Mary Taylor Wines: Our Philosophy
In addition to caring deeply about the stakeholders involved with our company, our wine selection process is as such: We partner with grower-producers who farm their land respectfully and who are true artisans. While the majority of our wineries are independent, we also work with two small co-operatives (one in Bordeaux and the other in Saint-Pourçain) whose viticulture practices align with our values of sustainability, minimal intervention, and artisanship.
Like many small-scale vignerons, our growers often cannot afford to certify themselves as organic or biodynamic, yet they nonetheless adopt farming practices that would meet the criteria for certification. At a minimum, we prefer to partner with producers who follow the sustainability standards outlined by the Haut Valeur Environmentale (HVE), an environmental certification for farms adopted by the EU. These tenets include extremely conservative use of water, minimal use of fertilizers (and those made only of natural compost) and mildew treatment, holistic pest management, biodiversity, and comparatively low yields. The growers who we mention as biodynamic are self-declared; they work by the moon schedule and they treat their land with the utmost care so that the plants are healthy and happy.
In terms of winemaking, our foremost priority is to highlight the true diversity of terroirs. As a result, our producers uniformly employ little to no filtration, limit the amount of sulfur added before bottling, and choose to carry out their fermentations via natural or local yeast strains. They also avoid the use of overly intrusive young oak in order to emphasize the underlying expression of vintage, grape, and place.
We seek out partners, customers, growers, employees who are committed to equal opportunity, integrity of all living beings, and a strong sense of stewardship for this beautiful earth.
TESTIMONIALS
“Over the last 20+ years as a member of the service industry [. . .] and a current marketing and sales manager for a local wine shop, I would like to thank you and your company personally for bringing such special wines to the market. Being part of a service-oriented shop that has thrived in the area since 1954, it is exciting for us to find that wine which we never have to feel is going to bankrupt the guest we want to enjoy it. The community we serve (Columbus, Ohio) has really embraced the wines that you have made available and there is no better feeling than when someone excitedly returns to say that the wine we recommended was “special” or “unexpected.” This is always the case with the wines you have available.
In short, thank you for the work you have done and making wine less about the label or the “splurge” and more about the every day experience that we feel everyone should be able to afford to have.
We look forward to the future of Mary Taylor Wine and to the next special wine that you help us experience.”
– Wine drinker, bar consultant, wine and marketing sales associate, and MTW fan
“We’ve known Mary for many years and were early fans of the now legendary screeds she used to write about the producers she represented. These days she seeks out some of the best values in Europe and imports them into the states under her own distinctive black and white label. Her considerable skill, her vast experience and her myriad connections allow her to source affordable “appellation” wines that speak from a particular place but are priced [approachably]. These wines do truly offer precise terroir and exceptional value – a rare combination. Join us [. . .] in welcoming the very passionate, very smart, very supercallifragilistic Mary Taylor!”
– Dandelion Wine, NYC
