our story:
A proposal to view life not as it is but as it should be.
A QUIXOTIC QUEST FOR QUALITY
We strive to make things that reflect our history and our way of understanding the world.
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.
From Ecuador to Chester County, by way of the world.
Casa Carmen was founded in 2017 by brothers Enrique & Felipe Pallares. Having grown up in Ecuador and spending their teenage years and twenties traveling the world as polo players, the found themselves seeking to put down roots. Their many different “lives” were grounded by good food and drink, time spent in bars and kitchens, with friends and family.
And so they found some land, produced their first vintages, and articulated Casa Carmen's mission: to share the joy of the every-day feast with a broader community.
A FAMILY AFFAIR
Felipe is Casa Carmen’s operations manager, culinary master, and vineyard manager. His wife, Jane, manages marketing and event planning while running our polycultural garden and animal program. Enrique is our visionary creative director & Laura, his wife, is our organizer and financier in-chief.
Felipe and Enrique's mother, Silvia, is our beloved Wine Club Manager, caring for every need of the Casa Carmen community. Our father, Enrique Sr., is our Swiss army knife, managing the grounds and solving every problem. Felipe and Enrique's sister, Maca, is the artistic force behind our labels and branding. The little girls help out everywhere, from making gildas in the tasting room to harvesting black walnuts for our signature vermouth.
Our project here is a labor of love, and we think you can taste that in every sip.
What ends in the glass begins on the vine.
Casa Carmen was founded with a commitment to local agriculture, sustainable farming methods, and low-intervention wine making.
In our vineyards, we seek to nourish the soil as 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 and polycultural practices.
In our winemaking, we focus on natural fermentations as we live out our values of minimal intervention in partnership with nature.
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.
