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There has never been a better time to support small batch winemaking. The global wine industry is projected to grow by 21% by 2023, with a forecasted value of $429 billion. In this large industry, it can be hard for the small batch winemaking guys and gals to get their voices heard.
And they need to be heard, because not only are they producing such high quality wines, they’re bringing about change in the wine industry, one bottle of delicious, small batch wine, at a time.
We love what they’re doing so much, we felt compelled to champion these artisanal winemakers. But why should you support small batch winemaking? What do they do that is different to your average, supermarket bottle of commercial wine?
Where do we begin?
The term ‘small batch’ encompasses so many different aspects of the artisan wine industry. But just because a wine is small batch doesn’t mean it can’t have a big impact. When it comes to size, in the wine industry, small isn’t a bad thing. Small means rare. And rare means valuable, not just in monetary terms, but morally too, for the environment.
So why should you, the discerning consumer, switch from purchasing your plonk at the local supermarket, to purchasing your plonk through Plonk?
Small batch wine producers are often the owners, the vignerons, the ones who have a relationship with the vines they tend, and you can taste this love and care in every sip of their produce.
From vigneron to pruner, picker to winemaker, bottler to marketer, a small batch winemaker is the one who is usually responsible for everything that goes into making the taste sensation you’re about to drink. And they do it because they’re incredibly passionate about it.
They are intimately knowledgeable about every last detail of their business, working exceptionally hard to make sure their small business is a success. For these small producers, they live for their handcrafted, artisan wines, and it shows.
Corporate winemakers on the other hand, simply can’t afford to give their wine the love and attention that small batch winemakers can. For them, the bottom line is their bottom line.
Small batch winemaking is usually synonymous with farming in an environmentally friendly way, through organic methods or biodynamic ones. Creating wines that are natural, made with limited interference and even fewer additions other than the grapes and love.
And being better for the environment means better for the planet. Small batch wines are sustainably produced in an eco-conscious way to ensure their future, rather than made at a detriment to the surrounding environment.
Small batch wines are rare wines, hard to get your hands on wines, exclusive wines. Some small batch wineries are making under 5,000 bottles per year, instantly giving them a cult-like status. And when their produce is as good as it is, it’s like catnip to collectors.
Small batch wines are naturally better for you. With more care and attention during the winemaking process, comes a far superior product. Small batch winemaking means vintners have the freedom to choose their processes, rather than being dictated to by their quarterly sales reports.
With fewer additives and preservatives in the mix, the end result is a fresh wine that is incomparable to a commercially produced bottle.
Small batch vintners run a business that supports the local community; they’re mindful of the social impact they have. By choosing to support small local winemakers, you can, quite literally, see where your mullah is going. And it’s not flowing into the CEO’s annual bonus.
When you choose to buy small batch wine from a business like Plonk Wine Co, you’re buying into something bigger than just a bottle of wine.
Small batch producers are agile and adaptable. They aren’t beholden to shareholders, they don’t have to knock out the same wine, a million times over. They can take risks, they can find new, exciting places to plant vines and experiment with unorthodox winemaking techniques.
When you choose to support small batch winemakers, you’re supporting innovation.
Small batch vintners may produce better quality small batch wine, but they are up against commercial wineries to get access to the wine market. They may have a sensational product, but they’re competing with businesses that have a marketing budget that’s probably bigger than their annual revenue, ten times over. The issue most small batch winemakersface, therefore, when competing with the big brands, is the simple fact that their out-of-the-world wine is relatively unknown.
Yes, it’s the same story the world over, in almost every industry - what retailer can afford to take a financial chance on an unknown brand when it makes far more sense, cost-wise, to stock inventory from a big, commercial wine brand.
The issue we have, here at Plonk, is that commercial wine doesn’t make sense taste-wise, planet-wise or environment-wise. And that’s why we choose to advocate small batch winemaking.
So go on, take the time to browse our collection of small batch wines and meet the many fantastic small batch winemakers we’re championing - and we’re not even scratching the surface. Read about their passion, learn about their products, and try something different tonight.
