Apparently Joe Carrari passed a few weeks ago. He was always a pleasure to talk to and one of the pioneers in the Santa Barbara County wine biz.
History aside, the name did not sit well with fellow Italians on the East Coast. He even got in trouble with the Italian Anti-Defamation League. “This fellow called me from Washington, D.C., to complain about the use of Dago on my wine. I responded to him in Italian. He did not understand a word I said. I told him to call me back when he learned to speak Italian and hung up,” howls Carrari.