ink & air

  • upside-down james beard foundation logo

    James Beard Legacy Alum

    founded in partnership with woodford reserve, the legacy network trains emerging leaders across the culinary industry and connects them with future generations of excellence. by developing and cultivating talent among these influential professionals and their peers, legacy advances the equitable, culturally relevant leadership required to strengthen the industry.

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  • krista scruggs hands planting a grapevine in soil, symbolizing growth and connection to the land

    Food & Wine: This Land Is My Land - Krista Scruggs Is One of America's Most Intriguing Winemakers

    as one of just 1.3% of american farm owners who are black, the zafa wines owner aims to cast a counterspell against the curse of colonialism.

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  • krista scruggs smiling wearing a black hat with long wavy hair and a floral-patterned shirt

    Fast Company's Most Creative People in Business

    to save the wine industry, this vermont vintner is embracing outside influences and ingredients. known for her vinous ciders, zafa wines founder krista scruggs is making great wines by breaking with tradition. vermont-based vintner krista scruggs is at the forefront of a movement that’s shaking up winemaking by embracing outside influences—and ingredients.

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  • krista scruggs with long braids wearing a backward cap and denim shirt, standing in front of a rustic barn in a grassy field

    Today Show: Zafa Wines Owner Krista Scruggs

    krista scruggs talks about her vermont winery, zafa wines, where she is focused on making natural wine in an industry with very little diversity. she discusses what it means to be the 18th black farmer in the state and how she gained national recognition when she added apples to her grapes.

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  • illustration of a woman resting her head on a table surrounded by colorful outlines of wine bottles, glasses, and grapes

    Bon Appétit: Krista Scruggs Is Making the Most Exciting, Most Delicious Natural Wine Right Now

    i was at a party in oakland last spring when i first tried krista scruggs’ wine. it tasted like a pineapple that had been salted, lightly misted in tanning oil, and struck by lightning in the bottle. it was tropical and inviting but with such racing acidity that i was lusting for another glass before i finished the first. “who made this?!” i cried. the crowd parted, and there was krista scruggs.

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  • Krista Scruggs smiling in front of a rustic red wooden wall with a wreath and a star decoration, wearing a brown beanie, a cozy blue and white knit sweater, and braids.

    The Boston Globe: With every sip, a labor of love

    a winemaker is cultivating a legacy that pays homage to the black folk who built this country and is celebrating life and the future of farming.

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  • krista scruggs with long wavy hair smiling while playfully tossing a black hat, wearing a floral-patterned shirt

    Wine Enthusiast: 40 Under 40 2018

    it may seem counterintuitive for a native californian to open a winery in vermont, but scruggs specializes in work that lies outside the ordinary. she uses biodynamically farmed hybrid grapes and sometimes co-ferments them with foraged apples. her wild-fermented, unfined and unfiltered bottlings debuted in march and drew raves. there seems no limit to her sustainable and delicious creations.

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