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Points of view. Not points. Points of View. Not Points. Grape Collective launched in 2013 to offer compelling stories about wines and the people who make them.
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Our columnists include experienced wine journalists like Dorothy Gaiter, John Brecher and Monty Waldin. But Grape Collective isn’t just another wine magazine stuffed with plaudits and point scores. We take a different tack. Our writers choose the wineries, winemakers, regions, and wines they're driven to write about, telling us why each wine matters. And then we source those wines to make them eas

ier to buy and try. It’s a new model, but one that gives writers latitude and readers options. We hope you like it. Facebook updates by Christopher Barnes.

06/04/2026

Hamilton Reis, founder of Natus Vini in Portugal’s Alentejo, stopped by Grape Collective to talk to .a.wine.journal . Look for the full video and article soon.

Natus is an artisanal, low-intervention winery in the Vidigueira sub-region, where the Serra do Mendro mountain range shapes a distinctive microclimate — warm, sunny days and nights swept by cool breezes, with thin schist soils that bring minerality and complexity to the wines. Hamilton works with native Portuguese varieties including Trincadeira, Castelão, and Antão Vaz, and despite the warm southern setting, his wines are often compared to elegant, high-acid cool-climate styles. Fermentation in clay amphorae (talhas), dry farming, organic practices — this is a winery built slowly and deliberately, from the ground up. Thank you to Lewis for the visit and supporting the underrepresented family wineries of Portugal.

Stay tuned.

05/29/2026

Quick Hit Q&A With Urvieta of in Mendoza

We sat down with winemaker Roy Urvieta for a quick five-question Q&A. Mendoza, high-altitude Pinot Noir, and why the Uco Valley is changing the conversation about Argentine wine. Check out grapecollective.com for the full article

05/28/2026

Very few places in the world demand as much from a winemaker as the rocky hillsides of Primošten, Croatia. Babić vines grow in pure limestone just meters from the Adriatic, in tiny hand-farmed parcels surrounded by centuries-old dry-stone walls. No machinery. No shortcuts. Just an ancient grape and one of the most extreme terroirs in Europe.

Babić is Croatia’s hidden gem — an indigenous red variety that thrives precisely because of the hardship these vineyards impose. Low natural yields, restrained alcohol, vivid acidity, and an elegance that sets it apart from its more famous Dalmatian cousin, Plavac Mali. In the right hands, it produces wines of real finesse.

Kreso Petrekovic of Mora is one of the people determined to change that. A wine professional and natural wine importer who has spent years championing artisan producers, Kreso took over a collapsing local cooperative in Primošten and built Vinas Mora around the conviction that this terroir — and this grape — deserve a place at the table alongside Europe’s finest. The debut 2020 vintage sold to 25 countries.

Kreso sat down with Grape Collective to talk about the extreme terroir of Primošten, the history and character of Babić, what was nearly lost when the local cooperative collapsed, and his vision for the future of Croatian wine on the world stage.

Link in bio.

adriatic winemaker primosten indigenousgrapes winelover finewine wineinterview grapecollective europeanwine winetasting

05/25/2026

We had a great time welcoming Jean-Etienne Chermette to Grape Collective for a winemaker interview with . Jean-Etienne represents the next generation at Famille Chermette, the historic Beaujolais estate founded by Pierre-Marie Chermette in the 1980s and long known for producing some of the region’s most authentic, terroir-driven wines.
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Based in Saint-Vérand in the Pierres Dorées, the family has built a reputation for traditional Beaujolais made with real precision and care, from old-vine Beaujolais to crus like Fleurie, Brouilly, Morgon, and Moulin-à-Vent. Today, Jean-Etienne is carrying that legacy forward while bringing his own fresh perspective to the winery.
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We talked old vines, Beaujolais, sustainability in the face of climate change, family tradition, and why these wines continue to be some of the best values in France.
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Interview coming soon on Grape Collective. 🍷

