Grape Collective

01/04/2026

Quick Hits with Jeff Cole | Sullivan Rutherford Winemaker
Rapid-fire questions with Napa’s Merlot maverick! 🍷
Lee Pai puts winemaker Jeff Cole in the hot seat for a fun lightning round. Which wine region influenced him most? What historical figure would he share a bottle with? His go-to wine for a Tuesday night?
Get to know the man behind in under 60 seconds. From his winemaking inspirations to dream dinner guests, Jeff reveals the personal side of crafting world-class Merlot in Cabernet country.
Hosted by .a.wine.journal Lee Pai | Grape Collective

01/03/2026

Nuyores Is One of the Most Interesting Restaurants in downtown New York Right Now
Four months old, on 13th Street in the old FLX Mussels space in the West Village, Nuyores is one of the most creative dining experiences I’ve enjoyed in my 20 years of West Village dining - serving Peruvian cuisine that stands among the most compelling cooking in the city.
The ceviche is bright, complex, perfectly balanced. The octopus? Revelatory. The Causa Tater Tot—crab salad, avocado, golf sauce, yolk acevichado jam—is playful yet sophisticated. And the Adobo Lamb Ribs with fennel, celeriac, mint, pickled pineapple, and aji carretillero? Absolutely stunning—a masterclass in balancing bold flavors with elegant restraint.
The cocktail program matches the kitchen’s ambition. The Double Corny (nuyores vodka, blue corn chicha, lemon) is a Peru-inspired stunner that’s as delicious as it is beautiful.
Sommelier and co-owner has assembled an adventurous, perfectly curated wine list. We tried Bodega Murga’s “Sophia L’Orange” orange wine from Peru and a Pais from Roberto Henriquez—both exceptional pairings that elevated an already memorable meal.
This is thoughtful, exciting cooking with genuine hospitality in a beautiful space. A real treasure.
HiddenGem OrangeWine CraftCocktails 13thStreet

01/01/2026

🍷 What’s next for wine in 2026? From A to Z, Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher share their predictions for the year ahead.
Will Gen Z save the wine industry or reshape it completely? Is Taylor Swift about to launch her own label? And what do pistachios have to do with Napa vineyards?
They explore everything from the grape glut and AI sommeliers to the 50th anniversary of the Judgment of Paris and why “fun” is wine’s new buzzword.
Link in bio to read the full piece on 🔗
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12/26/2025

Quick Hits with Gaetana Jacono
In this rapid-fire round, Gaetana Jacono of shares her dream dinner guests, wine bucket list, and guilty pleasures. Watch as this sixth-generation Sicilian winemaker reveals which historical figures she’d invite to share a bottle of Frappato, the wine regions still on her must-visit list, the comfort food that brings her back to childhood in Ragusa, and the one splurge-worthy bottle she reaches for when celebrating life’s special moments. Get ready to see the personal side of the woman who’s putting southeastern Sicily on the global wine map—one glass at a time.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ interview by

12/25/2025

Her father said no. She did it anyway. Now she’s redefining Sicilian wine.
Meet Gaetana Jacono of carrying forward her family’s 150-year legacy in the heart of Ragusa, Sicily. Despite her father’s initial hesitation—he thought winemaking was too hard for a woman—Gaetana joined the family estate in 1994 and has spent the past two decades sharing the magic of Frappato with the world.
Her secret? Seven distinct soils across the vineyards, each chosen specifically for different grapes by her visionary father. From black clay for Cerasuolo to white-stoned soil for Frappato, each terroir tells its own story in the glass.
Gaetana’s philosophy is simple yet profound: work with nature, not against it. Her certified organic vineyards are filled with orange trees and biodiversity, creating what she calls “a little paradise.” And her focus on Frappato—that light-bodied, strawberry-and-violet scented red—represents everything modern wine lovers are seeking: freshness, elegance, and the ability to pair with everything from pasta to fish.
Now at 90, her father still visits the vineyards while Gaetana pushes the boundaries with innovations like her new ancestral method Frappato sparkling wine, designed to connect with younger wine drinkers.
This is the story of continuity—bringing knowledge from the past into the future through vision. Read the full interview on Grape Collective to discover why this corner of southeastern Sicily deserves a spot on every wine lover’s map.
Link in bio to read the interview from
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12/19/2025

🍷 RAVENSWOOD IS BACK 🍷
The legendary Zinfandel has been resurrected, and founder Joel Peterson is back as “spirit guide” for the brand. In latest column for , they interviewed the 78-year-old icon who founded Ravenswood nearly 50 years ago to talk about where wine has been and where it’s going.
Peterson’s insights are fascinating:
📉 The wine industry is facing real challenges—from neo-prohibition messaging to GLP-1 drugs that “suppress your desire for joy” (his words!)
💔 “The joy got corporatized and complicated”—wine used to be about discovery, not just another expensive hobby
✨ But there’s hope: smaller, authentic producers who “live the life and walk the walk” are keeping the magic alive
And the best detail? Those tiny initials on the new Ravenswood back label—PFM—stand for “Pure F***ing Magic,” from a story about ravens singing to him during his first harvest. 🖤
Read the full conversation about authenticity, the state of American wine, and why Peterson is cautiously optimistic about the future. Link in bio.
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12/12/2025

