Tastemaker Series: Holly Berrigan, The Natural Wine Curator Who Talks to Grapes
Playlist WineTL;DR
Meet Holly Berrigan, founder of MYSA Natural Wine, who turned her love for natural wine into a cozy home delivery service during the pandemic. For S02E04, she curates wines that break the rules while staying true to ethical production. Her superpower? She wishes she could talk to grapes.
From Diplomat to Natural Wine Champion
Holly Berrigan didn't plan to become a natural wine entrepreneur. She planned to be a diplomat.
But after working at the embassy in Italy in her 20s, she ended up in consulting and hated it. So she followed the breadcrumbs: the languages she spoke (French, Spanish, Italian), the places she'd lived, the cultures she loved. They all led to wine.
A WSET certification and a book about biodynamics later, Holly was hooked on natural wine. She and her husband Nic launched MYSA Natural Wine, bringing ethically produced, minimally intervened wines directly to people's homes. The name comes from the Swedish word "mysig," meaning cozy. Because wine should feel like home.
Now living in rural New England with chickens on the way, Holly curates natural wines with the same care she brings to everything else: high, low, and everything in between. For Playlist's S02E04, she selected wines that exemplify what natural wine can be, from stealth naturals to the funky stuff that scares people off.
Q&A with Holly Berrigan
Matt Friesen (Playlist): Holly, could you take us back to the beginning of your journey in the wine industry? What was that pivotal moment or experience that led you to fall in love with wine, and how did it inspire you to co-found MYSA?
Holly Berrigan: In my 20s I worked at the embassy in Italy thinking I would be a diplomat. But then I was pulled into the business world and ended up in consulting a job. And I hated it.
So I decided to figure out what I actually wanted to do. And I realized that the languages I speak (French, Spanish, and Italian) and the places I had lived all had to do with wine. So I signed up for WSET and I was like, "I'm just going to explore this for fun".
And then I read a book called Voodoo Vintners that's all about biodynamics, and that was the gateway I had into natural wine.
After meeting my husband, I basically was like, "Hey, I want to do this thing with wine, but I have absolutely no idea how to really monetize it."
That was super interesting for him, and we decided we should do it online. So we launched our first site called "Through the Grapevine."
My husband is Swedish, and while spending time in Sweden, we decided to rebrand the business with something with more of a cozy at home feeling.
So MYSA comes from the Swedish word mysig, which is like hygge. Everyone's heard of the hygge "cozy thing", so that's why we went with it. The whole point is to bring wine to your house, which is cozy. And you should have this mysig moment where you're able to sit down and feel cozy with your wine.
MF: Natural wine is often seen as the wine world's return to its roots. How do you think natural wine challenges the status quo in the wine industry, and what parallels do you see between this and what's going on in the music world?
HB: It's kind of annoying that we have to call it natural wine. It should just be wine, and everyone that puts stuff in their wine should be unnatural or whatever you want to call it. But yeah, it's definitely having a moment.
And I think that it's going to continue to grow. The idea of knowing where your food comes from is popular across the board, and I only see it growing in this category.
That being said, natural wine has its "hype juice" that is kind of separate from the natural wine movement. I don't know that we're putting a lot of juice in these crazy bottles and colors forever. But even if that fades, natural wine is still going to be popular on its own.
Many natural winemakers used to work in a co-op. They'd sell their fruit and someone else would make the wine, which wasn't very lucrative. Similar to the wine space, there's a movement in music for more ownership by the artists of their work.
MF: When curating wines for MYSA, what criteria do you prioritize to ensure each wine not only meets the natural standard but also tells a unique story?
HB: I try to set everything up in a way that you're able to choose from all areas of natural wine.
I want something on the funkier side, something that you might not normally pick, or that looks a little bit scary. And I want something more unassuming. I like to call those "stealth natural wines". And then everything in between.
I try to ensure we have a decent number of reds, because most people like reds, but also make it seasonal. So, if it's spring, I'm curating lighter reds, vs in the winter, I'll go with deeper oranges.
Honestly, I really go with what I want to be drinking.
MF: For someone new to natural wines, the taste can be quite distinct from conventional wines. How do you describe the taste profile of natural wines to newcomers, and is there a particular wine from this drop that exemplifies this uniqueness?
HB: If you're speaking about them correctly, you're basically putting it in the perspective of potential flaws and why they're not flaws. That's like literally a natural wine.
For example, we would typically say volatile acidity is bad. But in some natural wines, we think that's nice because if it's balanced, then that's okay. So it's all about the perspective and how far it goes.
It's all about having the vocabulary to describe what is different about it from conventional wine and understand if it's working for the wine or not.
So as far as the ones that are in here, there's a lot of ways you can go with that. The Marquesa is super light orange, but it's definitely one where you can feel the difference of the skin contact. That's a fun one.
Another perfect example is the Flower Girl pét-nat. Every year that wine is different than the last. Last year it was a deep red cab and this year it's lighter and it's amazing either way.
MF: What's one wine rule you love to break?
HB: There's a lot, because I feel like everything in natural wine is slightly breaking a rule!
