IMPORTant To Know  

When visiting your local wine store how do you select your wines?  Perhaps you look at a wine magazine for ideas or get suggestions from friends.  Many use visual cues like catchy labels.  Instead of looking at the front label, try turning the bottle around to see who imported the wine.  Knowing key importers is a secret shortcut that wine professionals use to find great wines from all over the world.  You are leveraging the experience, knowledge and palate of someone who has toured extensively picking only the wines they want to represent.  Think of the importer as your wine scout. 

Three Tiers Before Your Table

A “three tier system” is used to distribute wines in most states, including Maryland.  Wineries transform grapes into wine which is then sold to distributors.   In Maryland, only distributors are legally allowed to sell wine to retailers (e.g. wine stores or grocery stores) and restaurants.  In this three tier system, wineries are the first tier, distributors are the second tier and the point of sale (restaurant or retail) is the third tier.  With foreign wines, the importer acts as agent for many different wineries helping them market and secure distribution for their wines.  Without importers only large wineries would have the resources to be represented on our wine shelves.  The importer’s reputation is directly linked to the quality of the wines they represent, which is an incentive for importers to hunt down the best wines.  It would be impractical to adequately specialize in the entire world of wine. Importers usually focus on a region or stylistic focus.  Finding an importer with a palate for the wines you enjoy gives you hundreds or thousands of wines from which to choose.  Think of the time you save researching and tasting wines from each of these vineyards! 

Message On The Bottle

The importer is usually listed on the back label but occasionally on the front.  If you find a wine you love, make sure to not only note the winery name but also the importer.  While distributors vary from state to state, the importer is your constant.  Many distributors have excellent websites with information on producers, wines and who distributes them in each state.  If you encounter a favorite wine traveling overseas, it can be trickier since not all wines are imported to the Unites States.  If you visit the wineries, ask if they are distributed here, and if so, by whom.  Sadly, that tasty Rosé you sipped in southern France will remain a precious memory unless you tucked a few bottles into your suitcase (and declared them at customs, of course).    

Who’s IMPORTant?

Taste in wine is personal. One man’s Yellowtail may be another man’s Opus One.  Even a table full of wine experts can sometimes have trouble finding consensus.  What is important is finding the right wine scout (aka importer) for you.  To do this you learn their palate and their philosophy.  Work with your retailer to target a few importers that may fit your needs.  Then ask for wine suggestions to taste as research.  Here are a few of my favorite importers, but this is by no means a comprehensive list—that would take a whole book to cover!

French Wines—Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA

If there were a father of the modern day wine importer it would definitely be Kermit Lynch.  As a self described hippie from the sixties, Kermit began a retail wine shop in 1972 when the selection from Europe was minimal.  A trip to France changed all that.  He tasted many amazing wines from small producers and wondered why they never made it to the United States.  His discoveries in France spawned his import company with a portfolio full of fine wines no one had heard of but would soon come to love.  While he offers thoughtful selections from the usual suspects like Burgundy or Bordeaux, it is the wines from little known regions like Cahors, Bourgueil or Gigondas that make his portfolio truly exciting.  Thanks to his pioneering efforts we now have many more importers offering us these “boutique” wines from all over the world. 

For more info visit www.kermitlynch.com

 Italian Wines—Verdoni Imports, Hawthorne, NJ

Looking for great values from Italy?  Look no further than Verdoni Imports.  Founded in 1996 Verdoni Imports is one of the few importers focusing solely on value-priced, family-run Italian producers. For the past three decades, Mr. Verdoni has worked in all facets of the wine industry—from owning a wine store to building brands for one of the largest importers.  His wealth of experience has given him a reputation as an Italian wine expert.  In addition to importing, Mr. Verdoni has worked with Italy’s foremost wine scholars, grape growers and retailers to create his own line of proprietary wines.

For more info visit www.verdoniimports.com  

Hopefully when you stroll through the wine aisles you’ll remember to look for the IMPORTant information.  Knowing key wine importers in each region will make wine shopping much easier no matter where your travels take you.