We live in a global economy. Globalization of the wine industry has had both positive and negative consequences. Multinational wine producing behemoths increasingly dictate the wines we drink and in many cases this means a more generic, or international, style of wine. The phrase “international wine style” is used to describe wines that, while often quite good, don’t reflect a specific place or tradition. The antitheses of these wines are homemade wines that, like the homemade noodles featured in this week’s iDeal section, are deliciously bucking the mega trends of globalism.

But what exactly is a homemade wine? Is it the same as handcrafted, artisan or boutique wine? Yes, kind of. The semantics behind these words denote a sense of hands-on work that’s implemented on a small scale.

As my friends at Misha’s Vineyard in Central Otago point out, there are a host of hand-related terms used to describe the manual work involved in making wine.

These include hand-pruning, hand-picking, hand-sorting and hand-plunging. In fact, from cultivation to harvesting and in every step of the winemaking the human touch is emphasized while machines and mass production techniques are de-emphasized. This is the essence of homemade wines.

Homemade, handcrafted, artisan, boutique wines — or whatever you wish to call them — can be found in many wine regions. Here are some of my favorites.

Thorne and Daugthers. Established only three years ago, this neophyte Western Cape, South Africa winery has been making a disproportionately loud noise on the wine scene. Thorne and Daughters — yes the family has two cute young daughters — is a family-run, hands on operation that makes stunningly individualistic white wines. Their Rocking Horse Cape White is an intriguing blend of Roussanne, Chardonnay, Semillon and Chenin Blanc and offers aromas and flavors of orange blossoms and peaches with pleasing herbal and floral notes. Equally compelling is the Tin Soldier Semillon that spent nine months in French oak and features an unusual copper color, a result of fruit and skin contact. The wine has lively fruity aromas and rich red and pithy fruit flavors with a smooth lengthy finish.

Thorne and Daughters exemplifies the potential of dedicated small producers. Only 3,800 bottles of the Rocking Horse Cape White were made, with 180 available in China. Meanwhile, of the 950 bottles of The Tin Soldier produced, only 90 made their way to China.

Misha’s Vineyard. I first visited the sloping vineyards of this Central Otago winery in 2009 and I’ve been a huge fan ever since. Misha’s Vineyard was established over a decade ago by two IT professionals with successful careers in Asia. Andy and Misha Wilkinson have combined their business acumen and passion to make some of New Zealand’s most distinctive and best wines. Typically Central Otago in terms of strength, their wines also exhibit elegance and complexity.

Except for a little necessary tractor work in the vineyards, the cultivation and winemaking is done by hand. Excellent Misha’s Vineyard wines available in Shanghai include the Impromptu and High Note Pinot Noir red wines and Dress Circle Pinot Gris, Lyric Riesling, Starlet Sauvignon Blanc and Gallery Gewurztraminer white wines. All of these theatrically named wines are wonderful performers that put your palate in the spotlight.

Le Clos du Gravillas. If you’re looking for good value French wines, the Languedoc region in southern France is a great place to start. One fine destination for artisanal wines is Clos du Gravillas, owned and managed by John and Nicole Bojanowski. The husband and wife team make a limited quantity of wonderfully idiosyncratic wines from local varieties. Three Le Clos du Gravillas wines available in Shanghai are the Carignan, Syrah and Grenache blend Rendez-Vous Sur la Lune, seven local varietal Sous Les Caillous des Grillons and single varietal Lo Vielh Carignan de 100 Ans. This trio of handcrafted Languedoc reds offers refined drinking at reasonable prices.

Moon-Tsai & Palazzo Wines. The most famous wine region in the United States is Napa Valley, a region that pioneered the handmade and boutique wine movements. Two wineries exemplify these ideals.

From the inaugural 2006 vintage, Moone-Tsai has been making some of Napa Valley’s most lusciously delicious Cabernet Sauvignon wines. Moone-Tsai is a joint venture between Mike Moone, the former president of Beringer Vineyards and Mary Ann and Larry Tsai. Mary Ann worked with Mike Moone at Beringer and is one of Napa’s most accomplished businesswomen. Larry is a first generation Chinese-American with extensive business experience. I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention Philippe Melka, the winemaker from France who worked at Chateaux Haut Brion and Petrus as well as top California producer Ridge Vineyards. He’s now working at a much smaller scale, but with equally good results.

Scott Palazzo of Palazzo Wines can be called a Napa dwarf star with production so small that he doesn’t even have his own winery. Grapes from his vineyards are vinified and aged at a friend’s winery. Three decades ago Scott lived and worked in Saint Emilion so his wines are not so surprisingly Right Bank in style with an emphasis on the charm and elegance of the Merlot and Cabernet Franc varieties. The mostly Merlot Proprietary Red and the single variety Cabernet Franc are two of Napa’s best red wines. The later is also the house red wine for the acclaimed French Laundry restaurant. At Palazzo Wines everything important is done by Scott and trust me, homemade never tasted so good. So the next time you handpick a wine for a special occasion, make sure it’s handmade.

Region & Style at a glance

Varieties:

The most important white grape in South Africa is Chenin Blanc but the Sauvignon Blanc, Roussanne, Semillon and Chardonnay varieties also play important roles.

Key Term:

In 1973 the Wine of Origin (WO) appellation system was established in South Africa to organize and play a similar role in regulating wine production as the AC and DOC/DOCG systems play in France and Italy.

Where to buy in Shanghai