The world is awash in quality wine often at very reasonable prices. But we do not often find wines that are original, unique, an artistic achievement. This is because wine is a commodity and winemakers are compelled to be crowd-pleasers. Those who seek originality take risks, and wine-making is already risky enough without the added burden of confronting the consumer with the unfamiliar. We applaud this; the world is a better place for all these quality wines. But there is more to the wine life than consumption.

There are many websites and newsletters that review the crowd-pleasers; adding our voice would contribute little. At Edible Arts, we seek wines that are unusual, unique, break new ground, or defy orthodoxy. We think the usual litany of fruit and vegetable flavor notes, scores, and “shelf-talkers” tell us little about what is in the bottle. Structure, evolution, texture, finesse, dimension, definition, and sense of purpose are more important.

Such wines are not necessarily expensive. They may sometimes be edgy, reticent, or hard to understand. They may be rustic and unrefined. They must be intriguing and say come hither.