Rajat Parr is known for being one of America’s best sommeliers. And one of the reasons he became one, was he had an excellent mentor in one of America’s first Master Sommeliers, Larry Stone, a wine taster who was known throughout the wine world of possessing an almost savant like palate where he could blind taste any wine and name off who made it and the year they produced it.

Having such a mentor, made Parr one of San Francisco’s most sought after sommeliers, which after years in the trenches and cellars, resulted in his excellent wine guide books: Secrets of the Sommeliers and The Sommelier’s Atlas of Taste.   And like his mentor Stone who switched from being a wine taster to a wine maker in Oregon’s prime wine country, Willamette Valley, Parr made the same move to Phelan Farm in Cambria on the central Californian Coast and Stolo Vineyards  & Winery which he is now custodian of and where he makes his wines.  When the Insider recently  caught up with Raj, he was just coming in from a sunny day in the fields and remarked, “I just got tired of being in the dark all the time. Dark cellars, dark restaurants, dark storage rooms. It’s so nice to be in the sun all day.”

Maybe it was the incredible views and vistas of the Post Ranch Inn and its restaurant Sierra Mar, but Parr is dusting off his sommelier Tastevin Cup and hosting a wine dinner on Mon July 28^th and a wine seminar on Tues  July 29th on the Post Ranch Inn’s fabulous grounds.  Unfortunately there was a shakeup with the Post Ranch Inn’s wine team and the events got canceled. But Raj was still up to do the NSI quiz. Cheers and enjoy.

What was last night’s dinner? Some fresh sole halibut and lentil soup. Basic, but very satisfying.

What’s your favorite music? Oh man, I’m all over the place on that one. From jazz in the morning, to house music blasting in the car, to rock n’ roll. Depends on my mood.

What’s your favorite drink? Champagne. All the time. Nothing beats a well-balanced, well-made champagne.

What’s your favorite restaurant in Cambria? I like Brydge restaurant, everything is farm to table, so fresh and good. Perfect atmosphere and service. Ever in Cambria, go there.

What does he like most working and living in Cambria? Just being outside. After 20 years in cellars and back rooms, it’s so nice to be in the sunshine all day.

Any brush with celebrity? None that I can recall. It was all such a blur when I was a sommelier, and I never cared about celebrity, it was all about giving each customer the best wine experience as possible.

Any wine, restaurant or trip on your bucket list? I’ve already had it. I got to be friends with chef Magnus Nilson, at Fäviken, a restaurant in northern Sweden, that had like 16 dining seats a night and served the most fantastic Nordic cuisine. Dined there about 3 or 4 times, and each meal was mind blowing.