05/21/2026

Meet Roberto Henríquez the winemaker whose talent is helping to put southern Chile back on the map. Roberto has a passion for his 200-year-old ungrafted País vines, and a mission to preserve the ancient winemaking traditions of Bío-Bío. A true original and what amazing wines - including Sémillon, Chasselas or Corinto as it’s called locally. Here he answers our quick hit questions - check out the article about our tasting with Roberto at Grapecollective.com

05/20/2026

Every bottle of wine tells a story — but most people never hear the heartbreaking chapters. 🍷

Frost hit East Coast vineyards on the night of April 20th, and for some growers, the damage was catastrophic. ❄️🌿Read the column by

Read it at the link in bio — and maybe open something special tonight in solidarity with the growers who lost so much this spring. 🍷 blackank

05/13/2026

João Camizão of Answers Quick Hit Wine Questions with
Natural Vinho Verde winemaker. Keeper of a family vineyard dating to 1780. We put João Camizão of Sem Igual in the hot seat for a round of quick-fire questions — from his go-to wine at the end of a long day to the bucket-list wine region he hasn’t made it to yet.
Short, sharp, and straight from one of Portugal’s most exciting small producers.

05/11/2026

Natural Vinho Verde?
What does it mean to make a Vinho Verde “without equal”? For João Camizão of , it means ignoring the shortcuts — skipping Alvarinho and Loureiro in favor of Arinto and Azal, forgoing carbonation, committing to estate-only production, and transitioning to organic in one of Portugal’s rainiest regions.
Camizão’s family has farmed the same vineyards in the Sousa Valley since 1780. His goal isn’t to reinvent that history — it’s to understand it. “They were always right,” he says of his ancestors. “Maybe they didn’t know why. We’re trying to learn the whys.”
His most remarkable wine, Ramadas Metal, comes from a single vineyard planted in 1931, nearly ripped out during a renovation — saved only because his mother said no. Production runs 500 to 1,200 bottles a year, in the vintages they choose to make it at all.
This is patient, principled winemaking from a corner of Portugal that doesn’t get nearly enough attention. sat down with João - watch 🎥 and read the full story — link in bio. 🍷🇵🇹

05/05/2026

Wine is better together. 🍷
The hottest trend in wine isn’t a new grape or a buzzy region — it’s people gathering around a bottle to actually connect. Tasting groups are having a moment, and honestly? It makes perfect sense.
We love the story of Marjorie Wang, who went from thinking wine “tasted terrible” to building The Winer Things, a 40-person tasting group in New Jersey rooted in one simple idea: friendship comes first, wine second. From beret-clad Bordeaux nights to vintage taste-offs, they’ve turned strangers into close friends — one bottle at a time.
have a new column up on exploring the rise of these groups, why they matter more than ever post-pandemic, and how to start one of your own. Link in bio

04/27/2026

Santa Cruz Mountains, In Plain Sight.

The Santa Cruz Mountains are hiding one of California’s most compelling wine regions in plain sight. 🌲🍷
Nestled southwest of the Bay Area, this rugged, fog-draped AVA spans nearly 480,000 acres of dramatic terrain — yet only about 1,600 acres are planted under vine. That’s not a typo. The mountain keeps its secrets well.
But for those willing to navigate the steep roads and spotty cell signal, the reward is some of California’s most interesting wines. Long, cool growing seasons. Ocean influence from the Pacific. Elevation that pushes grapes to achieve full ripeness without sacrificing acidity. As Monte Bello’s Lauren Lyall puts it, you don’t have to choose between ripeness and freshness.
From the legendary Monte Bello estate to hidden gems scattered across the Ben Lomond Mountain, the Santa Cruz Mountains are home to some of California’s most distinctive wines — and some of its most passionate producers .vineyards
Grape Collective’s Lee Pai .a.wine.journal went deep into the region to tell the full story. Link in bio.
MonteBello WineCountry NaturalWine WineLovers CoolClimate MountainWine

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