Get to know your Importer

Here in Michigan, as sellers of alcohol, operate in a three-tier system, ensuring all booze is properly taxed and only sold to those who can legally consume. The three levels are: 

Retailers – That's us! We, be it online or at our brick & mortar, sell product directly to you, our clients. 
Distributors and Wholesalers work with the state and various counties to move product from Suppliers to Retailers and Restaurants 
Suppliers (in our case, Importers) bring a product into market, directly from a producer, or a brokerage 

At Lutine, we choose to do lots of work directly with importers of wine. By working with importers directly, we’re able to source boutique wines that might not be brought to Michigan without us (or other esteemed retailers) championing them. But what really gets us excited by this work is that we’re getting ourselves closer to the wineries, the vineyards, the families, and the stories that help to make up a wine. 

As a consumer, learning to shop by importer is a great way to make new discoveries and keep chasing new flavors. Oftentimes importers will work with a specific ethos in mind, aligning themselves with similarly-minded vigneron. For example, Louis Dressner import wines from producers that pride themselves on showcasing terroir and varietal ‘correctness’ while farming organically/biodynamically and adding little to their wines in the cellar.  Generally speaking, these shared principles yield a consistency of flavor and within their portfolio.  
This mindset extends to most of the companies we list below. While different bottles and producers will, of course, have different qualities, it can generally be safe to assume that if you really love (or hate) a particular wine, you’ll probably love (of hate) other wines brought to market by that Importer.  

A list of some of our favorite importers of wine, in no particular order: 

Louis Dressner

Louis/Dressner Selections represents a collection of over 100 vignerons from countries such as France, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Slovenia, and Chile. The company is a partnership between Denyse Louis, a Burgundian native, Joe Dressner, and Kevin McKenna. They dedicate nearly nine months of each year to working in Europe with growers, selecting wines for import to the United States. Early pioneers in the natural wine movement, they were ahead of their time in promoting wines made with minimal intervention and maximum authenticity.

Their focus is not on creating brands but on collaborating with passionate growers committed to producing honest, original wines. These wines may appear old-fashioned in today’s context, but they’re almost revolutionary for their authenticity and craftsmanship. Louis/Dressner avoids exaggerated, fruit-heavy wines, preferring those made with simplicity, passion, and integrity. The brand itself is a reflection of the synergy between these unconventional growers and their American importers, united in creating natural wines. Their guiding principles emphasize winemaking with respect for tradition, resulting in pure, fundamental expressions of each region's terroir.

Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant  
Kermit Lynch is, perhaps, the most important modern American importer of wine. He introduced regional European wines to the Americas and worked to improve quality standards in growing and shipping.  His business was built on personal relationships, choosing to work with innovative vigneron that rejected commercial agriculture. The list of estates and fa he introduced to the Americans is unparalleled, too long to really list here.  
Though he’s passed the business operations to his son, many of those first, important, vigneron still choose to do business with him. Along with that old guard, new producers continue to join the ranks, building this storied importer’s legacy and gracing our shores with incredible bottles from France and Italy. 

Wilson Daniels 
Friends Win Wilson and Jack Daniels founded Wilson Daniels in the late 1970s with the singular vision of introducing refined, terroir-driven producers to the American public. While they stated with a slate of 3 Napa producers, they quickly expanded to France. Their first international client, Domaine de la Romanée Conti, still works exclusively with them in the USA.  
Working with one of the world’s great wineries allowed Wilson Daniels to develop their decidedly boutique approach, focusing on the most classic examples of a given territory. To taste a wine brought to market by Wilson Daniels is to experience what a wine is ‘supposed’ to taste like [from a traditional perspective]. 
Here’s a quick hit list of some of our favorite wineries brought to Michigan by Wilson Daniels: 
France – Domaine de la Romanée Conti, Domaine Laroche, Famille Joly, Peyrassol 
USA – Schramsberg Vineyards, Bergström Wines 
New Zealand – Millton Vineyards, Te Mata Estate 
Italy – Gaja, Biondi Santi, Val di Suga, Elvio Cogno, Elena Walch, Dal Forno Romano, Benanti, Arnaldo Caprai  

Jenny & Francois

Jenny Lefcourt started her wine journey while she was studying French films during her PhD at Harvard. Visits to wine bars and vineyards led her to a passion in wine. During her trips, she would return with suitcases full of wines and share with friends and peers. With the help of her uncle, she was introduced to the logistic side of importing. With no experience in hospitality, let alone working in wine – Jenny, with her then husband and now Burgundian winemaker Francois Ecot, started Jenny & Francois. Since 2000, Jenny & François Selections has been at the forefront of importing natural wines to America. For years, she would sell directly to shops and had no warehouse or actual stock of wines. As the demand for natural wines grew higher and more programming in bars and retail shops focused on sustainable practices, the company kept growing. Their portfolio offers both value and quality day-to-day wines, as well as rare, small production projects. 

Winemakers that we love from the Jenny & Francois portfolio are: Las Jaras, Christian Tschida, Gut Oggau, Milan Nestarec, Les Vins Pirouettes, Franz Strohmeir, Andres Tscheppe, Max Dexheimer, Herve Souhaut, 2Naturkinder, Strekov 1075, Joe Swick, and Vinca Minor. 

