Our 5-Point, Quality-Driven Wine Selection Process Sets Us Apart
Our Wine Selection Process is the key to consistently delivering interesting and exceptional wines at outstanding values from the vast array of boutique premium wine producers worldwide. Here’s how we do it:
1. 40 Years of Experience Ensures Quality, Variety, and Value
Our two-tiered tasting panel is led by Don Lahey, whose career in wine spans over 40 years as an acknowledged wine educator, syndicated columnist, wine importer, and consultant to New York’s most respected sommeliers.
2. We Rate and Drink A lot of Bad Wine, So You Don’t Have To
We rate hundreds of wines from boutique producers around the world to bring you two exceptional selections each month, rating each wine's appearance, aromatic profile, body and balance, varietal character and style, intensity, finish, and of course, its overall flavor and appeal.
3. Our Two-Tiered Wine Panel Reflects Our Customers
Our primary tasting panel is comprised of 10 sommeliers, professional tasters, and winemakers. They rate each wine considered, of which only the top 10% are sent to our secondary panel which includes upwards of 30 or more tasters from novice enophiles to those with decades of experience importing wine.
4. Our Panel Members Travel to Top Wine Regions
We inspect vineyards, meet with winemakers, and most importantly, taste wines. Don and select panel members have traveled to Italy’s Piedmont region, the Ribera del Duero and Rioja regions of Spain, as well as top producing wine countries such as Chile, the US, Australia, France and South Africa.
5. Strong Relationships with Wineries and Importers & Exclusive Selections
The relationships that Don has developed over the years as an importer, as our buyer, and by traveling to the wineries is a key to discovering exceptional limited production wines at great values. Our longstanding, highly regarded reputation in the industry creates opportunities to pick up exclusive buys on hard-to-find, limited run vintage wine.
