wUst Fine Wine Imports
wines U should try!
The wUst Matrix
The wUst Types of Wine...
For my own wines personally, I segment the wines across the following types which I've listed below:
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Fun - a casual, refreshing, and food friendly wine you will enjoy opening any night during the week
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Interesting - a wine to broaden your wine experience with different and interesting flavor profiles and a lot of food parings
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Special - maybe just a "weekend night" wine or for a special meal or occasion...although you can decide what might be special!
The wUst Values in Wine...
The "value" of a wine has many different factors. The first is your own taste buds and if you like a wine, then it is a great value! But everyone's taste buds and preferences are different and so there can be a wide range of values based on personal preferences.
The second factor is typical price points in the market for a certain type of wine. That can still be a bit misleading, however, as the quality levels are never comparable within what appears to be the same type of wine produced in the same region.
My highly selective approach of visiting producers in person, touring their vineyards and wine making facilities, and, ummm, extensively tasting their wines results, in my opinion, that all of the wines selected are of at least better than average quality relative to regions and types of wines chosen and, as such, are also better values.
The third factor is a bit more subjective and absolute but is based on what I might call "comparable" values. As a resident of Napa Valley, I know that a lot of very good wine is made here but...I also think the wines tend to be pretty expensive and not great values. Such a phenomena also works in reverse when selecting great wines from less recognized regions and I provide two examples below.
In my selection process, I have found wines like the Slovenian white wines from Ferdinand that due to the pronounced mineral content in the hills of the Brda Region, that the wines taste like much higher priced white wines from the Northern Rhone. Another example would be the Negroamaro and Primitivo "Riservas" from Feudi di Guagnano where from their diligent vineyard management practices and astute approach in the vinification of each wine, the result is wines that are comparable to better Amarones, Barolos, and Brunellos that cost 50 to 80 percent more in the market.
And so, I will admit that my opinion on value may be just as subjective as anyone's but I have also tasted a lot of wine from a lot of different producers and regions for a long period of time and so I do think I am a pretty good judge of value. From that perspective, as part of the wUst Matrix, I have also included some value metrics which are below:
Good Value
(one glass)
(Zero to ten percent underpriced)
Great Value
(two glasses)
(ten to 20 percent underpriced)
Exceptional Value
(two glasses and a bottle)
(More than 20 percent underpriced)
And so, in the matrix below I have used the "value" icons above to also indicate my suggestions for each wine's "type" within the overall portfolio. As you will see, there is also some overlap across types as I believe I have been able to find a lot of very interesting and enjoyable wines. You can also click on the "Winery Profile" button next to each wine to see the food pairings that I suggest in the more detailed information on each winery's page.
