First, about that dog on the logo. That’s Monty. He was a sweet dopey boy in a long line of Pointers that my family has owned. Even though he came from a line of world class canines, he inherited none of the best traits of the breed. Nonetheless, we ignored all that and chose him as our mascot.
As a breed, Pointers are hunters. More accurately, they are “hunter helpers.” Their job in the field is to sniff out birds, and alert the hunter to their presence by standing stock still “on point.” That seemed like a pretty good metaphor for this site. After all, we’re hunters too!
Our goals are to help wine consumers sniff out good wines, alert you to their presence. In short, to point them out, and to help you avoid the dogs. Excuse the pun…
But we are not just helping you find wines you will like. That’s easy. Our goal is to find wines that are widely distributed (think Trader Joes, Costco, Total Wines & More, etc.) and that represent exceptional values. It’s not an especially valuable skill to help wine buyers find good bottles for $20 and up. That is relatively easy. We are committed to helping you find wines at less than half that price. Not as easy – but fun work!
Now that I have covered the “hound” part, here is a little bit about me: I first caught the “wine bug” when I was a college student in Boston. Lucky for me, I was able to parlay that into a multi-decade career that has involved wine buying, wine-making, wine retailing, wine clubs, winery and tasting room management, etc. In some 25 years of being in the wine business, and the business of wine, I have literally tasted thousands of wines. Good wines, horrid wines, and everything in between. That simply comes with the territory. I don’t say that to boast, but to at least establish some credibility for asking you to trust me to make wine recommendations.
I have learned a couple of things that directly inform the wine finds that will be shared on this site:
- It’s easier to find good wines that are relatively expensive. It stands to reason that the more money you spend, the better the wine SHOULD be.
- More expensive wine doesn’t always mean better wine. And it certainly doesn’t mean better value.
- Not every wine will please every wine drinker equally. We all have different preferences. But we endeavor to find wines that you will like, even if you don’t like them as much as we did. Let us know how we are doing, and if you have a wine that you have discovered, by using the Contact Us page.
- The wine business takes itself far too seriously. While some would call us wine geeks, we are decidedly NOT wine snobs. We will always endeavor to keep this light, and keep this fun.
Last but not least, we are not affiliated with any of the company’s whose wines are featured on this site. We buy these wines at retail. When and if this ever changes,we will conspicuously disclose that fact. After all, you only have one reputation and integrity is important.
As Rob Reiner’s character (Marti DeBergi) says at the beginning of the classic “Rockumentary” film This is Spinal Tap: “but enough of my yacking, let’s party!”