The Value Of Personal Connections
While all the professionals contacted for this article noted the importance of digital platforms like Zoom during Covid-19, some say virtual tastings will never offer the same value as in-person experiences.
Social distancing and the wine business are almost complete contradictions, says Rocco Lombardo, president of Napa-based wine wholesaler and importer Wilson Daniels. For me personally, when done virtually, it doesnt have the same amount of charm or the same impact from an experience perspective.
Lombardo also believes that in-person employee interactions are crucial for business efficiency. For over two months, Wilson Daniels sales, management, and administrative teams have been working remotely. But when its safe for employees to do so, the company will resume normal operations. Productivity levels, collaboration, that sense of team building theyre all improved when you have an in-office experience, Lombardo says.
Like Wilson Daniels, New York City-based wine and spirits importer and distributor Skurnik Wines & Spirits has also closed its offices during the pandemic. Harmon Skurnik, the companys president, describes Covid-19 as a catalyst for changes that were likely going to happen, but sees both benefits and drawbacks of the current reality.
Vinatys Guide To The Japanese Market For Wine Distributors And Importers
One interesting feature of Japans import market is the relative strength of sparkling wine. In Europe, sparkling wine tends to make up a few paltry per cent of a countrys wine imports. In Japan, however, the sparkling wine imports are more than 10% of the import market 35 million liters to be exact surely indicative of wines luxury status on the Japanese market. And this isnt the only way in which the Japan, despite being described as a market of tradition by Food & Beverage Analytics, differs from its European counterparts from the perspective of a small wine distributor. Its most significant importer is Chile France and Italy must content themselves with second and third place respectively. While this highlights the importance of geographical proximity in trade, EU distributors shouldnt despair. The recently signed EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement will, according to Food & Beverage Analytics, is expected to boost European wines in the luxury segment of the market, while Chilean and Australian wines will stay strong among less expensive bottles.
Adapting To Consumer Demand
Some importers have temporarily changed their purchasing habits to meet the high demand for lower-priced wines. Its a retail world right now, says Amy Atwood, owner of Los Angeles-based natural wine importer Amy Atwood Selections. Prior to Covid-19, on-premise clients made up 60 percent of her sales, she explains. But in April, 85 percent of sales came from off-premise retailers.
During the pandemic, Atwood has focused on maintaining a high inventory of entry-level wines the kind of bottles restaurants might typically sell by the glass. Ive been ordering those like crazy, because I know theyre going to sell, she says.
But the shift in focus is only a temporary fix. Now that restaurants have slowly started reopening in many states around the country, Atwood is starting to rebuild her inventory with larger volumes of more expensive wines to appeal to on-premise clients.
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The Importance Of The Wine Importer
Bringing the worlds wine to the shelves of your local wine shop, or to your favorite restaurants wine list, involves a myriad of steps and people to make it happen.
The regulation of alcoholic beverage being brought into the United States falls under the jurisdiction of four government agencies: The Food and Drug Administration , the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau , the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Customs and Border Production . Importers will have to abide by the rules established for import of alcoholic beverages by all these agencies, in addition to holding proper licensing in the state where the wine will be sold.When a person or group of people decide to become an importer, they have much work to do. The importer will have to get an EIN from the U.S. government, in addition to coming up with business and marketing plans and financing. It will have to complete and submit compliance paperwork, and file for a federal import permit. The importer will also have to submit a COLA , because there are federal guidelines regarding what ingredients are in the product and how much sulfite declarations are proper or, if not listed, meet the appropriate guideline and that the tax and production classifications on the label are clearly noted.
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Leading Wholesale Wine Distributor
As a leading Albertan wholesale wine distributor, we aspire to build partnerships with individuals who strive to push the conventional boundaries on both sides of the wine business the producers who grow and make our wines and the retailers and restaurateurs who choose to work with them.
Our mission is to find the Worlds most interesting wines.
A Guide To Becoming A Wine Importer
What you need to know to get startedfrom setting up operations to growing a portfolio
When I was first learning about wine, a wise man told me to always turn the bottle around and note the importer. His logic was that, if you liked a certain wine, there was a good chance youd enjoy other wines from the same portfolio. This approach served me well in my early years, and I quickly learned to chase the brands that bore the badges of Rosenthal, Lynch, Chadderdon, and Wasserman, among others.
