Stephen & Maxime from Strange Grapes

Q: In a couple of sentences, tell us about Strange Grapes.

A: Strange Grapes is a gateway to particularly expressive natural wine from especially interesting, sustainable producers. We specialise in carefully chosen bottles of natural wine delivered either in individual sales or as part of an explorative monthly subscription that helps our drinker expand their natural wine horizons. When we choose wine, we want strange, we want beautiful, we want daring. Every wine we choose pushes the boundaries in a certain way, be that tannin, funk, acidity, crispness, minerality, or perfume.

Q: What about You personally, why are you working with this? What's your story?

A: Stevie; My personal dream is to one day be a winemaker, with a small community vineyard where we test the limits of wine-making, care for the earth, look after each other and have a damn good time, of course. For me Strange Grapes is a portal to wine knowledge. It's about learning from inspiring people in the wine world, sharing the knowledge I've accrued and passing on whatever I can. Wine sales are how we keep that running, and we intend to have (serious) fun with that construct.

Maxime; With Strange Grapes it all comes together for me. I am an absolute wine lover but also care deeply about sustainability, responsible farming and health. I love the vintners' stories and their missions. It is an honour to share all that with people and to be part of the rich fabric of natural wine.

Q: What is your favourite bottle in your store right now, and Why should we all buy one?

A: Stevie; Well that's part of the mystery... We're not really revealing what's coming. So I should say the subscription is my favourite product. But as we're starting individual sales from May 1st, I'll let you in through the portal. I'd have to say the Alpino Macerato from Cantina Furlani. It's a cloudy champion: fruity, fizzy, rich, textured and so round and balanced at the same time. You could drink it in a basement in winter and the sun would shine on you.

Definitely drink Alpino Macerato when you're stuck on a desert island. Try it next time. This wine feels like a gift from the gods that contains all the nutrients you need. I know that's not true, but it's like an elixir of life. Imagine, you're stuck on a desert island, drinking coconuts and catching fish with your bare hands for months, your hair is long and matted, you finally built your raft out of the few shrubs on the island, you row it out to sea and just as you embark on what is to be an arduous mission back to wherever you're going in this fantasy, a bottle floats up beside you. Excitedly you grasp it, hoping to find a message in it, but instead, you find it's full of incredible sparkling wine, and you're even happier. You're saved.

Maxime; Oh man I agree with Stevie. That is one of my absolute favourites too. I love love bubbles. So to stick with bubbles I am deeply in love with our sparkling Nuria from Clos Lentiscus. It's just what pet-nat should be. White juicy fruits and a wonderful textural quality. It coats the palate. Like a sea wave in your mouth. Nuria is the absolutely perfect wine to celebrate special occasions with. Great with a festive cheese platter. It has a nice price point, and well, we just haven't had many Pet-Nats that meet it in terms of refreshment, energy, edge and just explosiveness. It's a head turner.

Q: From your shop right now, name some bottles that you consider to be the perfect MOOD BOOSTERS (i.e. pick me ups after a long, dark and cold winter with lockdown and curfew; when we need fun, light friendly and affordable wines).

A: Well.... Go back to Ottavio Rube Bianco, it's our cheapest bottle so far and by no means does it taste that way. It's a powerful wine. But also another wine that I think is perfect for boosting that mood is Müller Thurgau from Weingut Mann. It's fresh and citric. The bottle has a dance inside it. You'll see what I mean when you try it. It just moves you. And it comes in a litre bottle. Come on!