There are thousands of wines out there. Be careful.

Some are mass-produced in factories, in an inoffensive style (= bland), then sold on the back of vast marketing budgets. At the other end of the scale are the overblown reputations and vanity projects, with names that carry a premium.

So, how do you get the best stuff in the middle? We're talking wines made by people who care. Wines that break the norm, without breaking the bank. The answer is... you have to go and find them.

Fact: most wine buyers never leave the office. It's easier not to.

Virgin Wines' buyers get on planes, rent cars, meet inspiring winemakers, practice their French (and Italian and Spanish and German) and taste their way through 1,000s of wines. All to bring you the good stuff. (Best job in the world, and they still complain).

Now in all this, we're making a few assumptions...

We're guessing you like

• Paying for the liquid in the bottle, not the name on the label
• Wallet-friendly prices
• Winemakers who do their thing for love, not money
• Hand-crafted wines from smaller estates
• Wines that taste as nature intended
• Grapes handled with care — no excessive filtering or pumping
• Wines you won't find all over the place

And dislike

• Paying for marketing budgets, instead of good wine
• Factory-made wines
• Big egos
• Snazzy estates (See also: busloads of tourists)
• Estates owned by lawyers, dentists or golf pros
• Showing up to a dinner party with the same wine as your neighbor, and your neighbor's neighbor
• Weird things added to your wine (sugar, water, citric acid: oh yes)

If this list made you nod your head, you really should check out our wines. Just saying.