Our Day With Vintner's Daughter
Growing up in Napa Valley, Vintner's Daughter, Founder, April Gargulio, watched as the grapes from one of the richest farming regions were tended, cared for, and turned into some of the world's most delicious and well-made wines. As we learned on our delightful tour of Gargulio Vineyards it is these old-world traditions of quality and craftsmanship which inform the brand's unique approach to skincare. The meticulous craftsmanship of every bottle means their products take 66x more time to create than the industry average. Raised by a family of fine winemakers, April already knew that the best things never come in mass-produced bottles made in a rush.
Vintner's Daughter's story began with a deep respect for the earth and her natural resources. Minimizing the environmental impact informs every aspect of how Active Renewal Cleanser, Active Treatment Essence and Active Botanical Serum are created and put into the world.
Ancient apothecaries, healers, and winemakers alike began with whole plants to treat the body and soul. Today, Vintner's unique Phyto Radiance Infusion—the heart of their skincare—starts similarly. The highest quality botanicals are infused for three weeks—slowly and gently capturing the full spectrum of healing nutrients in their optimal ratios. The finished formulas are like symphonies, with multiple ingredients playing together in harmony, each contributing to and supercharging the benefits of each other. It is a formula that delivers radiance-inducing results, unearthing skin at its most hydrated, nourished, balanced, radiant, and healthy. Here, we captured the heart of Gargulio Vineyard's fermentation process, and we will say the wine was spectacular and as soul-soothing as each of Vintner's products!
“There are so many beautiful aspects of Napa Valley,” says Vintner's founder, a third-generation vintner herself, turning to skincare after years of helping to craft fine wines at her family’s vineyard. “I come from this world that is in service to the earth, and to representing the land through wine. At Gargiulo Vineyards, and at many of the vineyards in Napa Valley, it is about being in service to the expression of this particular place, this grape, this vintage and really doing everything you can to get out of the way so a true expression can come through,” says April. “In winemaking, there are all sorts of ways that you can intervene, but if you keep that idea of being in service to true expression as your North Star you are not going to. Instead, you do everything you can to make sure that truth is bottled as a time capsule of sorts.”
“If you’re constantly keeping what is best for skin as your North Star you’re not going to take shortcuts or try and make something more cheaply. You’re not going to do something just because it’s trendy,” explains April. “If you keep creating healthier, stronger, more resilient and beautiful skin as your focus, those bright shiny objects that can take you off your path start to recede.”
"’I knew that I needed to begin with nutrient-rich, whole plants, and I didn’t want to use extracts, powders or synthetics,’ says Gargiulo. ‘You can’t do it,’ the labs told me. ‘It’s going to take weeks.’ I’m saying, ‘Weeks, who cares?’ I come from winemaking, where it takes three years to make a bottle.
It was a truly incredible experience to walk on the soil, hear stories from the vintners themselves, eat the food cultivated from the surrounding farmlands, and toast with the wine born from the land we were on. Each aspect spoke to the spirit of the products we at Team Wren and Wild have grown to love, forging a deep personal connection.
With every pat and press of Active Botanical Serum into our skin, the unique qualities of the product become obvious. But, the stories behind the bottle, be it a fine wine or a spritz of Active Treatment Essence, bring the product to life. Thank you, Vintner's Daughter and Gargulio Vineyards, for awakening our skin and sharing your origin story. Your unique product will forever be a team favorite and we are grateful for it.
