Boutique Wine: A Mystery Unto Itself!
The term ‘Boutique Wine’ or ‘Boutique Winery’ has been grossly overused. Evidence of this is apparent in the many different definitions given to the term:
‘If a winery makes less than 2,000 cases a year, it’s considered a boutique winery’
‘If a winery makes less than 5,000 cases a year, it’s considered a boutique winery’
‘Boutique wines come from small wineries that are specialized, that feature consistently high quality and that have high quality for the price.’
‘A boutique wine (not necessarily winery) is a wine that is made in limited quantity, and expresses a particular passion of the winemaker.’
Personally, I’m more in favour of the latter definition. I think it makes more sense to define individual wines as ‘boutique’ rather than label whole wineries as ‘boutique’. However, if a winery only produces wines that can be classified as Boutique wines, then it is only logical that the winery is referred to as ‘Boutique’. Conversely, it is quite common that a large ‘non-boutique’ winery produces a specific vintage in limited quantity thus making it by definition a Boutique wine.
In addition to my definitions listed above, I’m know there are many more so please feel free to share them with me… in My Wine Cellar we learn together!
Cheers!
Brandon Marc
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