Much has been said (and written) about whether it is the story behind the wine that compels us to buy and drink it, or whether this idea of storytelling is overdone and should be set aside in favor of more straightforward tasting notes and descriptors. I certainly don’t think that a great story can make a bad wine good, but I do believe that the extra dimension added by understanding the people behind a wine can elevate an already good wine to the status of truly memorable.
When it comes to storytelling, I know no one who does a better job than my friend Jay Murrie, owner of
Piedmont Wine Imports. Jay has built PWI around the ethos of making genuine, personal connections with winemakers and cultivating long-standing relationships with a growing collection of small, family-run wineries that are all abiding by some combination of organic, biodynamic, and environmentally sustainable practices. In other words, there is not a single wine in the PWI portfolio that would disappoint you if you are the kind of person who likes to know about the people growing the grapes and feel good about the vineyard practices behind your bottle. Delightfully, though, Jay’s wines also are the kind that you are certain to enjoy drinking even if you don’t particularly care about the aforementioned extra context.
Today, I am highlighting two bottles from the PWI portfolio that fit into that ideal category which bridges the gap between wines that have a great story and wines that are just plain great.