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The wine market is huge. According to some stats, more than 1.36 litres of wine is bought and consumed annually just in the UK. When you think that a bottle is 750ml, that’s 1.8 billion bottles. These stats are from a couple of years ago and way before lockdown so these will have probably increased. Many people buy their wine from the supermarket shelves when they do their weekly big shop. This is mass produced wine from huge wineries. Whilst you might think this is good, there are far better options out there and we’re going to discuss the benefits of buying premium wines, from independent wineries, where things are done traditionally for the love of it, not just for the profit.
The Love Of Tradition
I don’t know about you but I love the traditional way of doing things. Technology is fantastic but there is something romantic about the handcrafted processes done for centuries. Wineries as expensive to run, own and operate. So a slow way of life on an independent one obviously doesn’t create quite as much wine as quickly as a mechanically operated winery. A machine can run round the clock, collecting as much as 200 tonnes of grapes per day. One of the things the technology can’t do though, is distinguish between ripe berries and those that are unripe or damaged. They just shake and collect. This is where the art of wine making is lost.
Traditional wineries hand pick their grapes. That handcraft skill takes time though. The worker has to go through the vineyard picking grapes which have got to optimal ripeness. So whilst this is time consuming and costs due to the picker needing a wage, you know you get the best grapes in the best condition. This is why premium wines tend to cost that bit more than high volume.
Take a look at this article all about the difference between premium and high volume wines.
Unnatural Additives
Some of these high volume wines which you find on supermarket shelves have chemicals added to them and sweeteners too. If there has been unfavourable weather which hasn’t allowed the fruit to fully ripen, there may may be lack of sugar to balance out the acidity. Adding sweeteners speeds up the process of getting from vine to bottle so the consumer can buy. Some producers even add oak flavours to their wines as a cheap alternative and to avoid having to buy oak barrels and have their wine sitting there for too long. As you can see, there are a few ways that wine makers can cut corners. It’s a little bit like a ready meal or cooking from scratch. I must prefer cooking from scratch!
My Wine Selections
When it comes to my wine, I like the best ones. I don’t drink a lot, I’m not one of these people who buy 3 bottles for £12 and then have glass after glass all night long. I like my wine how I drink my coffee. High quality ingredients, nothing added and the best processes allowing for the finest flavours.
Premium wines take longer to create and are labour intensive but I like the best things in life. Handpicked from hillside locations, aged properly, poured well and enjoyed completely. You can taste the difference!
