How we choose wines
At WineSquire.com, our Squire and Cellar Pick recommendations are based on three fundamentals: 

1. The wine is popular. We don't rely on a "golden tongue"... we let consumers tell us what they like, by what they buy. We follow what the best wine shops and stores are selling the most of, and what people who taste and buy wine regularly are drinking. Consumers are very value conscious, and always want to get the best wine for their money. We believe the consumer is king, and that they will buy what they like regardless of what the "experts" say. The Squire Value and Squire Cellar lists are designed to tell you what is "hot" right now, as well as what is drinking well.

2. The wine is available. A merchant is likely to have it or can get it easily. At least 80% of our wines are typically in stock with your local merchant. If your favorite retailer does not have a recommended wine on hand, it can be special ordered from the distributor. We always make sure that all wines on our Squire Picks are in stock and are available for order from the wholesaler. Generally a retailer can get any available wine within a few days, if not the next day.

3. It's new, undiscovered, or on special. To make the Squire Value and Squire Cellar lists in a given month, we select from an extensive list of wines recommended by local industry insiders. We make an effort to feature wines that represent the best wines of a given type, balancing the list so there is something for every wine taste. When a new wine or vintage arrives in the market, it is tasted repeatedly by distributor sales reps and retail wine buyers. These individuals are always looking for the wines that represent the best "bang for the buck", and will meet the discriminating tastes of their customers. Given their experience they can usually predict what consumers will like and buy, the hallmark of a good wine steward or wine buyer. Occasionally a given wine is at a special price and it warrants inclusion on our list due to it's sheer value, even if it is not new or undiscovered.

One of the reasons we created WineSquire is so we could share the collective recommendations from the people that drink the same wines you can buy off the shelves every day in the Seattle area. Our contributors have conducted hundreds of consumer wine tasting for people who 'put their money where their mouth is' so to speak. We see people take the time to taste 20 or 30 wines before making their purchases-- they know what they like, and generally know what is good, especially what is a good value. It is hard to dispute their tastes when you watch them taste and then fill their carts with the same wines over and over again. These are the wines we recommend on WineSquire.

If you find you like the recommendations from a particular contributor, you can follow their picks by visiting their Personal Page. In additional to a brief introduction to the person, you will find an archive of all their picks which have been featured on WineSquire.

Finally, from time to time, the WineSquire.com staff will taste wines we have received as samples or are privileged to taste from private cellars. These reviews are collected on our WineSquire Tasters page.

Cheers!

Questions and 
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