🍷 RAVENSWOOD IS BACK 🍷
The legendary Ravenswood Zinfandel has been resurrected, and founder Joel Peterson is back as "spirit guide" for the brand. In Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher's latest column for they interviewed the 78-year-old icon who founded Ravenswood nearly 50 years ago to talk about where wine has been and where it's going.
Peterson's insights are fascinating:
📉 The wine industry is facing real challenges—from neo-prohibition messaging to GLP-1 drugs that "suppress your desire for joy" (his words!)
💔 "The joy got corporatized and complicated"—wine used to be about discovery, not just another expensive hobby
✨ But there's hope: smaller, authentic producers who "live the life and walk the walk" are keeping the magic alive
And the best detail? Those tiny initials on the new Ravenswood back label—PFM—stand for "Pure F***ing Magic," from a story about ravens singing to him during his first harvest. 🖤
Read the full conversation about authenticity, the state of American wine, and why Peterson is cautiously optimistic about the future. Link in bio.

Ravenswood Zinfandel is back! And if you’re wondering if the new owners honor the old owner-winemaker, there is a tiny hint on the back label that might provide a clue.  A half-century ago next year, Joel Peterson founded Ravenswood in Sonoma and proved what a great wine Zinfandel could be. Now 7...

12/11/2025

🍷 Bulgaria was the world’s 4th largest wine producer. Then it imploded. What came next? Nobody expected this.
In the 1980s, Bulgaria churned out millions of bottles for the Soviet Union. When communism fell, production dropped 85%. Vineyards were abandoned. Ancient grape varieties nearly went extinct.
For anyone watching in the 1990s, the story was over.
But from those ruins came something extraordinary: a wine revolution focused on grapes that grow nowhere else.
Meet the winemakers entire families of indigenous varieties lost for decades
From 14 massive state wineries to 280+ boutique producers. From quantity to quality. From conformity to authenticity.
This is the Bulgarian wine story nobody’s telling—until now.
📖 Read the full story on GrapeCollective.com (link in bio)
🎥 Watch the video series on YouTube
Featuring Melnik (World’s Top 100), , & the winemakers risking everything on grapes the world forgot.

12/01/2025

🍷 The Wine Gift That Won’t Backfire 🎁
Gifting wine is tricky. Too basic? Too pretentious? Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher’s new column.
Their latest column for features wines that work for anyone: the curious beginner, the seasoned collector, everyone in between.
An elegant Petite Sirah that pairs with salmon. A Brunello that justifies its reputation. Beaujolais from cru villages that reminds you why this region matters. Dry Rieslings and and Gewürztraminers and that prove these grapes deserve more attention. Even a profound kosher wine that will surprise anyone who thinks they know what kosher means.
Each recommendation introduces something broader—a style, a region, a possibility.
Read the full column at grapecollective.com 🥂

11/29/2025

Quick visit to the Finger Lakes - of course had to Riesling

11/26/2025

🍷✨ The “Cooperative” Wines Selling for $500 at Michelin Restaurants ✨🍷
“Please don’t run away when I mention we’re a cooperative winery.”
In Alto Adige, this disclaimer from ’s Julia Springeth opens the door to a fascinating story that turns everything you think you know about co-op wines on its head.
Nestled between Austria and Switzerland, this tiny Italian region produces less than 1% of Italy’s wine—yet its cooperative model has become legendary for QUALITY over quantity. 🏔️🇮🇹
Here’s what makes it special:
→ 70-75% of the region’s wine comes from co-ops
→ Growers are paid for quality, not just volume
→ Even the smallest family vineyards have access to world-class equipment
→ A cultural concept called “Heimat” (deep connection to land) drives everything
From ’s iconic Gewürztraminer to Cantina Terlano’s age-worthy Pinot Bianco (spotted on NYC Michelin menus for $500!), these aren’t your average co-op wines.
As one winemaker puts it: “Compared to other famous wine regions, we’re often ten times cheaper. The value is extraordinary.”
Read ’s deep dive into Alto Adige’s cooperative revolution on —link in bio! 🔗

11/23/2025

Better Together: How Alto Adige’s Cooperatives Set a New Standard for Collective Winemaking By
"“If you look back more than 100 years,” says Wolfgang Klotz, Marketing Director of Cantina Tramin, another of the region’s leading cooperatives, “there were only a few large wineries buying grapes, and nearly 5,000 small growers who sold grapes to them without any bargaining power.”"

When Julia Springeth travels the world as sales and marketing manager for Cantina Terlano, she always starts with the same disclaimer: “Please do not run away when I mention the fact that we’re a cooperative winery.” She is referring to how “cooperative” is often shorthand for bulk product...