Distribution is largely invisible to the end consumer. Brands and portfolios swap allegiances all the time, but the import stamp is by law part of the packaging, which binds the quality of the wine with the reputation of the importer. And the last decade has seen a proliferation of small and medium importers set up shop, country-wide.
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Of course, getting established is one thing staying in the game and developing a reputation is another. For the purposes of this article, I interviewed the owners of five different companies, from various parts of the country, on the perils and pleasures of building and running an import portfolio. The operations range in terms of breadth of focus, size, and business model, but all were established within the last 10 years.
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Importers In Retail And Restaurants
Consumers arent the only ones who benefit from importers expertise. Retailers also develop relationships with importers and study their portfolios to decide which ones best suit their interests and clientele. Subsequently, the stock of imports bearing the stamp of certain importers can inadvertently turn the retailer into an arbiter of taste, too.
Josiah Baldivino, co-owner of Bay Grape, a shop and event space in Napa and Oakland, says that smaller importers often mean smaller producers. For example, Danch & Granger, Grand Cru Selections, Sacred Thirst, Sylvester/Rovine are all among the importers I consistently count on to bring in newer, smaller producers that are exciting and new to the U.S. market. I find these producers often have a higher quality-to-price ratio because they are lesser known in this market, and it feels good as a small business owner myself to support a small producer and a small importer.
Sommeliers and restaurant beverage directors also develop relationships with importers to help them choose what wines can be served at their restaurants. This daunting task is made significantly easier if the sommelier understands who imports what and the importers approach.
Today, an importers signature on a bottle adds value because the more experience the consumer has with a portfolio, the greater confidence there is in a wine selection. Rocco Lombardo, president, Wilson Daniels
Unlock The Cellar With Fine Wines By The Glass
The Wine Syndicate is proud to be the distributor for Coravin in Western Canada. Coravin and its accessories are available to purchase directly through our website.
Coravins groundbreaking wine access technology leaves the cork in place, safeguarding the wine from oxidation and still allowing the wine to evolve naturally. Coravin allows restaurants to pour a bottle of wine over several weeks or months and the ability to offer a selection of high-end, and high margin wines, without the fear of waste.
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Southern Wine And Spirits
Southern Wine and Spirits of America is the largest wine and spirits distributor in the United States with operations in 35 states. Southern’s portfolio is 45% wine and 55% spirits. Since its founding in 1968, Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. , is a nationally recognized wine and spirits distributor known for its historic commitment to delivering the highest standards of customer service and creative marketing programs and partnerships.
The Company is also known for its best-in-industry sales and marketing professionals it is efficient and effective and well-trained sales, operational and support staff its ongoing investments in and contributions to hospitality and beverage education for this staff its customers and to many national educational institutions. In addition, Southern is justly respected for its deeply held belief in the importance of giving back, for being a socially responsible corporate citizen and for making generous contributions to national, state and local charitable organizations.
The Future Of Wine Importers
Both Angelo and Guibord believe that the future holds great promise to importers who specialize in underdog varieties and little-known regions.
Wine consumers are more curious and adventurous than ever when it comes to exploring regions, varietals and countries, says Guibord, who imports some Turkish wine labels. This demand is leading to the creation of more and more specialty importers.
Angelo adds that as more and more wines infiltrate the market, more importers will begin to streamline their focus and carve out their hyper niches. Were going to see more outside-of-the-box focuses like family-owned wineries, wines made by minorities or wines made by unusual grapes.
But, for Neal Rosenthal, the future of wine importing is a bit more complicated.
Its going to be very challenging to navigate the effects of climate change and succession, he says. Were already seeing the impacts of climate change with vast differences year to year in production levels and how it is rearranging the landscape . When it comes to succession, the small family estates are in peril the valuation of vineyard land has become very high, which makes it much more difficult to pass on and maintain viability for these family-run domains.
All we can do is wait, see and drink.
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Frederick Wildman And Sons
Frederick Wildman and Sons is a New York-based fine wine importer offering the leading properties from France, Italy, Spain, Argentina, and other regions Frederick Wildman & Sons – Wholesale Company was established with the inception of the Company in 1934. Its origins date back to the year after the repeal of prohibition and were created to support the portfolio of top estates from around the world in the New York metro area.
