The importance of Importers?

There is a fairly recent phenomenon occuring at various points around the country that I call the small importer/small distributor hookup. We don't have it here in New Hampsphire as we have a communist distribution system. But we did have it in Maine and loved it.

Typically some guy or gal with some change in their pockets go overseas to the region(s) they are interested in and establish a relationship with small producers. With license in hand they contact small distributors in their area who in turn sell to independent retailers. Sometimes these distributors have networks with similar sorts in other parts of the country and these also start getting wine from the importer. We have enjoyed many great wines at fantastic prices from these arrangements.

Don't know if you have such an arrangement in New Jersey, but if you wander into an independent retailer and see boxes of interesting wines lying around, with importers names on them you have never heard of, you may have hit paydirt.

Just to add my voice to the others: when I am confronted by an imported wine that I know nothing about, I look at the back label (importer, broker) for guidance even more than the front label. As other have said, there are certain importers who I put my faith in even if I haven't tasted the product in question. One issue that hasn't yet been raised (or I missed it) is that you need to find importers who share your tastes in wine, just as you must with critics. For me, that means finding wines imported by Kermit Lynch, Louis/Dressner, Robert Chadderon, Neal Rosenthal, Terry Theise/Eric Solomon and Weygandt-Metzler and selected by Becky Wasserman. There are a couple of importers (North Berkeley, Robert Kacher) that I trust in certain situations and not in others, just as I do with the critical opinions of Mr. RMP.

Mark Lipton

Anyone have any opinions on Monsieur Touton Selections? I've noticed quite a few wines in the DC area w/ their name on them.

Monsieur Touton Selections?

Hit or miss for me with these guys. I've had quite a few spoofy wines from them and tend in general to shy away but recently I did have a few decent wines of theirs (Do Zoe Ria Baixas, La Rosee de Pavie, and La Chapelle de la Bastide Picpoul).

Anyone have any opinions on Monsieur Touton Selections? I've noticed quite a few wines in the DC area w/ their name on them.

In my experience, with this importer you need to know the specific wine, which means it is better to rely on your retailer in this case.

* Ex Cellars Wine Agencies Inc., Solvang, Cailf. (France)
* John Given, Manhasset, N.Y. (Italian wines)
* Kermit Lynch, Berkeley, Calif. (Mostly European, predominantly French)
* Kysela Pere & Fils, Winchester, Va. (European)
* Laurel Glen, Santa Rosa, Calif. (Argentina and Chile)
* Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, N.Y. (International; watch particularly for Terry Theise selections from Germany, Austria and Champagne)
* Palm Bay Imports, Boca Raton, Fla. (International, many French and Italian)
* Robert Whale Selections, Washington, D.C. (Australia)
* VIAS Imports Ltd., NYC (Italian)
* Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, Ala. (France, South Africa)
* Vintner Select, Cincinnati (International, many French and Italian)
* Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, Pa. (European)
* William Grant & Sons, NYC (France, Port)
* Wines of France Inc., Mountainside, N.J. (France)

Please note that this list is only a sample, not an unabridged directory. I'm sure I've overlooked some favorites; moreover, not all of these companies are represented in every state, and - regretfully - these names will be of little or no use to our many readers in other countries.</i>

This article yielded such a bag full of (E)mail that I did a follow-up in the next issue:

<i> ... I did indeed receive the flood of comments that I had expected in the wake of Wednesday's personal gallery of importers whose wines have impressed me. Quite a few of you pointed out specific importers who really deserve attention, so here is a supplemental list featuring a few more good ones, listed alphabetically. If you're saving Wednesday's list for reference, I suggest you paste on this addendum.

* Empson (USA) Inc., Alexandria, Va. Italian wines.
* European Cellars Direct, NYC (Eric Solomon). Mostly small European producers.
* Jorge Ordoñez (Spain). Represented by various regional importers.
* Louis/Dressner, NYC. Mostly French, highly idiosyncratic, many organic or biodynamic. Small company, available only in limited markets.
* Old Bridge Cellars, Napa, Calif. Australian wines.
* Stacole Co., Boca Raton, Fla. Italian wines.
* Vin DiVino, Chicago. Italian wines.

And a few more with minor reservations, as noted:

* Frederick Wildman & Sons, NYC. European wines. Large importer, some mass-market labels, but Wildman's portfolio includes many winners.
* Grateful Palate, Oxnard, Calif. The name in Australian imports, but its overall profile seems geared toward highly Parker-rated blockbusters. Look for lower-end items from less familiar producers and regions and you can do very well.
* Hand Picked Selections, Warrenton, Va. Mostly artisanal producers, many from Southern France. A few very good (Chateau Lancyre and Chateau du Donjon from Languedoc and Domaine de Montagnette from the Rhone, for instance) but others seem like the leftovers after other importers finished harvested the low-hanging fruit.
* Robert Kacher, Washington, D.C. International, emphasis on France. Can rank with the best but requires cherry-picking, with some lackluster items at the lower end.
* Winebow Inc., NYC (Leonardo Locascio). Another large importer with a broad portfolio that includes some mass-market items, but Locascio's name on an Italian selection almost always makes it worth a look.</i>

I pretty much agree with the list(s) that you posted Robin. Obviously we depart a little but overall it is a great list of importers. One I am not so fond of is Palm Bay (with whom I have had some problem), and then of course you know I am a big fan of Hand Picked Selections. And, I am not a big fan of the Grateful Palate ( if I read right you are not either). overall yours is a list one could "take to the store"

Anyone have any opinions on Monsieur Touton Selections? I've noticed quite a few wines in the DC area w/ their name on them.

I know a few things since they just muscled their way into the Chicago area a few months ago:

1. Quality varies somewhat. They do have many good or very good wines, but you and/or your retailer have to be selective.

2. Prices are highly competitive. A good wine from them will almost always have a high QPR. If your looking in the $10-$15 price range, Touton will often have better wine than some of the importers that make their reputations on more expensive wines.

3. They don't play well with others. Touton has no qualms about bringing in a wine that already has distribution, and undercutting the existing distributor's price to gain business (after the existing distributor has invested in building the brand). It's a matter of perspective whether this is consumer-friendly competition or taking advantage of others' work.

4. They don't take a lot of chances on interesting, hard-to-find wines. Torrontes is about as unusual as they will go.

5. They seem to favor independent stores. My understanding is that they don't deal with Binny's or Sam's (Chicago's two biggest wine retailers).