On Making Wine Worth the Effort

Vincent Morrow, MS

Wine feels complicated right now. 

Legacy regions continue to get more expensive. "Natural" has become a catch-all term that could mean a lot or a little. Beverage drinkers have more options than ever, wine or (increasingly) other. 

I get it. Wine often feels exclusionary or simply not worth the effort. 

For those of us making and serving wine, it's worth asking what we're really offering. There was a time when scarcity did most of the work, when a wine being “classic” or receiving 90+ points was enough. But now more than ever, people want to understand what they're buying and why it exists. 

This is the spirit behind Allium, and why I was drawn to the project. 

We work with high-elevation vineyards in California because we've found the fruit expression and structure strikes a great balance with fruit sourced from these areas. And we believe in minimal intervention because we’re focused on what the grapes and vineyard source taste like on their own. Our small team includes people who understand farming, winemaking, and hospitality because it takes all these inputs to succeed in this moment. 

The industry is shifting in healthy ways. More attention is being given to farming and winemaking practices. There is more direct contact between producers and drinkers. More recognition is being given to regions that were previously overlooked. Wine lists reflect better diversity. But the industry has also become increasingly saturated, and it’s harder than ever for small brands to stick out. 

Building a wine brand is hard work, and we're learning. But the basic challenge remains the same: make something worth drinking, be honest about what it is, and find people who appreciate it. 

That's what we're aiming for at Allium. We're not trying to reinvent anything. We're just trying to make wine that reflects the places it comes from and the people who tend it.