Rajat Parr
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Rajat ("Raj") Parr is an Indian-American sommelier turned winemaker who oversaw the Michael Mina restaurant group's wine program before launching his own wineries in Oregon and the Central Coast of California. Sandhi is his label of purchased grapes while Lompoc, Domaine de la Cote, and Evening Land are productions from his and Sashi Moorman's (his business partner) vineyards. He mainly produces Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, biodynamically and organically. His winemaking philosophy is based on little to no manipulation of the final product through never inoculating nor over-ripening. His latest project is an urban winemaking facility in DTLA that he shares with fellow winemaker Abe Schoener.
Parr was born and raised in Calcutta, India.[1] He grew up close to his cousin, who ran two restaurants in New Delhi.[2] Although he had read about wine, he had never tasted it (wine production and consumption in India is relatively limited) until age 20, in 1993, with an uncle living in London.[1]
Parr graduated from the Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration in Manipal, Karnataka, India.[3] He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, intending to become a chef[1] and externed at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore.[citation needed]
