What does a nordic winemaker look like?
I know.
Why even think about this before there’s wine in a bottle?
But I’m made this way. I can’t help it, I need to think in full circles. I need to feel the world I’m building to understand if it’s real, if it holds. Even if I’m still just in the journey, not the destination. Not yet.
So I reached out to Anette Cantagallo, a longtime friend and fashion designer based in Los Angeles. Anette isn’t just a designer, she’s a visual translator. Her work is deeply textural, rooted in mood and material. She has a way of pulling out the emotional core of an idea and giving it aesthetic life.
Anette is the founder of RAUK & CO, an advisory firm dedicated to guiding businesses through the complexities of innovation and sustainability. With over 20 years of experience in fashion, innovation, and sustainability, Anette has worked with companies like Stella McCartney, Calvin Klein, and House of Dagmar.
I asked her:
What does a Nordic winemaker look like, one that works with mushrooms, birch, salt, forest fruit, seaweed?
Within 24 hours, she sent me a 200-image moodboard.
I stared at it.
Stopped.
Laughed.
Maybe I should actually focus on the wine first.
But the moodboard said something I hadn’t yet put words to, it gave shape to the feeling I’ve been following. So here’s what stood out to me:
The look of nordic winemaking (in my mind)
It should speak of something raw and poetic, rooted in nature but not rustic, closer to folklore than minimalism. Not pale birch and airy white linen, but something drawn from the deep woods of Småland. Think dark moss, embroidered myths, heavy cloth, John Bauer’s forest, not IKEA’s showroom.
This is what I picked up from Anette:
Folkloric Elegance
There’s a thread of enchantment: long wool cloaks, detailed embroidery, and soft, structured shapes. These are clothes that feel both ancient and future like they belong to a forest healer or a mythic vintner.
Practical Craft
Many silhouettes hint at workwear: quilted coats, oversized knits, belted waists. They feel ready to pick herbs at dawn, stir infusions at dusk, or bottle by hand. Not costumes, tools for a trade.
Earth Tones & Texture
The palette is unmistakably Nordic: deep greens, bark browns, lichen golds, ash greys. It’s about mood more than fashion the kind of feeling you get standing quietly in a foggy forest.
Androgynous Archetypes
There’s also an element of softness and strength blended together, silhouettes that don’t scream gender but whisper myth. The vibe is equal parts artist, forager, philosopher, and maker.
It sounds obvious, but trying to make wine is not just about the wine. It’s about imagining the entire value chain from the raw ingredients to the world around them.
But for now, the priority is clear: I need to get back to making the wine.
Even if that 200-image moodboard is still open in a tab. Always.
