Change has been edging in on the food industry for quite some time as consumers are making it more apparent that they wish to buy food locally, or humanely produced, or hand crafted, or any combination of one or more of these attributes. It should be no surprise, then, that wine connoisseurs are searching for the same qualities in the wines they purchase.  The rise in boutique wineries—or wineries that specialize in small batch, artisanal production—suggest that for consumers and producers alike, less means more.

Defining a boutique winery can be challenging, though, because the concept means different things to different producers and consumers.  For some, being a boutique wine maker means that their wines are only produced in small batches.  But  quantifying “small batches” is a subjective task, and no one can quite agree on whether that is 5000 cases, or 10,000 cases, or even 50,000 cases.  Still others believe that even the biggest of wineries can have a boutique element, if they produce small batches of a specialty wine alongside their regular mass production.   Maybe a boutique winery is one with a great story, a wine maker with a history or a standing in the community in which they live, not unlike produce farms who sell to members of their community and know not only the people who purchase from them but also have a relationship with the crops they cultivate.  It’s a hands-on, intimate, passion for their craft that defines them.   Lane Tanner, for example, is a boutique winemaker in Santa Barbara County in California.  She purchase grapes from growers and then usually makes three varieties of Pinot Noir and a Syrah from those grapes.  She spends her time going to the grower and choosing the grapes based on their taste, their maturity, and their complexity, but not by the scientific method of “when the sugar hits a certain number.”  She treats her growers right, keeping in touch with them throughout the year and even giving them gifts after the harvest.  Money is not her motivating business factor, but rather a love of producing fantastic wines that sell out every year even without conventional advertising.

And word of mouth is really one of the best forms of advertising you can have when dealing in boutique wines.  Satisfied customers are likely to spread the news so ask your friends, ask your local wine shop, ask your wine club.  Finding a boutique that crafts a wine you love may seem like a large task, but it will be well worth the time invested.  You will notice the love, the passion, the art, the skill, that went in to putting together one bottle of wine that was seemingly made just for you!