A Guide to Understanding Who Are the Artisan Winemakers

Whether you’re a seasoned connoisseur or have recently started exploring this intriguing new world, tasting wine with your best mates is a great way to create deeper connections, discover unique flavours, learn about the wines history, and make cherished memories. 

In this article, we’ll go over what makes an artisan winemaker and what the challenges are of becoming one.

What Makes an Artisan?

Artisans are super-skilled people who make fantastic, unique stuff in small quantities, usually by hand or old-school techniques. Back in the day, people used to pride themselves in their craft. Today, it’s all about the materials used and the product creation process. They can make all sorts of things like jewellery, pottery, furniture, clocks, glassware, quilts, and rugs. Artisans can also make yummy food and wine! 

What Is an Artisan Wine?

Small producers create artisan wine using traditional winemaking methods to create unique flavours. They make these beverages in limited quantities, and wines can vary yearly because of the vineyard’s specific soil and weather conditions. The wine styles can differ significantly, depending on what the creator thinks is the best pick from their vineyard. 

What Should an Artisan Producer Do?

Artisan producers must create products that serve their intended purpose and maintain consistency in their work. For example, furniture makers must ensure their tables have stable legs of equal length to avoid grouchy customers. On the other hand, artisan winemakers must make the wine enjoyable to drink, consistently of high quality, and capable of ageing if desired. 

What Is Elevage? 

The French are famous for being fancy with most things, including being creative in creating terms like ‘Elevage,’ which artisans must use when growing and making wine. It means to ‘bring up,’ like raising a kid. You must put in great work and care to bring out the best in them by considering all the complex processes needed to make a wine’s unique characteristics and potential. It also means nurturing the beverage through various stages, from vineyards to fermentation, ageing, and bottling. 

What Are the Biggest Challenges of Becoming an Artisan Winemaker?

Although becoming an artisan winemaker can be a fulfilling experience for most creatives, it also has unique challenges. After defining artisans and what they do, here are the two common challenges winemakers face daily. 

1. Not Mass Producing Wines

Artisanal winemakers have a unique challenge where they don’t mass produce natural wines to sell and buy in supermarkets. Despite this, they can’t charge high prices like the famous wine regions of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rheingau, or Piermont. 

2. Convincing People to Buy Their Products

A common obstacle many winemakers face is not the weather or the changing climates. Instead, it’s convincing individuals to spend more money buying natural wines. It can also become even trickier because small-scale wine producers don’t have enough money to invest in extensive and costly marketing efforts. 

How to Start Your Artisan Winemaker Journey

Artisan winemakers are passionate about creating wines representing their unique personalities and hometowns. You can be one of the greats by actively seeking out these authentic wine producers and appreciating the magic and story behind each glass. Once you find a treasure, share the experience with others. 

Conclusion

Becoming an artisan winemaker can be challenging but rewarding for those who exert great effort. You can be a famous local creator by drawing inspiration from others and sharing your unique creation with the community.

To buy natural wine for your next social gathering, visit GrapeTimes! We’re a young and sustainable European wine shop that only sells sustainably produced wines made by small family producers with love and hand work. Buy now, and we’ll plant trees for every order!