Non Fiction wines - Why?

The Rationale Behind Non Fiction Wines:

A Winemaker’s Perspective - 

As a winemaker, the journey of creating exceptional wines is a constant process of experimentation, refinement, and innovation. This process can involve trialing new varieties, exploring vineyards, or tweaking blends to perfect a core range. While this pursuit leads to better wines, it also means that some wines, despite their quality, may not fit into the final blends. This is where the concept of Non Fiction Wines was born—an approach that benefits both the winemaking process and the consumer. 

The Creative Freedom to Experiment-

Non Fiction Wines allows me, as a winemaker, to be more confident in experimenting. I can explore new varieties, blend different vineyards, or trial various techniques without the fear of waste. Whether it's fine-tuning a Shiraz or trialing a completely new grape variety, I know there’s a place for the wines that, for stylistic reasons, don’t make it into the final blends of our core range. It’s important to emphasize that these wines are in no way inferior in quality. They might simply have a slightly different flavor profile or stylistic direction than what we’ve envisioned for a particular blend.

Additionally, sometimes vineyard yields are higher than expected, leading to surplus wine that doesn’t have a home in our standard bottlings. These wines deserve to be enjoyed, not discarded or discounted heavily through traditional distribution channels. 

Traditional Surplus Wine Practices - (Why the Consumer Misses Out Ordinarily) 

When a winery has surplus wine, it’s sold to wine clubs or retailers who either bottle it under their own label or sell it under the winery’s label. In this scenario, the winery is forced to sell the wine at steeply discounted margins to the retailer or wine club, which then marks the price back up to what consumers expect to pay for a premium bottle. This traditional distribution route means that margins are taken by several businesses along the way—understandable, given the logistics of retail. However, the downside is that the end consumer pays the winery’s standard retail price, despite the winery selling it for far less.

The result? The consumer loses out on value, and the winery loses out on the opportunity to connect more directly with its customers. 

A Better Way Forward With Non Fiction Wines-

We bypass this traditional route. By selling these surplus wines directly to our mailing list, we offer exceptional value to consumers while keeping the story and the connection between winemaker and drinker intact. These wines come with transparency, sharing the story of how they came to be, and at a price that reflects their true value without multiple layers of markups. Ultimately, Non Fiction Wines allows us to make better wines, build more sustainable relationships with our customers, and reduce waste in a way that benefits everyone. It’s wine, with nothing to hide.