Grape Witches at Waterworks

King West

Written By

Christine Peddie

Photographs By

Carbelle Djossa

Just how freaky are you? Step inside Grape Witches’ new bottle shop and wine bar at Waterworks Food Hall and your freak level (when it comes to natural wines, at least), is one of the first things you’ll be encouraged to explore. Are you a coy freaky 1? Willing to dip your toe into the wilds of a freaky 3? Or are you an unabashed freaky 5, with no time for sips that are anything less than outrageous, enigmatic rarities? Happily, all are welcome in the well-stocked new space, where Grape Witches’ singular approach to natural wine education and exploration partners seamlessly with the wealth of tempting eats found inside the culinary hub.

Whether or not you’re a natural wine aficionado, it’s likely you’ve heard of Grape Witches. Founded in 2015, by wine professionals Nicole Campbell and Krysta Oben, the business began as a way to expand consumers’ horizons when it comes to natural wines.

“The goal was to sort of offer to folks what all the wine professionals were drinking. Fun things that they were having after work or at fairs or at parties. Things that were not accessible to anyone else,” explains Nicole Raufeisen, operations manager and partner in Grape Witch Imports. The idea, she adds, was to “blow open that whole exclusive wine scene.”

The name, she continues, references the female founders as well as the mystical aspects of biodynamic wine production. “The concept of the company came about while drinking late at night, at a wine bar. So it kind of comes from that: an ethos of something fun and spooky. Mystical but doesn’t take itself too seriously.”

What began with educational events and natural wine parties led to Grape Witches’ first location. “In March of 2020, the lease on the space on Dundas came up. They signed it thinking it would be an event space,” says Raufeisen. The pandemic’s whirlwind arrival, however, rapidly changed the original plan. With new liquor sales laws in place, the space “very quickly pivoted into a bottle shop,” she adds. “It was amazing. We never looked back.”

From its lighthearted yet informative education hours to its comprehensive website, Grape Witches — which now comprises two bottle shops, an event space, an importing agency and a wine club —has become synonymous with natural wine expertise delivered in an undeniably unassuming way.

At the cozy new shop, which was designed by Future Studios, gleaming bottles sparkle from every corner. They’re arranged by colour and cost, with higher-priced specimens located in the upper reaches of the displays. Works by local artists decorate the romantic space, with a bar offering seating for up to eight guests. Come spring, a patio will accommodate al fresco sipping.

“We focus on wines where the wine is literally just fermented grape juice,” explains Raufeisen. “Occasionally, there is some sulphur added to protect the wine, especially for travel. … Other than that, there are no additives, no manipulation to the wine, which is something that happens a lot to conventional wine. That’s sort of how we differentiate natural versus not natural wines.”

The team sources bottles from lesser-known regions, vineyards and producers, and many are made with unfamiliar grape varieties. Just don’t let that novelty scare you off. “We meet you where you’re at,” offers Raufeisen. “We’re not weighing you down or hitting you over the head with unnecessary wine jargon.”

To ease customers in, adds general manager of the new shop, Alexia David, “I like to break it down into agriculture because it is an agricultural product. It’s like going to the grocery store versus going to the farmer’s market; you’re still getting what you want, it’s just that someone touched all of it, no one sprayed it, and it’s coming from an actual person with a face behind it.”

Learning about specific producers, regions and wineries, adds David, helps to address people’s perception of natural wine as intimidating or strange. “Especially at this location,” she explains, “I’ve made it such a big mission of mine to tell people that it’s not. We have the whole range. As someone who likes wines that are not on the freakier side, it’s just kind of showing you that it can still be natural but taste exactly how you want it to.” Ideally, she says, customers will understand that, “there is space for me here. It’s not all weird.”

With a cache of bottles that rivals the one at Dundas, plus the added bonus of ramen and oysters, arepas, stuffed naan and more from the food hall, the new Grape Witches location offers customers a range of choice experiences.

Pop in and browse, guided by the team or by the handy GW Badges (which explain each wine’s profile — from salty to nutty, animal and smoky — main characteristics and freak level). Beyond bottles, customers can also stock up on wine essentials, like corkscrews, glassware and sparkling stoppers, along with Grape Witches merch.

Shopping sorted, perch on a bar stool for a wine flight and a snack, or tote food over from one of the hall’s other vendors to enjoy with a pour of one of the team’s house faves.

Though the menu is brief — As David points out, “We have a full food hall behind us.” — it includes a clever collection of wine-friendly snacks, from chips and tinned fish to wide slices of Robinson sourdough served alongside silken smears of St. Brigid’s marigold-hued butter. Cheese plates hold samplings of local and international cheeses, olives, crostini, saucisson and golden puddles of honey from Quebec.

Turn to the wealth of eats at your disposal, though, and with very little effort you can be sipping a citrusy Grüner Veltliner alongside a tidy collection of Canadian bivalves, or a spicy, fruit-laced Cab Franc with a charbroiled specimen from Harry’s. “That’s my dream come true,” laughs David. Needless to say, ours too.