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This tiny operation, started in 2007 by the spirited Sardinian Antonio Berritta, operates out of the basement of a grocery store. Antonio, his wife Maria Paola and their kids, Serena and Francesco are all involved in the operations of the winery – under the meticulous direction of the grandkids. Antonio’s family has been cultivating olives and vines using traditional methods for generations. This stuff really is in their blood!

So much of our approach to wine has been inspired by Pieter Walser and his BLANKbottle wines – where the bottles typically don’t show the varietal to avoid any preconceived ideas about what people think they like and don’t like when it comes to wines. “You can’t judge it by the label; it takes drinking a whole bottle to get to know the wine.” He also designs those labels.

A tale as old as time, women in wine baby! Matilde Poggi’s first harvest, on her family-owned 15th-century farmhouse, happened in 1984. She worked tirelessly at a time when large, quantity-driven firms and cooperatives dominated local production. Rather than following the masses, Matilde chose to concentrate on quality, revamping her vineyards to better express the area’s native grapes. Today, she is one of Italy’s most respected producers, and, in 2013 was elected President of the Federazione Italiana Vignaioli Indipendenti (Italian Federation of Independent Grape Growers or FIVI). More recently, she became the first Italian and first female president of the European equivalent, the European Confederation of Independent Winegrowers (CEVI).

Matilde has three daughters, to whom she’d like to pass on Le Fraghe one day (but we’re volunteering in case her girls don’t want it – wanna come?).

A tale as old as time, women in wine baby! Matilde Poggi’s first harvest, on her family-owned 15th-century farmhouse, happened in 1984. She worked tirelessly at a time when large, quantity-driven firms and cooperatives dominated local production. Rather than following the masses, Matilde chose to concentrate on quality, revamping her vineyards to better express the area’s native grapes. Today, she is one of Italy’s most respected producers, and, in 2013 was elected President of the Federazione Italiana Vignaioli Indipendenti (Italian Federation of Independent Grape Growers or FIVI). More recently, she became the first Italian and first female president of the European equivalent, the European Confederation of Independent Winegrowers (CEVI).

Matilde has three daughters, to whom she’d like to pass on Le Fraghe one day (but we’re volunteering in case her girls don’t want it – wanna come?).

The story of Ottomani began with four friends who grew up together and turned a dream into reality. Not that far off from us girls at Crushed!

They graduated from the University of Florence with Oenology (that’s the science of wine) degrees and chose to separate for a while to get some exposure working in real wineries. With a few years of experience and some real savoir-faire in their back pockets, the boys came back together and purchased a farm of their own. In 2006, Ottomani was born with indigenous grape preservation and sustainability sowed into its mission statement.

The very first winery in the Southern Hemisphere to farm using biodynamic practices, James and Annie Millton have stayed true to their practice since establishing The Millton Vineyard in 1984. Truly experimental, Libiamo represents the next generation of the Millton family, taking the reins and looking toward something that is completely un-manipulated and doesn’t leave a debt or burden on the planet.

Cheeky as he is lovely, Sommelier Ewan Mackenzie thieves his way around the Cape Winelands, working with some of the best winemakers in the region to champion varietals that are usually blended away. Small batch to the tune of sometimes just a single barrel, these babies are literally made to pair with all kinds of food.

Yes! We love feedback! Let us know what you loved, hated or if you want to mix things up and we’ll make sure to adjust for your next case.

Hubby to the ‘H’ in pH, is but one of many monikers for Thinus Krüger – cowboy, maverick, rock star are just a few of the others. Big hair, big moustache, big ideas and big adventures are the hallmarks of his pioneering project, named after a Norwegian ship that attempted to sail to both the North & South Poles. He’s headed to the edges of the winemaking map to find what vineyards lie over the next horizon, resulting in audacious and unusual wines that make the world feel like the good place it should be.

Hubby to the ‘H’ in pH, is but one of many monikers for Thinus Krüger – cowboy, maverick, rock star are just a few of the others. Big hair, big moustache, big ideas and big adventures are the hallmarks of his pioneering project, named after a Norwegian ship that attempted to sail to both the North & South Poles. He’s headed to the edges of the winemaking map to find what vineyards lie over the next horizon, resulting in audacious and unusual wines that make the world feel like the good place it should be.

Blair and Caroline Guthrie are making honest wines, farmed responsibly. Their baby side project (only 600 cases a year) is filled with so much love – their wines are comforting and lighthearted as a Sunday morning dance party in your bathrobe. Beneath that, they are strongly focused on preserving and encouraging the good in the world – environmentally, ethically and everything in between.

Chad and Bree Stock, a husband-and-wife team, have merged their superpowers and unique backgrounds in wine to create Ltd. +, which emerged as a collaboration with farmers in the area, inspired to develop a diverse and sustainable wine landscape. The wines, often made from less common grape varieties adopting innovative techniques, are changing preconceived notions of Oregon wine. 

Chad and Bree Stock, a husband-and-wife team, have merged their superpowers and unique backgrounds in wine to create Ltd. +, which emerged as a collaboration with farmers in the area, inspired to develop a diverse and sustainable wine landscape. The wines, often made from less common grape varieties adopting innovative techniques, are changing preconceived notions of Oregon wine. 

In 2002, Elisabetta Foradori (who’s a bit of a legend in Italy), Thomas Widmann and Giovanni Podini purchase Ampelaia – originally established by a Swiss couple in the 60s. Their vision was to demonstrate the diversity and potential of Maremma. Now, the fully biodynamic Ampelaia stretches across 120 hectares, of which only 35 are planted to vines – the rest are dedicated to wheat, olives, cows, chickens and beehives. Some say they’re a bit mad, but their decisions are all made very consciously, aiming to preserve the biodiversity of their land. They’re more of a family than a business, more of a lifestyle than a career.

Humble, hardworking and patient – hallmarks of the donkey, and according to Francesco Follador, the winegrower as well. Stubbornness is another. Francesco holds tradition and heritage extremely close to his heart, refusing to take the easy road on anything – from the location his of vineyards on hard-to-farm hills, to insisting on growing much less popular native grapes. All in the name of being true to what he strongly believes is the best the region can produce and preserving the deep heritage of Valdobbiadene. It’s because he shares so many of these qualities with the donkey, that he chose it as his logo. To quote his website, “Yes, we are donkeys and we are proud of it”.

Sandwiched between Veneto and Friuli, this family operation combines old-school tradition with cool new techniques that second-generation Rebecca Valent picked up while studying in the USA. Dad, Giuliano, who was trained by his dad, says he was ‘born in the bottle’, and he and his wife, Adriana, (and now their daughters) have dedicated much of their career to shining a light on proudly local varietals like Lison (also known as Tai, also known as Friulano, also known as Tocai…you get the picture).