 
Zev Rovine Selections
A relatively new importer, Zev Rovine was founded in 2007 with the goal of bringing more ‘natural wines’ to the New York (and then the greater US) market. The wines which got Zev excited produce wines that dogmatically eschew the use of additives in the vineyard and cellar, focusing exclusively on grape, place, and style. Often times, this means the wines have a liveliness and energy to them which is hard to match when compared to more traditional producers. However, this minimalism also increases volatility and bottle to bottle variation.  
Over the last decade and a half this portfolio has grown expansively, representing a group of ~150 like-minded vigneron from Canada to South Africa. 
Some of the more Avant-Garde producers in our lineup are from Zev Rovine Selections, including Frank Cornelissen, Jean-Yves Peron, Meinklang, Weingut Weirlitsch, Gabrio Bini, etc. 

Charles Neal

Charles Neal began importing wine in 1988. Charles is an accomplished writer who mainly focused on French spirits such as Calvados, Brandy, and Armagnac. During his exploring the Southwestern regions of France, he began importing wines with a singular mission: find high quality wines from small growers that display the grape variety from which they come and the terroir upon which they are grown while getting them to a customer at a fair price. Charles has spent the last eighteen years exploring the backroads of France, seeking winemakers from areas that have often been neglected by larger importers. Within those regions, Unrepresented appellations became the backbone of the importing operation. This includes Madiran, Jurançon, Gaillac, Fronton, Marcillac and Béarn, as well as the unheralded Alpine crus of Chignin, Arbin, Apremont, Ripaille and Marestel. 

 
Winemakers that we love from the Charles Neal portfolio are – Maison Angelot, Domaine Des Coteaux Des Travers, Erik Rodez, Domaine Pierre-Luc Bouchaud, Domaine De Colette, Domaine and Maurice Charleaux Et Fils.  

Vom Boden                                                                                                   “Never for money, always for love”. Vom Boden is a small wine import company focused on representing small-scale growers, primarily from Germany, but also from Austria, France, and the U.S. The common thread among the wineries it represents is their "human scale," meaning they are small, personal operations. While larger wine operations benefit from economies of scale, Vom Boden values the individuality and detail found in smaller producers. The company prides itself on having a portfolio full of the smallest estates, embracing the idea of being the "biggest of the smallest." These winemakers often exist on the fringes, whether geographically or in their farming methods. They practice respectful farming, with many being organic or biodynamic, though the emphasis is on doing things correctly rather than following trends. This approach helps preserve vineyards that have been cultivated for generations. Overall, the growers use non-interventionist, minimalist methods to honor their land and traditions. 

 Winemakers that we love from the Vom Boden portfolio – Enderle & Moll, Beurer, Julian Haart, Peter Lauer, Hermann Ludes, Ulli Stein, J.B. Becker, Keller, Brand Brothers, Seehof, Weiser-Künstler, Glow Glow, Stefan Vetter, Philip Lardot. Who are we kidding? We love every single wine from Vom Boden.  

 
Becky Wasserman & Co.
Becky Wasserman was an American ex-pat, living in France with her family. She first got her start in the male-dominated beverage world by selling and exporting the French Oak barrels needed to age many of the world’s great wines.  
A famously generous host and cook, Becky soon entrenched herself in the world of fine Burgundian wines, where her barrel company was based, helping them negotiate with the American market long before it was en vogue to drink them abroad. Over the decades since, she helped to champion wines that are made to showcase the best of what their terroir offers, largely focusing on the import of small family-run wineries in Burgundy. While the company exports more wines nowadays, the focus is still very much French and very much authentic. 
Some French producers which we consistently love from Becky Wasserman are – Benjamin Leroux, Pierre Gerbais, Domaine Overnoy, Sylvain Pataille, Danjou-Bannesy, Vignobles du Rêveur, and Arnaud Lambert. 

De Maison Selections
De Maison was started in the mid-90s by André Tamers. He had spent 3 years traveling through Spain and missed the wines he got used to enjoying there. The first producer they began working with, Avinyó, is one of the leading producers in Penedés home of Cava and Corpinnat (basically Cava made to a higher standard by 11 producers). Over the last 3 decades, they’ve filled their portfolio with small, artisanal producers of wines, ciders, and spirits from across Spain and France. Many of these vigneron grow wines from rare and endemic varietals, that showcase the purity of place without bending to international trends and the marketability of traditional blends. 
De Maison brings wine from a small set of vigneron into Michigan, which we love year after year -     

Spain - Ameztoi, Xarmant, Remelluri, Do Ferreiro, Avinyó, César Florido, La Cigarrera, Isastegi Sidra 
France: Clos Cibonne, Thierry Tissot, Camille Mélinande, Waris-Larmandier

Rosenthal Wine Merchant 
Rosenthal Wine Merchant is an importer known for bringing in exceptional family-made wines that showcase the best of their terroir. For Neal Rosenthal, this typically means wines that are made from indigenous grapes, using traditional production techniques, regenerative farming practices, and intervening a little as possible with the grape’s voice. There isn’t a distinct style across the portfolio – some wines are polished and age-worthy, others have a wildness and energy demanding immediate consumption. No matter the bottling, you can trust that these wines are made by real farmers who are working in their ancestral home. 
Here are some of our favorite producers from RWM: 
Italy - Gravner, Valdipovec, Brovia, Cascina Luisin, San Fereolo, Azienda Agricola Noah, Ferrando, Cappellano, Bisson, Paolo Bea, Monastero Suore Cistercensi, Montevertine, Podere le Boncie, Danilo Thomain, Ermes Pavese 
France: Domaine Overnoy-Criquand, Thévenet & Fils, Château Simone,  Chateau le Puy, Mas Jullien, Lucien Jacob, Michel Gahier, Jean-Paul Dubost, Marc Deschamps, Jean Chauvenet, Guy Larmandier, Roger Coulon, Domaine Bechtold 
Austria – Stadlmann, Neumeister