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General Philosophy and Comments on our Buying Trip Blogs

What is to follow is meant to be a way for our friends, clients and people who are interested in wine to understand a little about our philosophy that wine is about food (most of the time), and the philosophy of our producers about growing and producing wine. That sounds a bit ponderous, it is not meant to. Wine is to be enjoyed, not to be debated to death. Wine is a very personal experience; each of us has their own palate and will not like the same wines as another person (including very famous experts). Your palate will change as you experience more wine; this is a good thing. The more you learn, the less you know, just like most things in life. You have a lifetime to work on this…that is not bad either.

We are a very small importer, and in many cases are the sole importer of the wines we sell. We have a small niche in that we import wines that, in general, are meant to be food wine. To us that means lower in alcohol, ready to drink, have structure and acid to add to the enjoyment of food, and are somewhat unique. The majority of our wines are being sold to high-end restaurants in San Francisco and Los Angeles. However, you may buy wines directly from us. We believe that all of our wines, regardless of price, are excellent values.
Our producers are, in general, very small wine makers who are too small to be of interest to the “big” importers. These people own the property, work the vineyards and make the wines. They have dirt under their fingernails. They are real people, who believe in hard work and honest products. As a group, they will tell you wine is made in the field and not in the cellar. They are in the business for the love of the products and to try to express the best flavors of their areas. These are people who you want to have as friends.
OK, OK you came to hear about this year’s wines…well, I am not going to try to cover every wine, nor am I going to try to tell you how they taste and the nuance of each wine, etc., etc. For one reason, most of the wines have not been bottled, or, if bottled, they have been in the bottle for only a few days and are not ready to show well. Rather, I will give you an idea of the harvest and the initial impressions of the producers. There are changes this year - some very small, but with significant implications. If you want to know exactly how they taste, try them. I cannot tell you if a wine is too sweet or dry for you. I cannot tell you if a wine is too fruity or to austere. You are the only one who can make that decision, despite what others may believe. So, read here the overall impressions and some information I hope will make the enjoyment of the wine more interesting and maybe remove some of the mystery.