The Five Reasons You Should be Drinking Small Production Wine

As I fell more and more in love with wine over time, I sought to answer the question, what makes wine good wine? I learned that though complex, I’ve found a strong correlation between production size and the quality of wine. Small producers are the heart and soul of the wine industry, and the care they put into each bottle makes all of the difference!

Small production, or boutique wineries, are defined as producing less than 10,000 cases of wine each year, and are known for using low intervention winemaking techniques. This means that grapes move from the vineyard to the bottle with as few inputs as possible, resulting in wines that reflect the characteristics of the grape and the vineyard areas they are grown in (and as a bonus, have more texture and flavor!). Small production wines are special, and you can absolutely taste the quality in the glass. But don’t take my word for it, here are the five reasons you should drink small-batch wine instead of the mass-produced bottles on the shelves of your grocery store or wine warehouse!

Reason 1: Small producers can give more time and attention to their grape vines

As these wineries produce smaller quantities of wine, they by design have smaller vineyard areas and grow fewer vines. This allows producers to dedicate more time and attention to the health of each vine resulting in higher quality, tastier grapes.

Additionally, without production quotas and sales goals, boutique producers’ focus is on the quality of each grape used to produce the wine as opposed to the quantity of grapes that will be used. This means that small producers limit the number of grapes grown on each vine and only select the highest quality grapes for their wine. When the number of vines and grapes are limited, each grape has the ability to absorb more nutrients, resulting in concentrated flavors in each grape and an overall better product!

On the other hand, large wineries plant high volumes of vines each yielding as many grapes as possible (because quantity is the goal!), and as these vines and grapes compete for limited resources in the vineyard (nutrients and water), these grapes, and the resulting wines, have less intense flavors.

Reason 2: Small producers have more control over the production process in the winery

Small producers are heavily involved in the winemaking process, and craft wines that express the unique characteristics of the grapes and vineyard area the grapes come from. The control they have at every step ensures quality and gives winemakers space to be creative with cultivating new grapes, blending, and other processes. You won’t get this type of uniqueness from large producers as their aim is often to manipulate their wines to conform to other wines in the region and to prior vintages as opposed to letting the grapes express themselves in the glass.

Reason 3: There’s a story behind each bottle of small production wine

There’s nothing that pulls us in like a great story! As many boutique wineries are purpose-driven, you’ll find that nearly every bottle of wine made by a small producer has a story. There’s more to each wine than “we grow this grape because it’s the region standard”, as you’ll hear from many mass-production wineries. For small producers, it’s all in the details of the history of the land, the producer’s unique style, microclimates, soil, family history, serendipity, and everything in between!

Reason 4: Small-batch wines are better for you & for the planet

Because mass-production wineries’ primary goal is to produce large quantities of wine, producers’ focus is typically on maximizing profits and meeting sales quotas as opposed to minimizing the environmental impacts of the winemaking process. For boutique wineries, managing smaller vineyard areas gives producers the capacity to use organic and sustainable growing practices like natural pest management and water conservation.

Additionally, small producers use fewer additives and preservatives in their wines, creating fresh wines with nuanced, concentrated flavors that are nothing like commercially produced bottles. This is an important one for people that are sensitive to chemicals, pesticides, etc. that are often found in mass-produced wines!

Reason 5: Drinking small supports small businesses

Drinking small-batch wine is like eating at your local family-owned restaurant, getting your groceries at the farmer’s market, and buying clothing from a small designer as opposed to spending your money with big brands. It just feels good! But not only is drinking small rewarding, it shows your appreciation for the craft and completely makes a real person’s day!

There you have it, those are the five reasons drinking small production wine is so much better than the wine you’ll find on the shelves of your grocery store or big wine warehouse! Want more wine knowledge like this, live and straight from the small producers themselves? Join my Wine Club! In addition to three delicious small-batch wines hand-picked and delivered to your doorstep each month (or quarter), my Wine Club has an immersive live tasting experience with each small producer, so you’ll get hands-on knowledge directly from the people behind the wine in your glass. Learn more about the Wine Club here!

Cheers!