If you haven't yet heard of Grape Witches, this duo of Toronto-based women is on a mission to demystify natural wines and make them readily available to folks across the city. Nicole Campbell and Krysta Oben are equal parts curators, importers, educators and event hosts, bringing uniquely delicious natural wines to the forefront of the Toronto scene and pairing them with snacks, books and merchandise highlighting local artists.
On Monday, the women took to Instagram to announce plans to open their first physical shop, in the the former Milk Glass gallery space. While they have been selling through their website and holding wine events throughout the city, they have been missing a space of their own for retail and social gatherings. Now, their dreams of a Grape Witches HQ will be coming true near the end of the summer.
Back in December, they held a pop-up event at Milk Glass and fell in love with the light-filled and similarly female-run space. However, the gallery decided to shut down and the space was initially rented to someone else, but when the lease fell through, Nicole and Krysta were contacted about placing an offer. They sealed the deal back in March and, despite the pandemic shutdown, are now beginning construction for their new bottle shop, event hub and education space.
Keep up with Grape Witches on Instagram to follow their progress and pick up a bottle (or six) of funky, low-intervention wine.
