next time you're in Santa Barbara, drop in at Ryan's place - you won't be disappointed... and don't feel shy about visiting his website (link below) and the wine club if you're somewhere else in the world... He delivers.

Carr Winery
414 N. Salsipuedes St.
Santa Barbara, Calif. 93103
805-965-7985
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