/02/2019 Canadas Thirst For Wine Is Strong And Increasing Associate With These Importers To Boost Your Business
Canada is among the worlds top consumers of imported wines. When Canadians raise a glass of wine its mostly foreign brand, thats partly because the domestic wine industry remains too small to supply to their thirst. The younger generation of Canada has slowly shifted away from beer and is consuming wine at higher rates. Canada appreciates and embraces wine on a different level- socially when they are with their friends and casually when they are at home. Over 70 percent of imported wine is consumed here.
Connect with these wine importers who share a great passion for wine and speed up your business.
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Johnson Brothers Liquor Co
Johnson Brothers Liquor Co. was founded in 1953. It offers full-service distribution including wine, spirits, beer, water, and other non-alcoholic beverages. It serves in 22 states, in the upper Midwest and Southwest regions. It also provides professional sales consulting services and design and printing services.
Headquarters: St. Paul, Minn.
COO: Todd Johnson
Wine Importers To Know
The name of the importer, in a lot of cases, is a reflection of that persons palate, says Kermit Lynch, founder of Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant and author of Adventures on the Wine Route: A Wine Buyers Tour of France , a book that documented his food- and wine-soaked journeys throughout Old World vineyards now considered hallowed grounds by many U.S. wine lovers.
My book inspired people to become importers, and I dont blame them, says Lynch. What an incredible job! I cant think of anything more funeating and drinking well every day. Reading that book inspired lots of Americans to become competitors with me.
Lynch opened a wine shop to only sell his customers wines that he had tasted or approved. His focus was on the Old World, mainly small, family-owned, estate-bottled wines from France and Italy. His commitment to smaller estates went against the négociants, who held all the power at the time, and totally changed the complexion of the wine world in France.
Lynch believes its useful for consumers to differentiate among importers portfolios and palates.
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You can agree with the taste of one importer or with another, he says. Youll run into a few good bottles from one importer and then a few from another importer and start looking for the names of the importer, and chances are youll like what you find.
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Quality Authenticity And Personal Touch
Palm Bay has earned a reputation as a go-to source for a carefully selected range of wines and spirits from around the globe that offer quality and value within their respective categories. This is supported by a caring and dedicated approach to business, long-term relationships with partners, consistently excellent service, and superior resources.
- NV/MV France Champagne93Points
This is a delicately poised wine, with touches of structure from the Pinot Noir grape skins. It feels rich as well as fruity, showing weight as well as bright red fruits. Drink now.
Wine EnthusiastDecember 2020
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Plus and supple, offerring a juicy quality to the plum, raspberry and wild strawberry flavors.
Elegant Reds Award
- 93PointsBest Buy
The mild, citrus aroma leads into a bouncy lemon palate that finishes clean, with brisk lemon-pepper heat. Botanicals include elderflower and citrus. Best Buy.
Wine EnthusiastOctober 2021
- 88PointsBest Buy
This wines floral and baking spice aromas pave the way for refreshing pineapple, kiwi and freesia flavors. Its smooth in the mouth, with citrus and floral notes that mingle on the pleasant finish.
Wine EnthusiastAugust 21, 2017
- NV/MV Italy Conegliano91Points
Resembling chocolate milk in the glass, this decadent, dessertlike sipper melts like a chocolate truffle, coating the tongue and palate with creamy, milky, rich hazelnut and cocoa flavors. Chocolate-lovers will enjoy this velvety, luscious treat.
Wine EnthusiastFebruary 2016
What Is A Wine Importer And What Do They Do
If youre an inquisitive wine drinker, you might want to know what village the wine came from, what soil types the vine grew on and how long the wine was aged. But few think about how the bottle got to the wine shop from the producers winery in a faraway land.
Thats where wine importers come in.
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Dimitri Wine & Spirits
In 1984, Dimitri, owner of Dimitri Wine & Spirits Inc. started his own fine wine and beer distribution company which is still thriving in the Quad Cities for over 3 decades. Dimitris leadership is easily identifiable by looking at the long list of local organizations that he assists. Throughout his service as proprietor of Dimitri Wine and Spirits, Dimitri has adamantly supported local organizations through his love of wine by serving on boards, donating wine and beer for tastings, and participating in local fundraisers at all different levels. Apart from business Dimitris leadership and support are the driving forces behind the event. He is one of the founders of the St. Ambrose University Wine Festival. He works each year with a volunteer, community-driven committee to raise funds for an important cause that attracts nearly 800 people to campus. He has inspired many others to join in this effort, as well as helping others to create similar efforts through complimentary events.
