grape collective

Grape Collective talks with Smbat Mkrtchyan, Voskeni Winery owner who was named after his grandfather.

Colorado is much in the news these days. Pro football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders is turning heads as head football coach at the University of Colorado. Colorado got its first Michelin Guide and five restaurants with a star. The winery we’re writing about here, The Ordinary Fellow, is in Colorado and has wine on the lists of two of those five, Bruto and The Wolf’s Tailor.

“That ain’t...

In her new book, Wine Witch on Fire: Rising from the Ashes of Divorce, Defamation, and Drinking Too Much, wine writer and educator Natalie MacLean brings a unique blend of personal reflection, wine expertise, and historical intrigue to her story. In this candid memoir, MacLean delves into sensitive topics, from her struggles with drinking to facing professional attacks and online bullying. Her story weaves in centuries-old tales of witches, adding an unconventional layer to her narrative.

Grape...

Hidden away in the heart of Croatia, nestled...

Parr, who grew up in Calcutta and has worked in some of the most prestigious restaurants in the world, doesn’t seem like the kind of person you would find around sheep, goats and chickens and dogs that guard them in vineyards, but that’s part of what he’s doing now as a grape farmer doing things in a low-key, naturalistic way. How did he get there, we wanted to know. 

Turkey, a country with a rich history and diverse culture, has been gaining recognition in recent years for its burgeoning wine industry. Among the pioneers leading this transformation is Seyit Karagözoğlu, a visionary winemaker, and his renowned winery, Paşaeli Wines. Their story is one of passion, innovation, and a commitment to showcasing the unique terroir of Turkey through exceptional wines.

At that wine dinner in New York, we met Diego Tomasi, the director of the consortium that represents more than 3,000 growers and producers in the DOCG. He spent most of his career as an academic, becoming an expert on the region, and was named director in 2021. We discussed with him how to get consumers to pay more for the DOCG when they are accustomed to lower-priced Prosecco. We followed up with some email questions.

Nestled within the picturesque landscape of the Vayots Dzor region in Armenia, Zorah Winery stands as a testament to the rich history and vibrant resurgence of winemaking in the country. Established in the year 2000 by Zorik Gharibian, an Armenian living in Italy, Zorah Winery has swiftly garnered international recognition for its commitment to producing exceptional wines using indigenous Armenian grape varieties and employing traditional winemaking techniques.

We have been enjoying wine from Oregon for decades, but this was the first time we attended IPNC. It’s an awesome event, and if you are ever able to attend, you should (an all-events ticket for all three days costs about $1,600). We came away from the event – which included seminars, tastings, a traditional salmon bake on Alder spikes and more – with some thoughts based on many conversations and we are going to get right to them.

Torre dei Beati is a winery in Loreto Aprutino, a charming hilltop town in central Italy's Abruzzo region. In 1999, Fausto Albanesi and his wife Adriana inherited a small parcel of family vineyards, sparking a shared passion that changed their lives. At the time, winemaking offered a creative escape from their day jobs, with Fausto employed as an engineer and Adriana as an accountant.

Their journey towards full-time wine production spanned 17 years, and today, Torre dei Beati produces some of Abruzzo's most noteworthy, terroir-reflective wines. The winery's 52 acres of native, organically-farmed grapes are planted between 800 and 1,000 feet above sea level and about 15 miles from the Adriatic...