A different way of evaluating wine.

Anyone who drinks wine has most likely heard of wine scores. Each year tens of thousands of bottles of wine are blind tasted and rated. These scores offer an assessment of the wine itself, but do have some shortcomings.  The amount produced, production style and source of the fruit used to make the wine are not considered. Furthermore, the only wines rated are those who submit their wine for review.

For decades, the wine industry has relied on this 100 point scale system as seen  in Wine Spectator, Wine & Spirits and Wine Enthusiast Magazine to rate their wines. Wineries have long sought good scores in order gain recognition in the market and persuade consumers of the quality of their wines. From a consumer’s perspective, scores provided a gauge of wine to taste and consider in a world with thousands of producers, making wines in different countries, with different varieties and a myriad of styles. 

Italy’s Slow Wine Guide emerged in 2010. The approach they used in evaluating wine turned away from the conventional score based evaluation of wine. Instead, the group not only considered the quality of the wine, but the practices of its producers. Rather than just blind taste the wines, Slow Wine takes the time to get to know the producers and the sustainable approaches they use from the vineyard to the bottle. 

Beginning in 2017, Slow Wine began exploring American wines. First, they started building relationships with California producers, followed by Oregon and now New York. The philosophy they ascribe to is that wine is more than just what we taste in a bottle. Wine provides us with a sense of place and time, and they want to tell the wineries’ stories. 

We are excited to announce our 2018 Cabernet Franc was named a Top Wine for the 2021 Slow Wine Guide. This wine is perfect for winter! So order yours today online or swing by the wine shop daily from 12pm until 5pm!