Photos by Bob Dickey
(published in the Santa Barbara News-Press on 5/25/14)
Chris Whitcraft, considered one of Santa Barbara County’s pioneer winemakers, and a household name among pinot noir and chardonnay aficionados around the world, passed away late last week in Santa Barbara. He was 64.
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| Chris Whitcraft, in what he once said was his favorite photo of himself |
Mr. Whitcraft’s foray into the Santa Barbara wine scene
dates back to 1975, when he joined the celebrated Mayfare Wines retail shop
along Coast Village Road in Montecito.
He began making wine in the late 1970s – a time when the winemaking
industry in Santa Barbara County was in its nascency – and launched his
eponymous brand in 1985 with his former spouse, Kathleen Barnato. By then, pinot noir and chardonnay had become
his calling card. His unabashed
commitment to a natural, hands-off approach to winemaking – no filtering, no
pumping, no electricity, bottling by gravity, stomping by foot – created wines
with character and finesse.
“Wine should
not be f*&%ed with,” he said, in classic Chris Whitcraft
style, in a 2012 interview.
Starting in the late 1970s, Mr. Whitcraft also spent more
than 10 years on the radio hosting a popular wine show on KTMS-AM 1250, which
that was heard up and down the California coast.
In 2006, Mr. Whitcraft opened a winery and tasting room
along Calle Cesar Chavez, a few steps from the beach. It was one of the original five founding members
of the popular Urban Wine Trail in downtown Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone. The facility is currently run by his son,
Drake, 32, who formally took over winemaking duties for Whitcraft Winery in
2008. The younger Whitcraft has
championed his father’s winemaking philosophies and has expanded the label’s
portfolio to include wines like syrah, grenache and nebbiolo.
Chris Whitcraft is also survived by his daughter, Alyssa.
Funeral plans are pending.
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Chris Whitcraft was one of the three who started the SB Wine Festival. Rest in peace.
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