In 2011, James Gunter founded Wines With Conviction with the desire to make a contribution to the wine industry and provide a reliable value and service by bringing unique, imported wines to the wine market. Matt Kramer of the Wine Spectator had just written an article outlining the two types of wines in today’s world; Wines of Pain and Wines of Conviction. Kramer’s article inspired Gunter to put pride and conviction into his business and fill a need in the wine marketplace.
Wines With Conviction partners with people with whom James Gunter has developed long standing personal relationships. These are almost always people that operate one winery, farm, or estate, usually family-owned and operated with a pride passed along from generation to generation. There are no added layers to add additional costs that do not add value for the retailer or consumer.
Wines With Conviction is a modern day reflection of a time when relationships, trust, and integrity were the cornerstone of business. Our wines are imported with care. We focus on delivering the freshest best product available to help showcase the talents of our suppliers. We allocate time to travel, to source new suppliers and network with current suppliers. We believe it is important to continually evaluate our portfolio and respond to the evolving market needs.
Wines With Conviction represents appellations, regions, and wine producing areas that exist with a purpose and history proven over time, who have a distinct story to tell. We look beyond what is already in the market to find wine producers with character, that truly reflect the soul of a region.
The wines we choose to represent tend to be extremely pure, ripe, and fruity. We select wines produced in a style that reflects their origin, varietal, and fundamental character. These wines will reflect the area in a clear and concise form that it relates its origin, birthplace and conditions of the vintage. The wines are not overwhelmed by technique, oak, and manipulation. We are blessed with so much choice in the market today and there are many quality producers that are seeking the type of representation we can provide.
Value does not mean that a wine has to be in a certain price range. Value is always relative to perception, and the pleasure the wine creates. Wine buyers and consumers understand that a wine under $10 may have a very high relative value, and so can a $15, $20, or even the more expensive wines. We hand-select the wines we represent as those we believe will bring the most value to our customers.
We source our wines direct from the producers, which allows us to bypass the need for a national importer and pass along the best pricing and quality value possible that will benefit the end consumer.