As you may know, the Guy du Vin staff has been on vacation the last two weeks. But painting two rooms, moving a bedroom downstairs and an office upstairs and all the associated tasks do not fit my definition of a vacation. To me, the word vacation implies idling, loafing, lounging, and slacking off - all activities which I hold in the highest regard. However, I have found that there is often merit in keeping silent and doing what one is told. Ahh, domestic harmony!

We also took some time and gave a good, hard look at our company to determine if the wines we are offering and the manner in which we purchase, write about and sell them is still close to what we intended when we originally started Guy du Vin.

Over the next few weeks you will notice a number of changes on the website as we update pages and more clearly define Guy du Vin as a company, what we believe about wine, how to sell it, how to educate others who are interested, and just what it is that makes Guy du Vin different and (we hope) special.

Here in a few words is what Guy du Vin is about, our philosophy and the perspective on wine that we offer. If this resonates with you, then we think that is a pretty good reason to buy wine from us. If it doesn't, well, that's ok too!  But, we are pretty nice to deal with - so you should get your wine from us anyway.

Guy du Vin Guiding Principles

1.  Wines with Soul:
Guy du Vin offers wines that go beyond just being easy to drink. We recommend wines that reflect distinctiveness; that emphasize a connection to their place of origin; and that show true craftsmanship. We sell wines with elegance and balance. We avoid wines that only emphasize power and concentration. We do not believe that 250,000 case hand-crafted wines exist, no matter how good the promotional campaign. We search for wines that reflect personality and uniqueness, even in the least expensive bottling.

2.  Trustworthy Recommendations:
All of the wines offered by Guy du Vin are the wines we drink ourselves. If we can't thoroughly enjoy a bottle of wine down to the last drop, we won't offer it to our customers. (David Holstrom, president of Guy du Vin, has been tasting, studying and teaching about wine for over 20 years. He also consults for numerous restaurants in the Pacific Northwest and nationally and brings that expertise to our retail clients.)

3.  Exceptional Value:
We only offer wines that we feel are of exceptional quality - regardless of price. Whether it's an $8 bottle of wine or a $100 bottle of wine, we will only present wines that we believe are the best examples that we've been able to find in the Portland market.

4.  Wine Scores:
We will not use wine scores to sell wine - ever. Even though this costs us sales every day, we believe that scoring or ranking wine is ultimately meaningless. The best wine advice comes from those whose tastes you know and have come to trust. It doesn't come from a tasting panel or from the latest oozings of a marketing company or newspaper. Guy du Vin offers wines from producers that march to their own drum; that are in touch with the soil and the grapes they grow; that produce wines that are agricultural products, NOT industrial wines from wine factories. Our selections are from producers that make wine that is great - and that was great before anyone scored it, reviewed it, spun it or turned it into something other than simply what it is.

5.  Discovery and Refinement:
At Guy du Vin we want you to develop confidence in your own ability to select good wine. Developing self-assurance in your own choices necessitates tasting wines and grape varieties beyond those that are already familiar to you. That means beginning to think about wine in terms that rise above a mere "thumbs up/thumbs down" approach. We certainly don't think you need to analyze or pick apart every wine you drink - it is just wine after all - but if you are interested in expanding, refining and educating your palate, Guy du Vin would be honored to be your guide.