A Newly Opened Wine Boutique

Two weeks later, finews.com met Greber again, this time for a private afternoon session in his newly opened wine boutique, right next to «NapaGrill.» «Strictly speaking, it’s not a shop, but a boutique with its own lounge,» he clarified upon opening the door.

The 55-square-meter showroom mirrors «NapaGrill»’s interior design—lots of wood, moody dark colors, high ceilings, and a silver, oversized dollar bill as wall art.

Major Bank as a Guest

At the back, visitors discover a space twice the size—a tasting area with a high table and two adjoining, spacious meeting rooms that could easily serve as boardrooms for any private bank.

«Our clients can rent these rooms for business meetings, receptions, or events,» explained Greber. A major Swiss bank had just hosted a highly successful event here.

Breaking Down Barriers

The idea behind the new shop is to break down the hesitation some have toward Napa wines.

This is where Greber is in his element. When it comes to prejudices against the Californian wine region, he says there are two types of people—«those who are simply lazy and those who lack understanding.»

Almost Fifty Producers

Since founding «NapaWine» as an online shop in 2015, Greber has been working to win over the latter group. Initially, he imported wines from ten producers. Today, that number has grown to nearly fifty.

«Many people unfairly associate American wines with Walmart,» he explained. «In the U.S., everything is big—volumes, egos, highways. But Napa’s producers are structured more like those in Burgundy.»

No Bigger Than Pauillac

«The Napa Valley is just 16 kilometers from north to south, and only six kilometers east to west,» he noted, comparing its size to Pauillac, a small Bordeaux appellation. More than 80% of Napa wineries are family-owned, and many would be considered small even by European standards. Greber even accepts a comparison with Switzerland’s Bündner Herrschaft wine region.

How did Greber discover his passion for this small patch of land and its wines? He recalled his first trip to California in 1995. Newly married to his wife, Heike, they used their wedding gifts to fund a trip to the American West. They spent three or four days in Napa, visiting famed wineries such as Mondavi, Shafer, and Phelps.

Inspired by the legendary «PRESS Napa Valley». (Image: Courtesy)

His relationship with the terroir deepened three years later, when a job transition from Bankverein (today's UBS) to Deutsche Bank allowed him several weeks of free time. He and his wife returned to Napa and stayed longer.

«Like every wine lover, I’ve been on my own journey,» Greber said. For a long time, his cellar was filled with Bordeaux, and he loved big, heavy wines like Shiraz and Zinfandel.

More Elegance

In California, he realized that many Napa wines offered the sweet richness he liked, but with more elegance.

From then on, Greber returned frequently to Napa. When a favorite producer told him their Swiss importer was ending their partnership, he rallied like-minded friends.

Plan B: Drink It Ourselves

Together, they founded «NapaWine» in 2014 with 250,000 Swiss francs. The concept was simple: anything they couldn’t sell through the online shop or restaurant, the club of ten investors would drink themselves.

One thing led to another. By chance, in 2017, Greber discovered that a large restaurant in the Hürlimann complex had closed down. He had planned to hold a meeting related to his Leonteq investment there but found the doors permanently shut.

«Crazy» Vertical Integration

On a whim, he decided to lease the space from PSP and open «NapaGrill», inspired by the legendary «PRESS Napa Valley». The support of PSP CEO Giacomo Balzarini allowed Greber to transform the former brewery stables into his own Napa outpost.

«In hindsight, it was a pretty crazy vertical integration—from the low-capital online business to the much more capital-intensive restaurant business.»

A Members’ Club

One innovation, aided by old capital market contacts, was the launch of the popular «NapaGrill Circle». Members—friends, private individuals, and companies—pay 10,000 Swiss francs annually, which they can spend at the restaurant or at events like the one with Jayson Hu, the creator of Fairest Creature wines.

Today, Gregor Greber, who travels to California several times a year, is a well-known figure in Napa’s close-knit community. When he goes to the bakery in the morning, people recognize him. Nearly fifty producers trust him to import their wines to Switzerland.

Zurich Ahead of London and Paris

Linda Reiff, long-serving president of Napa Valley Vintners, has referred to him as the most important Napa ambassador in Europe due to his significant influence. Thanks to Greber, Zurich now is ahead of European lifestyle capitals like London, Paris, and Berlin when it comes to Napa wines.

With «NapaGrill,» his Napa empire was complete in 2017. Zurich’s best U.S. beef—sourced from award-winning beef purveyor Bryan Flannery—and Napa’s finest wines. The wine list now boasts over 1,000 Napa Valley wines, from the infamous «Screaming Eagle» to the exquisite offerings of «Harlan Estate,» and proudly includes the legendary winners of the 1973 Paris Tasting, «Stag’s Leap» and «Montelena.»

In the final part, read how the symbiotic business model of «NapaGrill» and «NapaWine» works and what Gregor Greber has in mind for the financial sector.