A recent report in Wine Business Monthly confirmed for me the suspicion that more and more wines are being made by small producers whose stock is hard to find.

The report found that there are now 11,601 wineries in the United States — mostly on the West Coast. A whopping 83 percent of them produce less than 2,000 cases a year — half of that produce only 1,000 cases annually.

Almost all of the American wine you find in grocery stores and retail outlets are made by Gallo, The Wine Group, Trinchero, Delicato or Constellation Brands. Gallo’s production is more than the others combined.

I constantly find a special wine while traveling on the West Coast and am frustrated when I can’t get it locally. It costs a lot to ship wine, but I often do that just for the pleasure of having it here.

Small producers are likely to multiply in number because it’s a business formula that works. Small scale means high consumer prices but even at $100, the producer does not have to sell a lot. He sells it in his tasting room and wine club, thus avoiding the costs of a national distributor.