ZAFA Wines

ZAFA Wines we ferment grapes into sparkling w**e and each vintage is inspired by the fruit first.

utilizing ancestral farming practices ZAFA Wines honors the soil first and foremost as we proudly farm hybrid grapes at trout brook vineyard, located in hudson, wi. we farm & ferment grapes & other fruits into sparkling w**e 🍾🧃
current releases: a project by ZAFA: #1 #5 #9
**kingfermentedjuice

oh yea, harvest started last week.and just like that, everything we’ve spent the last year tending, watching, worrying o...
09/03/2026

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 🍇

**es **e **e

as most of the vineyard begins to enter veraison, zuly is arriving at a transition of his own.this moment marks nearly o...
07/31/2026

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 w**e.

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.

**es

our weekly team lunches have become one of the most important parts of our culture.they’re a chance to step away from th...
07/18/2026

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 w**es from producers who have inspired krista’s own journey or whose farming, w**emaking, 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 w**e.

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 w**es, 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 w**e shared among people working toward the same purpose.

**es **e

this native prairie is intentionally planted with big bluestem, little bluestem, switchgrass, indiangrass, canada wild r...
07/08/2026

this native prairie is intentionally planted with big bluestem, little bluestem, switchgrass, indiangrass, canada wild rye, sideoats grama, and a diverse mix of native wildflowers that bloom throughout the growing season.

while our grapevines don’t need pollinators to produce fruit, the farm does.

native bees, butterflies, predatory insects, birds, and countless other species all contribute to a healthier, more resilient ecosystem. these plantings provide food, shelter, and habitat while helping improve soil structure, reduce erosion, support water infiltration, and cycle nutrients back into the soil.

every species here has a job to do.

regenerative farming asks a different question. instead of asking, what can we remove? we ask, what belongs here?

sometimes the most important crop on the farm isn’t the one you’ll harvest. it’s the biodiversity that makes everything else possible.

📸 captured by

**es

these are 23 year old frontenac noir vines in the block we named carver.three years ago, we began stewarding this vineya...
07/06/2026

these are 23 year old frontenac noir vines in the block we named carver.

three years ago, we began stewarding this vineyard with a long view.

we transitioned the vineyard from spur pruning to cane pruning, renewed trunks where the vines needed a fresh start, and shifted our focus below ground by investing in healthier, more biologically active soils.

these weren’t changes made for a single growing season. they were investments in the decades ahead.

now, three years later, we’re beginning to see those decisions reflected in the vineyard.

healthier vines. fuller clusters. better balance.

this is the quiet reward of perennial agriculture. the work you do today is often thanked years later.

a vineyard is measured in years, not seasons. we’re grateful to be witnessing the results of work that began three years ago.

📸 captured by zuly

**e **es

these are sabrevois clusters a few weeks after fruit set. the berries will spend the rest of the summer sizing, building...
07/06/2026

these are sabrevois clusters a few weeks after fruit set. the berries will spend the rest of the summer sizing, building sugar, and, eventually, turning from green to deep blue as they enter veraison.

from here until harvest, our focus stays the same: healthy vines, balanced canopies, and careful observation. our job isn’t to rush the process—it’s to create the conditions for the vineyard to do what it does best.

📸 captured by

**eisfarming **e **e

i love this because it shows exactly what regenerative farming can look like in practice.while a summer storm moved thro...
06/17/2026

i love this because it shows exactly what regenerative farming can look like in practice.

while a summer storm moved through, shepherd Bee from Hollyhock & Livestock found a way to keep the goats grazing, sheltered, and productive all at the same time.

with some thoughtful fencing and a good understanding of animal behavior, the herd was given access to the edge habitat and fruit tree areas where grazing was needed anyway. the goats stayed protected, the vegetation stayed managed, and the work continued.

that’s the thing about good stewardship. it isn’t forcing a system. it’s observing what’s in front of you and finding solutions that benefit the land, the animals, and the people caring for both.

a shoutout to Bee for the creativity, care, and management that makes this kind of grazing possible.

two birds, one stone. or maybe more accurately… a few goats, a storm, and a very good shepherd. 🐐

alot of people hear us say “no spray” and assume we mean nothing ever gets applied in the vineyard.that’s not what we me...
06/10/2026

alot of people hear us say “no spray” and assume we mean nothing ever gets applied in the vineyard.

that’s not what we mean.

what we mean is that we do not rely on the conventional synthetic herbicide, insecticide, and fungicide programs that have become standard in much of modern agriculture.

instead, we farm beyond organic, focusing first on soil health, biodiversity, ecosystem function, and the overall resilience of the vineyard.

that doesn’t mean we never intervene. it means we choose our interventions differently.

pictured here are horsetail tea (BD 508) and horn silica (BD 501), preparations used in biodynamic farming. horsetail is traditionally used to support plants during periods of excess moisture, while horn silica is applied in very small amounts to support the plant’s relationship with light and photosynthesis.

our goal is not simply to react to problems. it is to build a vineyard ecosystem that is healthier, more balanced, and more resilient over time.

healthy soil. diverse biology. thoughtful stewardship.

that is what we mean when we say we farm beyond organic.

**e

what a little bit of rain can do.last week we were just beginning to see bud break across the vineyard. now shoots are p...
05/19/2026

what a little bit of rain can do.

last week we were just beginning to see bud break across the vineyard. now shoots are pushing fast and the first tiny clusters are already showing themselves.

the 2026 growing season is here.

📸 by lead land steward

**es **eisfarming

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Hudson, WI

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