Simply put, you get what you pay for.

The vast majority of wine (measured in volume) is mass-produced in huge wineries that look more like sprawling refineries and tank farms than quaint wine barns in rural landscapes.  The grapes used are usually mediocre and often surplus (i.e., bought on the spot market) before they’re transformed by impressive technology with few human beings or oak barrels involved.  Indeed, more than a little of that wine is sold-off in bulk, at or below cost, to make room for the next vintage.  That’s one of the reasons why the average retail bottle price is around $10.00: it’s mass produced for a mass market.

Small local wineries couldn’t be more different, especially those that grow their own vinifera grapes in an unforgiving climate like the Eastern U.S.  Why?

• The size and quality of harvest varies tremendously from year to year due to our climate.
• Economies of scale that allow cheap winemaking are infeasible because vineyards here are small, so most work is done by hand by people whose skills take years to learn and who are difficult to replace.
• The price of real estate here is very expensive, and does not include the cost of the vines, trellis, fencing, and other land improvements.
• Finally, the cost of legal and regulatory compliance for a small winery is the same as a large one, making it stunningly burdensome.

So, add these factors together and a small artisanal winery, to be viable, must price its wines well above mass produced wines.  It must also, of course, create high quality and sought-after wines to justify it.

Please support your local winegrower.