But I really don't like the tasting grid. The tasting grid is made by a bunch of British white dudes. And it's like, "Is it blackberry or bramble?" What the heck is bramble? No one knows what that is!
Another example is I work with a somm from the Philippines, and he'll constantly say things like he's getting notes of some random fruit from his childhood that you've never even heard of! But that doesn't make it wrong.
MF: Ha! Is it fucking delicious? That's all I care about.
HB: Exactly!
MF: Living near regions known for incredible scenery and their up-and-coming food & wine scenes, is there anything local that has inspired you lately?
HB: Hudson has a great wine scene right now. They're doing a really cool wine fair. And then the Maine area, like Portland, has some of the best wine shops I've seen.
There's also lots of places in smaller-ish towns up in New England that people don't realize are even there.
Vermont makes some amazing wines. And if you go up into Burlington there are some really lovely places that have local wines that just feel so authentic. You're drinking Vermont wines in Vermont with Vermont food. You're used to that with beer, but it's so cool to see it with wine.
MF: How has your environment influenced your musical taste and your wine preferences?
HB: Yeah, it definitely influences both. I laughed as I was doing the curation, because people around here are obsessed with Noah Kahan, and it's not normally the music I would like, but he's literally writing about Boston and Vermont, and just makes me feel a part of it because I live in that area. So yeah, it makes me like music that I would not have normally been that excited about.
And I think I also just listen to more peaceful music. We're getting chickens next week, and I live in a peaceful time. And I'm a rural lady now. I was not expecting that! And it really affects the type of stuff I like to listen to.
That being said, I often change the music based on my environment. If I'm driving to the city, then I turn on music to get all hyped up, but if I'm at home, I have Maggie Rogers and other stuff going.
MF: If you could have any superpower to enhance your wine tasting and selection process, what would it be?
HB: Wow, that is a really interesting question.
Probably the ability to talk to the grapes. I want to ask what did you go through? Where are you coming from?
No one knows it for sure, but everyone assumes that the deeper the roots go, the more complex the wine is. That's why irrigation is a problem because the roots go up for the water and don't get any of the complexity from the dirt.
So being able to actually understand what's going on down there and how does that actually affect the wine. How much is from the roots and how much is from the top environment. That's one of the great mysteries, you know?
MF: In both the wine and music industries, there's always something new to discover. Can you share a recent "undiscovered gem" of each that you've found that excited you?
HB: On the wine side it's all about regions that are becoming super interesting and fun.
All of this stuff from eastern Europe. Bosnia, Slovenia, Estonia, Poland. There's all these places with super cool stuff coming out of there. I'm very excited to see what starts coming out of Ukraine. They're probably in a bit of a pause right now, but eventually!
On the music side, I recently found some really interesting Swedish music. I've been trying to practice speaking Swedish with my daughter, and the more I sing, the more comfortable I feel speaking and reading to her in Swedish.
So Spotify Sweden is my undiscovered gem in music.
MF: Is there a particular bottle of wine or region that takes you back to a pivotal moment in your life or career?
HB: It has to be something from Burgundy. I realized my love for wine while drinking from that region because they're just so damn good!
MF: You're stranded on a desert island with the ability to have an endless supply of one wine and one album. Which wine and album would you choose to keep you company?
HB: Normally I'd say Burgundy, but let's go in a different direction. Honestly, same area, though. I'd probably pick some kind of cru Beaujolais. I don't think I have one specific bottle. They change so much every year and they're like kids, I can't pick which one's my favorite!
And then an album? That's really hard!
This is going to be so boring, but I'd probably pick Safe Place by the Album Leaf. It makes me feel really calm and I like to listen to it when I travel. So if I'm just going to be chilling on an island I probably need to feel calm.
That might be the wrong answer. I might need a party mix instead, but that's what I'm feeling in this moment!
MF: To close things out, can you sum up your wine and music pairing vibe in just three words?
HB: High. Low. And something in between. Everything in between? High, low, and middle!
Discover Holly's Drop
Explore the wines Holly Berrigan curated for S02E04. From stealth naturals to funky favorites, each bottle represents a different corner of the natural wine world.
FAQs
Who is Holly Berrigan?
Holly is the founder of MYSA Natural Wine, a home delivery service championing natural wines made with minimal intervention. She holds a WSET Level 3 certification with Distinction and studied Sustainable Agriculture at UMass Stockbridge.
What makes Holly's wine curation special?
Holly curates across the full spectrum of natural wine, from "stealth naturals" that ease people in to funky bottles that push boundaries. She follows the seasons and her own palate, selecting what she actually wants to drink.
What Drop did Holly curate for Playlist?
Holly curated S02E04, featuring natural wines that represent different corners of the natural wine world.
What wine rule does Holly love to break?
The tasting grid. She rejects the idea that wine description should follow a rigid framework created by "a bunch of British white dudes" asking about bramble and blackberry when everyone experiences wine differently.
What's her superpower wish for wine tasting?
The ability to talk to grapes. She wants to understand what they went through, how deep the roots went, and how that affects the complexity of the wine.
