BOTTLE SHOTS | OPINION: Small, family-owned wineries and availability drive wine recommendations | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Out of all the questions I get from readers, there are two that I get over and over again: How do I choose the wines I mention in my column, and where can folks find them? If you've ever wondered about that yourself, here are your answers.

How do I select wines mentioned in this column?

As a rule of thumb, I try to support small, family-owned businesses as much as possible in my day-to-day shopping, and I like to extend that into my wine-buying. The vast majority of the wines you'll read about here fit that mold: They're made by families, who have been working in the industry for generations -- sometimes even for centuries! I love supporting wineries like this and sharing them with you.

Even when I was hand-selling bottles of wine to customers, I loved sharing the stories of the people who made the wines. I've always believed that a bottle of wine is a little personalized time capsule sent from the winemaker to your kitchen table ... but it doesn't quite feel the same when it's a mass-market brand name with millions of bottles out on store shelves.

Now to be clear: There are still many large wine producers that I enjoy, and I'll never shame anyone for picking up a bottle of something cheap and cheerful at the grocery store. My only aim is to share the wines that I love most. I truly believe that when more people drink more wine, the world will be a better place.

Where can you find the wines mentioned in this column?

As a part of my agreement with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, all of the wines I recommend are required to be available to buy in Arkansas. This means you never have to worry about reading about an obscure wine that's only available in a single wine bar in New York.

I verify that the wines I recommend are distributed in Arkansas so that even if your local store doesn't carry a specific wine on the shelf, they can order it for you. When you see a price listed here, it's because I've verified that a wine is for sale somewhere in the state. I typically reach out to major stores in Little Rock and Northwest Arkansas to verify pricing, and if there are variations in pricing, I'll typically list an average of what I find. Thankfully, many local wine shops have built online retail sites that allow me to find up-to-date prices easily.

Send your wine questions and quibbles to [email protected]