In the Kitchen With: Winemaker Jeremy Carter

Ask Georgia native Jeremy Carter, founder of Tarpon Cellars, about oysters, specifically Southern oysters, and he gets a little sentimental. While the winemaker has been out in California for 15 years, the allure of Southern salt water remains strong, and oysters let him tap into that. “I am a salt water person. I grew up going to the beach, and I went to college in Tallahassee,” he says. “I love ocean swimming, love being on a boat. I feel like oysters are the food equivalent of all those experiences and feelings.”

Watching Southern oyster aquaculture grow into a thriving industry thrills Carter, who remembers the less-than-warm reception his beloved Apalachicola oysters got a decade or so ago. “I’ve always been a huge oyster fan and grew up eating Apalachicola oysters, but I can remember when I first moved to California, getting an $8 oyster from the Pacific or Northeast, and I’d talk about Florida oysters. People would turn their nose up at the very idea,” he says. “So, watching the progress of Southern oyster farming and the amazing quality these farms are turning out has been cool.”

He’s also a big fan of the work Oyster South is doing to promote Southern oyster farmers; it’s why he and Tarpon Cellars continue to support OS and its efforts and events. “When I first learned about Oyster South, I thought, how great to have this organization to help the industry, especially by raising awareness,” he says, “because I think that’s the big hurdle, getting the word out about how really, really good these Southern oysters are. I also love the sustainability of oyster farming, and the more Oyster South does for the industry, the better that gets, so OS just checks all the boxes for me.”Carter also points to the similarities oysters and wine share. “With wine, you can have the same grape, but in any wine, you’ve captured a very specific taste related to the specific conditions of a specific place; it’s a snapshot in time,” he says. “Oysters are the same way. It’s the same animal, but raised in a different place, with different conditions in that water at that moment. You taste that moment. I love the connectivity of that.”

Most oyster enthusiasts, including Carter, will tell you wine and oysters go well together, so OS asked him to list a few standout wine and Southern oyster pairings. But Carter, whose other passion is music, took things a step further, bringing some tunes to the table too. 

So, just in time for your 4th of July festivities, check out Carter’s favorite song-wine-oyster combos.

Pelican Oysters Salty Birds
Tarpon Cellars 2021 Cambaro Rosé
“Wild Heart” by Futurebirds
Salty Birds are close to my heart as they were my first experience with the new wave of oyster farmers in the South, and Pelican owner/farmer Cainnon Gregg has become a good friend of mine over the last few years. The same can be said for Futurebirds, and guitarist/vocalist Carter King is actually a fan of Pelican as well. The thing I love about the Salty Birds is that no one thing jumps out at you because they are balanced and complex. Briny but not too salty, and you can taste the sea grass and even a nutty finish. The rosé is super crisp and bone dry, so it pairs so well with oysters, and the acid cuts into the salinity of the oyster while bringing out the minerality of the wine. I paired this song with the two because Salty Birds and our rosé are all about heart. The lingering piano is the perfect accompaniment for a beach-house oyster session.

Barrier Island Sea Clouds
Savart L'Ouverture Champage Premier Cru
“I’m Amazed” by My Morning Jacket

Grower Champagne is my go-to wine for pairing with any salty dish, and it turns any day or night into a celebration. There is much to celebrate with Sea Clouds, as they have some of the best salinity I have ever tasted in an oyster. Substantial in size without being too meaty, these oysters are really satisfying to me, and I think the richness of the champagne is a really nice counterpart texturally. It’s really hard to enjoy this pairing and not be happy, so I paired it with a song that always makes me stop and think about the world we live in.  There is a line about being amazed by a quiet ocean, and it makes me think how lucky we are. And if you are drinking Savart with Sea Clouds, that’s about as lucky as it gets.

Steamboat Creek Oysters
Tarpon Cellars 2021 Cambaro White
“Acid Boys” by Susto
Steamboat Creek farms some of my favorite oysters in the South, and they are so complex and flavorful that I like to pair them with a crisp white blend that really lets the oyster shine. This white blend of mainly Verdejo is bright and juicy, and it really complements the salinity and the wet stone of the oyster. I am not afraid of acid when it comes to wine, and the Cambaro really packs a punch, so I chose Acid Boys to pair with this one. Susto is out of South Carolina just like Steamboat Creek, and his music speaks to me about a very specific place just like oysters and wine. It’s impossible to define by a genre, and I feel the same way about this wine and oyster pairing.