So when you have been in an industry for almost 30 years as I had been when launching Daqopa in 2008, and decide to go it alone, the mission changes. How can the things that you have come to love, and respect, about the wine trade - and there are admittedly more than a handful to choose from - be shared with others so that they can enjoy some of the insider magic, too? Not the commercial fads and trends that ebb and flow, but the real deal.

If six fantastically fortunate years of working closely with beloved English beer writer Michael Jackson had taught me anything that was perfectly suited to consider during the transition, it was the wonderful enchantment of social beverages and the people, places, and stories that create and nurture them. Anyone can pay the price to buy a 90+ point something because a magazine or generally self-proclaimed expert told them to, but not everyone takes the time to try something offbeat, learn about a lesser-known grape varietal or region or production method, and discover treasures that are affordable enough for everyday enjoyment. Teach a man to fish and all that, yes, that's the ticket.

Now a fulfilling 17 years later, Daqopa (a Georgian word that means "to share") is still all about exactly that pursuit: seeking out limited delicious treasures that have a reason to exist other than to build a brand name and corporate revenues, or just to heap more of what the masses already want into the market. There are more than enough giant national distributors who sell the wines from large industrial wineries onto the shelves of homogeneous grocery and beverage chain stores, and it's really not even an authentic or enjoyable version of the what started when a bud emerged on a grapevine somewhere earlier that year. Despite using catchy names and trying to weave cute stories, their goals are consistency and identical flavors vintage-to-vintage, reduced costs and increased margins, turnover speed and shareholder satisfaction. Thanks, but at this point in the game I'll pass.

How many times have you heard (or told?) a story about traveling overseas and drinking the most delicious, and often cheap, local wine at a street bistro, or buying a bottle and a baguette that was tossed into a backpack for a bike ride and picnic in the countryside? The wines that are chosen to be imported by Daqopa are meant to evoke that same sense of discovery, charm, good luck, and hey, even guilt-free spending. We hope that you think it's tasty fun, it still is for us every day!