A few years ago, I told a friend that I was going to visit some wineries. He asked “Do you buy wines there?” My quick answer was “Yes!” He then asked “Why buy wines at a winery? They are more expensive than at the supermarket!”

Well, yes, wines at wineries are often more expensive than the wines you see in a supermarket. But, they are not the same wines. The wines you see in the market are the winery’s big production wines. They mass produce those wines so they can distribute them all over the country and all over the world. And, these mass-produced wines do tend to be less expensive.

But, the wines that you’ll find at a winery are typically the ones that they don’t mass produce and don’t widely distribute. These are smaller productions either for exclusive sale at the winery or through their wine clubs. So, the simple answer to my friend’s question is the wines being sold at the wineries are simply better wines.

Another reason to buy wines at a winery is because you get to try them before you buy them. Have you ever picked out a nice bottle of wine at a store and then later opened it only to find that it wasn’t as good as you expected and certainly not worth the price you paid? Well, that doesn’t happen when you are tasting and buying your wines at a winery.

So, if you are ready for the next level of wines, those that are better than what you’ll find in the supermarket, treat yourself to a winery visit. Along with getting to learn about the wines, and maybe even meeting the winemaker, you’ll get the opportunity to taste and buy some really excellent wines. And, at reasonable prices too. Cheers!