OUR STORY

A proposal to view life not as it is but as it should be!

Casa Carmen, more than a winery, is an afternoon under the sun. It is a voyage to the south of some distant place. It is an invitation and a proposal to view life not as it is, but as it should be! 

It is an elegy for a simpler world and an ode for the one to come. It is the confession of the dreamer. It is a grand gesture with a wooden sword - a long pause and a rapture. It is saffron, tobacco, and plump clusters of grapes. 

It is a gathering of earth, sky, divinities and mortals under one room, in one glass, in a courtyard between stone wall and green ivy.

Brothers Enrique and Felipe Pallares grew up in Ecuador. They spent their teenage years and twenties traveling the world as polo players. Though it might seem like they have lived many different “lives,” they really have spent most of their time in bars and around kitchen tables. They started Casa Carmen in 2017 with the mission of crafting wine, vermouth, and food and of sharing the fullness of that way of life with a broader community.

A QUIXOTIC QUEST FOR QUALITY

We strive to make things that reflect our history and our way of understanding the world.

The Pallares family has always lived with a simple conviction shared by Don Quixote: 

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"When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? Perhaps to be too practical is madness. To surrender dreams — this may be madness. Too much sanity may be madness — and maddest of all: to see life as it is, and not as it should be!" 

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This is our approach to wine, vermouth, and food. It is a vision that never tires of seeing the world in its most beautiful form, that never gives up on its better angels.

What We Do

Casa Carmen was founded with a commitment to local agriculture, sustainable farming methods, and low-intervention wine making. We know that what ends in the glass begins on the vine, and so we are committed to working with nature throughout that process.
Our vineyard practices limit the need for human intervention and nourish the soil that gives us all life. We embrace our terroir and work to showcase the best expressions of this region.
The same is true in our garden, where we farm vegetables, flowers, and botanicals using organic methods and polycultural practices.
In our winemaking, we focus on natural fermentations as we live out our value of minimal intervention and fraternity with nature.

The work of Casa Carmen really is a family affair.

Enrique is our visionary creative director. Enrique’s wife, Laura, is our chief financial officer. Felipe is Casa Carmen’s operations manager, culinary master, and vineyard manager. Jane, Felipe’s wife, manages marketing and event planning as well as running our polycultural garden and animal program. Felipe and Enrique's sister, Maca, is the artistic force behind our labels and branding. Felipe and Enrique's mother, Silvia, is our beloved Wine Club Manager, caring for every need of the Casa Carmen community. Their father, Enrique, manages the grounds and helps tackles every problem that comes up. The little girls help make gildas in the tasting room and harvest black walnuts and other botanicals, a crucial task for making our signature vermouths.
Our project here is a labor of love and collaboration, and we think you can taste that in every sip.

JOIN LA FAMILIA

Our Wine Club is designed for those who want to be part of the Casa Carmen family.

Our Wine Club is designed for those who want to be part of the Casa Carmen family. Join a community bound by love of music and dancing, of old stone and green ivy, of star-lit nights and fireside conversation — and, of course, good wine. Whether you are new to the family or a longtime friend, we invite you to join our club.

become a member

A Journal

In Search of El Duende

Letters to the Casa Carmen family

Read Letters