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ZAFA Wines

@zafawines

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wine is farming…just fermented juice

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i believe my superpowers are vulnerability and creativity—both have shaped how i’ve shared my journey and ZAFA’s. while those remain my strengths, i’m now more intentional about how i use them, and social media no longer motivates me the way it once did.

in december, i archived 12 years of this journey—a symbolic pause to reflect, reset, and begin ZAFA’s next chapter.

from 2013, when i started at constellation brands, to learning how to prune hybrid regent on anderson island, washington, and an illuminating harvest at domaine de l’antenet in cahors, france—this journey has taken me through life-altering harvests in texas and vermont, 8 transformative years in vermont, and finally, a new beginning at trout brook vineyard in wisconsin.

my focus has shifted from documenting every moment to being fully present in the vineyard—experiencing life, not just capturing it.

this year, @david_adetunjii of @merakifiles will help document key moments throughout the season, reflecting my creative vision and our collaborative effort to share this journey. our instagram stories will occasionally highlight more in-the-moment activities.

tomorrow marks the start of our 2025 vintage season with pruning. moving forward, this space will reflect our true focus:

farming and fermentation with intention,
sharing creativity without distraction,
and turning comments off to encourage deeper, more meaningful connections.

for thoughtful conversations and behind-the-scenes updates, join our newsletter or send an email. this is about creating, farming, and sharing with depth and intention.

with humility and gratitude,
krista scruggs taken in Trout Brook Vineyard by @zafawines

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2 years ago

the zafa manifesto

zafa is more than wine—it’s a revolution in the glass. we reject trends and industry norms, championing authenticity, transparency, and a deep respect for the land and its fruit.

our journey begins in the soil. we farm beyond organic—no sprays, no shortcuts. just harmony between vine and earth.

we work with hybrid grapes—resilient, misunderstood, perfect for the midwest. they’re at the core of our mission: to create intentional, vibrant wines that tell stories of place, season, and care.

zafa is a counterspell—a rejection of colonization’s legacy, a reclamation, a healing, a way forward. inspired by the golden mongoose in the brief wondrous life of oscar wao, zafa embodies protection, magic, and redemption.

born in vermont, thriving in the saint croix river valley. we make wines that are alive. no manipulation. no compromise.

zafa is a celebration of bold beginnings, untold stories, and connection.

a movement. a counterspell. a promise.

📸 @merakifiles

#zafawines #hybridgrapes #midwest #beyondorganic #americanwine #respecttheland #saintcroixrivervalley #soilfoodweb taken in Trout Brook Vineyard by @zafawines

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2 years ago

just fermented juice, on ice.

#cocellars #midwestwine #wineisfarming taken in The Blessed Midwest by @zafawines

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17 hours ago

while we’ve been busy birthing co cellars anew, zafa’s been up to a little something of its own. quietly aging in barrel. consider this a small peek at what’s been unfolding behind the scenes. more to come.

#zafawines #midwestwine #ancestralfarming #beyondorganicfarming #wineisfarming taken in The Blessed Midwest by @zafawines

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7 days ago

jt and i don’t always come at wine from the same angle, and that’s part of what makes building the co cellars line together so valuable.

we taste, talk through what we’re seeing, question each other, and try things. somewhere in that exchange, new ideas take shape and possibilities open up that neither of us might have arrived at alone.

i’ve become a better winemaker through this collaboration. working alongside jt reminds me that there’s so much more to discover when you bring different perspectives to the same table, stay curious, and leave room for each other to challenge what we think we know.

that’s the beauty of making wine together. the work becomes richer, and so do we.

#cocellars #zafawines #wineisfarming taken in The Blessed Midwest by @zafawines

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8 days ago

wine.is.farming by @zafawines

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14 days ago

harvest through the lens of co cellars.

unlike our estate wines, this project begins with relationships beyond our own rows. rooted in community + built on collaboration, co cellars has always been about what becomes possible when farmers, winemakers + visionaries work together across the midwest.

brickhaven vineyard is a huge part of that story — one of our most important growing partners, our production home, and a collaborator in how we explore, experiment + redefine what wine from this place can be.

in the bin pictured here is la crescent that came in earlier in the day. jt’s instructions to krista: “go taste through the macros + let me know which you want pulled aside.”

so, that’s what she did. tasting through the fruit + making the call.

