City of Parma

By Wine Director, Patrick Prohaska

Have you ever been to Parma? The air there is pungent, thick with the aromas of Prosciutto di Parma and Parmigiano cheese. On your first visit to the city it’s almost overwhelming, but it immediately clues you into just how deeply connected Parma is to centuries-old traditions of artisanal food. And as you breathe in the sharp odors of Parma they become infused into your very body, connecting you as well to tradition. True, Parma is also home to multi-national processed food companies such as Barilla and Parmalat, but even these mega-corporations cannot ignore the traditions upon which they were founded.

To me this emphasis on artisanal product, on local, sustainable agriculture, is what Bacar is all about: in-house butchering, house-made charcuterie, even the occasional hand-made cheese, plus support for local farms such as Hoffman Ranch and Star Route Farm. And that’s what Bacar’s wine list reflects as well, from grower-producer Champagnes, to local boutique wineries, to certified organic and biodynamic wines from producers such as Davis Bynum, Robert Sinskey, and Frog’s Leap. Support for such wineries makes sense – not only are the wines delicious but they’re also free from pesticides and chemical fertilizers that impact the body, pollute the groundwater, and damage the ecosystem. In the future we plan to bring this emphasis front and center on the wine list.