THE IMPORTER BREAKDOWN: THURSTQUEEN SHARES HER FAVORITE IMPORTERS, WHERE TO FIND THEIR WINES, & WHY KNOWING ABOUT THEM WILL LEVEL UP YOUR WINE GAME
When purchasing a bottle of wine, decision fatigue is a real thing. There are so many wines out there, from so many different producers at so many different price points. How do we know if they’re any good?
This is where getting to know the folks who bring them in to the US - aka the Importers - comes into play. I love brushing up my importer knowledge, because I feel like the really good Importers vet wines. I know if I’m purchasing a wine from Kermit Lynch, for example, that chances are it will probably be pretty solid.
My experience with Importers is that they all tend to have certain requirements and categories for the wines they choose to bring on. If I like a couple of wines an importer brings over to the US, I trust them and I often look for their labels on the back of the wines I buy.
The majority of Importers will put a little sticker on the label in the back of the bottle. For the image below, you can see the importer here was Zev Rovine Selections.
The more familiar you get with importers and the wines they bring on, the more likely you’ll be able to curate your wine experience and feel more confident in purchasing wine. I’ve provided a list of some importers I know and love, and what wines to look for from them. Feel free to pull up this article the next time you’re in a small wine shop — I’m sure you’ll find some of these names!
SKURNIK WINES
I was introduced to Skurnik and their portfolio when I worked as a distributor, and they were representing the Italian producer Abazzia de Novacella at the time. Though they don’t carry this wine anymore, they represent larger houses and some of the more “classic” producers. Müller Catoir, a larger German Riesling house from the Pfalz is one of the wines in their portfolio, and they also rep great domestic producers, like Stolpman.
JENNY & FRANCOIS
Jenny & Francois are known within the natural wine community for featuring small producers, and they specialize in a lot of amazing natty wine legends from France, like Alsatian wine Jedi Christian Binner and his ultra glou label, Les Vins de Pirouettes. Their wines are all biodynamic, organic, and crafted in the traditional way, with no technological intervention. Definitely pay attention to their wines from the Loire Valley as well.
JOSÉ PASTOR
If Spanish, Portuguese, and Iberian wines are your thing — definitely look for the wines José Pastor brings in at your local wine shop. José Pastor specializes in supporting Latin American winegrowers, and you can even find rare wines from the Canary Islands on his site. José Pastor focuses on biodynamic, organic, and natural wines that showcase the unique terruños of each vineyard, and are definitely worth getting into.
VOM BODEN
Do you bleed Riesling? Are you obsessed with German and Austrian wines? Then you have to look for wines from Vom Boden. Honestly, I’d say some of the most exciting wines I’ve tried this year have been from the company Stephen Bitterolf founded after working for ten years in the wine industry. Some of my favorite producers are Enderle & Moll, and Keller.
ZEV ROVINE
Zev Rovine features natural wines from all over the globe. Seriously, you’ll likely find stellar producers from places like Croatia, Slovenia, and Greece in addition to heavy hitters from Italy and France. Zev Rovine is considered one of the most influential natty wine importers in the United States, and the producers he brings in typically have lots of old world qualities.
PERCY SELECTIONS
Percy Selections is another great importer who focuses on smaller production wines, and supporting the humans that make them. Just look for the little black and white cartoon character of the dude in the hat with a handlebar mustache and you’ll know you’re purchasing a Percy wine.
SUPER GLOU
Super Glou is really special to me because not only do they care about small production natural winemakers, but they also care about the way these winemakers treat the people who work for them. This importer is all about transparency, and per their name they obviously have some dopeass glous. Perfect for folks who like to drink super delicious, super friendly wine and feel good about doing it!
ROSENTHAL WINE MERCHANT
Rosenthal Wine Merchants have been in the business for nearly 40 years. All wines are chosen based on their sense of place - or terroir. Rosenthal specializes in wines from France, Italy and Switzerland.
KERMIT LYNCH
Is there any importer more famous than Kermit Lynch? Kermit Lynch was a writer/musician before he went into the importing business and the producers he imports are straight up Gs. Bernard Baudry? Check. Guy Breton? Check. Domaine Clape? Check, check, CHECK, baby! If you want to get into wine and get educated on some of the most prestigious Old World producers in the biz, be sure to purchase some of his wines.
SELECTION MASSALE
Another great importer that focuses on small, boutique wineries that work biodynamically and organically would be Selection Massale. These folks bring in legends like Lilian Duplessis, a wizard at crafting incredible Chablis, and Cavarodes, some of the best Pét Nat producers around. A great importer if you’re looking to level up your francophilian wine game.
NOMADIC DISTRIBUTION
Nomadic has an eclectic portfolio that features wines from Morocco, Israel, Lebanon, and the Caucasus. They have a great selection and their customer service is on point. The folks at Nomadic are there to answer any questions you may have about finding wines from these underrepresented regions.
DANCH & GRANGER SELECTIONS
Danch & Granger is the go-to importer for wines from Eastern Europe. If you’re looking to find great producers from Hungary, Bosnia Herzegovina, Serbia, and Croatia — look no further than this family-owned importing business that’s the offspring of the legendary Blue Danube Wine Co.
EMPSON
For folks who love their Italian wines, look no further than Empson. These guys represent so many heavy hitters all over Italy, including Poderi Luigi Einaudi, Terra Bianca, La Casemate, and Pietradolce. These are larger houses, but a lot of them are still great quality Italian wines.
KYSELA PERE ET FILS
Any Châteauneuf de Pape lovers in the house? Look for wines from Kysela. I used to work with a portfolio of some of these wines, slinging Châteauneufs from Alain Jaume and Domaine de la Mordorée to name a few. Their Rhône section is on point, and they have pretty much every single shade of French rosé under the sun.
CONVIVIUM IMPORTS
Sure, I may be a little biased here from having worked with Dan when he was a rep, but I have to tell you - I have never seen a more exciting and delicately curated portfolio of Swiss Wines in my life. Convivium is one of the newer importers to the wine game, but their selection is exciting as all get out! Whether you’re in the market for amphorae aged Chasselais or something striking from the Savoie, be on the lookout for this up-and-comer.
PICK OF THE WEEK: 2020 Bonhomme VDF Rouge Vercheny $27.00 @ Stanleys Wet Goods
To all my Pinot Noir people: get up on this wine stat. This is possibly the brightest, most mineral, high key AF Pinot I’ve had in a long time. The Vercheny Pinot Noir is sourced from the Cheverny, (Vercheny is an anagram for Cheverny.) Cheverny is a commune within the Loire Valley, that has some incredible values coming out of the region.
Picture crazy aromas of sour cherries, with loads of laser-like acidity. This wine is gossamer light, and is sourced from 60-year-old-vines from the biodynamically-farmed grapes from the La Boisserie Vineyard. For folks who love Burgundy and Côtes du Jura wines, but want something that tilts towards a cleaner, leaner style with less animalistic funk.
This wine was imported by Louis Dressner, so if you find yourself a fan — be sure to check out more of their French offerings.