10: Chase Carhartt was born into an amazingly successful small business that makes one of my favorite things: wine. Chase is the head winemaker at Carhartt Vineyard in Santa Ynez. Carhartt makes endless types of wines that are all so delicious (we recorded this interview drinking wine at their tasting room in Los Olivos), but they all have created an entire experience around their product and brand. Chase and I dive into whether he felt excited or obligated to jump into the family business and how he has grown into fully embracing and living the winemaker lifestyle. We also talk about his passions outside of working 363 days a year, like cooking and pairing food with his favorite wines. I also learned a new “word”: fiddle-fucking.

 

We also talk about:

• Studying winemaking for three months in South Africa and how critical travel is to his work
• Getting into the family business as a choice and not by obligation
• Handling the pressure of upholding the quality product his parents have made for years
• The importance of having respect for your family when being in business together
• How his workaholic lifestyle affects his relationship and if he can see his girlfriend working in the business
• His relation to Carhartt, the clothing company

 

Drink of the Week:

Carhartt Rose

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Get more Cha Cha Sips @chanelsonego!

 

Resources:

• carharttvineyard.com
• Instagram: @carharttvineyard

Cha Cha Sips is managed and edited by Nikki Butler Media.