• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

By Root 704 0

name-brand wine, what does the name tell you? For one, it lets you know that money has been spent to build the brand. That money has to come from somewhere—either you, in the form of a higher price, or the wine, with resources funneled away from grape-growing and winemaking, and into marketing. That doesn’t necessarily make the wines less good, but it may make them more expensive. Clearly, you are better off if you can pay less and get more from an unsung winery. It’s just a question of finding them, and I have a simple answer.

Again, it’s not what you know, but who you know. For French and Italian wines as with all others, a great importer is your quality ally, saving you all the trial-and-error needed to discover the gems in every wine region. Here are the players, and the wines and regions for which they are known.

“WHO’S WHO” AMONG FRANCE’S ELITE IMPORTERS A refreshing Provence rosé for your al fresco weekend gathering? A big, chewy Southern French red to go with your beef stew? A wonderful Loire Valley dessert wine to rock your world? Start with the importers here.

Kermit Lynch Kermit has been scouring the backroads of France for a long time. He represents elite, classic producers from great regions like the Rhône, Alsace, and Burgundy, and so much more.

Eric Solomon Some Burgundy, and nice rustic wines from the Rhône and the south of France.

Robert Kacher Selections Bobby Kacher is a marathon searcher, sourcing great producers from all over, but especially Burgundy, the Loire, the Rhône, and unsung appellations from southwest France.

In addition to these, there may be some talented regional importers in your local market. Any good retailer will know the names to look for (and will be carrying those wines), so ask.

“WHO’S WHO” FOR TUTTO ITALIA—BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE BEST IMPORTERS With twenty regions, it is obvious that there is much more to Italy than Tuscany, Piedmont, and Veneto. Here are the names that can help you explore it:

Marco DeGrazia Specializes in Piedmont and Tuscan wines, but represents great producers from all over; always finds the up-and-comers.

Neil Empson Represents some of the great Tuscan wineries, as well as top producers from the northern regions of Trentino, Veneto, and Friuli. Check out their Sardinian wines, too.

Leonardo Locascio Top wineries from all the classic regions, especially Tuscany, but also a specialist in southern Italian wines (southern Italy is where the deals are so check these wines out).

Vinifera Imports Mostly classic regions and styles in this portfolio, but a real “who’s who” of winery names.

Vin Divino Quite a broad portfolio, but especially strong in northern Italy’s quality regions such as Piedmont, Trentino, and Friuli.

CHAPTER NINE

Shop Talk

Buying Wine for All Occasions and Selecting Wine for Food

Would you rather: do some serious shopping for wine, or go to the dentist? I haven’t conducted an official poll, but I’m willing to bet the dentist ranks pretty high. After all, at the dentist’s office, with a little mind over matter, you can fantasize that you’re reclining in a chaise lounge surfside, and that grit in your mouth is just a bit of ambient sand.

In the wine shop, on the other hand, buyers often feel overwhelmed and skeptical, certain that they’re going to be made to overspend or feel stupid. Worse, they fear getting suckered into buying some plonk that’s passed off enthusiastically as a bargain. Restaurants don’t always make wine buyers feel much better—with those markups above the retail price, patrons fear they won’t get good value for their money. And then there’s the attitude. Is that a bottle of wine you’re buying, or a badge of status (and how will you be treated if you’re not buying the top rank?).

We will deal with buying in this chapter. We’re no longer talking about what specific buys will taste like or how to get what you want, because you are perfectly capable of assessing bottles and labels on your own now, and your tastes have become more firmly defined. Instead, we’ll look at the practical side of retail buying from supermarkets