A matter of mass import

It's all about who's behind the bottle

By TYLER BALLIET

del.ico.us | digg it! | reddit!

print | email | 2 Comments

Picking a random bottle of wine off the shelf at your local wine shop or grocery can be hit or miss. One surefire way of always getting the good stuff is to turn the bottle around and read the fine print on the back label. Importing companies bring wine into the US from Europe and there are a few that go out of their way to only bring in the absolute best wines they can find. If you see these names on the back of the bottle, you're holding a truly kickass bottle of wine.

Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant (KLWM) is legendary for their French wine selections. Kermit Lynch imported a full range of French wines to California starting in the '70s. He insisted on actually going to France and tasting every wine before he purchased them, a method that few of his competitors practiced. Today, the company still imports high-quality—but not necessarily expensive—bottles of small-production, French wines.

[kermitlynch.com]

Jorge Ordoñez is the man credited with introducing Americans to Spanish wine. After the fall of the Franco government in 1975, Spanish vineyards were one of the wine world's best kept secrets. Old and extremely high-quality vines littered the countryside, but few Americans, including the writers and critics, had heard of the regions and grapes. In the late '80s, Ordoñez started introducing Americans to grapes like verdejo and regions like Jumilla. While it was a slow, uphill battle, the prices were cheap and the quality of wine was high, so it started catching on. Today, Ordoñez brings in some of Spain's finest, small-production wines. Pick any bottle and he won't steer you wrong. Find a large selection of Jorge Ordoñez wines at Estragon [700 Harrison Ave., Boston. 617.266.0443. estragontapas.com]

European Cellars followed in the footsteps of Kermit Lynch and Jorge Ordoñez. Eric Solomon started the company by importing French wine from lesser-known regions when he was only 35 years old (a very young age for the wine business). He eventually stumbled upon a bottle of fabulous but completely unheard of Spanish wine in the mid-'90s and quickly expanded his portfolio to contain 65-percent Spanish labels. Today, European Cellars imports a long list of affordable yet totally baller Spanish vino. [europeancellars.com]

Rosenthal Wine Merchant began in 1978 by Neal Rosenthal who had the objective of importing wines from "growers who were dedicated to producing limited quantities of the finest-quality wines." The company brings in wine from France and Italy. Every bottle with the Rosenthal label is different and tastes of the region the grapes are grown in. [madrose.com]

Empson & Company was created in 1972 by Neil and Maria Empson who wanted to show the world the kinds of quality wines Italy had to offer. Working with only the best vineyards and winemakers, Empson imports some of Italy's best, but still affordable, wines into the United States and other countries across the globe. [empson.com]