#cocellars #brickhavenvineyard #harvest2026 #midwestwine #wineisfarming taken in The Blessed Midwest by @zafawines

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a month ago

oh yea, harvest started last week.

and just like that, everything we’ve spent the last year tending, watching, worrying over, learning from + growing alongside is coming off the vine.

since then it’s been go go go — picking, pressing, fermenting, cleaning, tasting, moving, repeating.

no slowing down now. we’re in it. see y’all on the other side.

harvest 2026 🍇

#zafawines #harvest2026 #midwestwine #cocellars #farmtowine taken in Trout Brook Vineyard by @zafawines

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a month ago

🎉🚲 Open Streets West Broadway is NEXT MONTH! 🚲🎉

Scroll to all the way to the end for amazing reasons you should attend!

📣 Vendor registration is OPEN! We welcome all vendors—food, merchandise, artists, organizations, and more. Click the link in our bio to register today!

☀️ Get ready for a Saturday you won’t want to miss! It’s the perfect way to wrap up the summer and celebrate back-to-school with the whole family.

Bring your friends, bring your neighbors, and come experience everything West Broadway has to offer!

📲 Share this post, spread the word, and we’ll see you on September 12 from 11:00 AM–5:00 PM on West Broadway! 💙🎉

#minneapolis #westbroadway #minneapolisevents #fypシ #openstreets by @zafawines

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2 months ago

Now this is a great way to start the week by @zafawines

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2 months ago

as most of the vineyard begins to enter veraison, zuly is arriving at a transition of his own.

this moment marks nearly one full year since he joined zafa as a land steward—and his first growing season stepping into the expanded role of lead land steward.

over that year, zuly has grown alongside this vineyard. he has learned that caring for vines is never only about completing a task. it requires observation, timing, curiosity, communication and an understanding that every decision made in the field becomes part of the wine.

his path into leadership has been earned through his willingness to learn, to remain hands-on and to take on greater responsibility within an increasingly complex farm system. this season, that has meant helping coordinate the daily and weekly work of the vineyard, supporting and training new land stewards, monitoring the health of the vines, responding to changing weather and disease pressure, maintaining our systems and records, and helping carry our work across grapes, hops, grazing, cover crops, compost and habitat.

at zafa, leadership is not meant to be domination or control. it is stewardship: creating clarity, holding accountability, caring for people and land, and helping the team understand not only what we are doing, but why it matters.

zuly is still growing into this role, just as we are still growing into the farm we know this place can become. that is what makes this milestone meaningful. it honors not perfection, but progress—the discipline of returning each day, paying closer attention and continuing to become.

as the fruit begins to change color and prepare for ripening, we celebrate zuly’s first full year in the vineyard and the next chapter of his leadership at zafa.

thank you, zuly, for choosing to grow with us.

#zafawines #landstewardship #veraison #beyondorganic #teamzafa by @zafawines

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3 months ago

our weekly team lunches have become one of the most important parts of our culture.

they’re a chance to step away from the pace of the vineyard, gather around a table, and continue learning together. each week, we taste wines from producers who have inspired krista’s own journey or whose farming, winemaking, and values resonate deeply with the work we’re building at zafa. every bottle becomes an opportunity to ask questions, sharpen our palates, and better understand the many ways people express place through wine.

when we’re on-site, krista also takes pride in cooking lunch for the team. it’s a simple act of hospitality that reminds us that sharing a meal is as important as sharing knowledge.

this week’s lunch welcomed our newest team member, emaleigh. every ingredient was sourced from our local farmers market, alongside fresh sourdough from a neighborhood bakery and, of course, krista’s “famous” salad dressing. on the table were seasonal tomatoes, grilled vegetables, roasted chicken, and our own co cellars wines, which served as an introduction to the philosophy behind what we’re creating.

we believe learning doesn’t only happen in vineyards or cellars. sometimes it happens around an old picnic table, with good food, thoughtful conversation, and a glass of wine shared among people working toward the same purpose.

#zafawines #cocellars #beyondorganic #midwestwine #teamculture by @zafawines

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3 months ago