Not too long ago I wrote about some Tuscan wines from a property called Terre di Nano. Although they were completely new to all seven of us at dinner that Sunday evening, they were a huge hit.
Soon afterwards, Danielle Pollack, representing Terre di Nano, came to the States for a combination family visit and wine evangelizing mission. She describes her impressions of various importers. I think her systematic approach to sorting out the sheep from the goats is an instructive one for any producer seeking to get their wines into the American market. Read all about it in the continuation.
And read between the lines: the tireless young lady worked hard for the money. To borrow a phrase.
One ignorant question: does Terre di NANO mean what I think it does?
Danielle Pollack of Terre di Nano
Overall, my experience approaching wine importers in the U.S. was fairly positive. Many were willing to meet with me and accept samples without any prior knowledge of Terre di Nano wines. I found that almost none of the importers tasted our products during the meetings, but instead preferred to sample them in the company of colleagues at a later time. Since my trip was near the holidays, there has been a bit of a delay hearing back from them. I realize it is a very competitive market, especially for small producers, but I am hopeful because I know our wines are high quality and well-priced, and also that we are from a desirable region of southern Tuscany just near Montepulciano.
On first impression the importers which seem most interesting to work with a Vias Imports, Ltd., New York, and Triage Wine Imports in Seattle. Vias specializes in Italian imports, and their Traffic and Purchase Manager, Katia Montresor, was very friendly. She placed the samples I brought in a temperature-controlled environment as soon as I walked in the door. Everyone in the office was very professional and spoke Italian, which was nice to hear after being in the U.S. for a month.
I also liked the way Robert Roses of Peerless Imports was receptive to sampling our wines, considering the difference in volume of what we produce and what they normally handle.
Through a personal connection, I left samples with the Connecticut office of Winebow. I also left some for Michael Wheeler of Polaner Selections. I met with Small Vineyards, with whom we've had dealings (more samples). And last but not least, I met with Casa Ventura Imports, a fairly new outfit in the Northwest; they focus primarily on Spain but are looking to open up to other markets.
On another front, I met with Ronald Holden, the Director of International Vineyards (specializes in French and Italian wine tours, and is partner of the Chicago-based International Kitchens). Ron sampled our wines and said they were the best thing he'd tasted in months -- and this was just after a tasting trip to Italy! Needless to say, I was delighted. We discussed his offering 3-day wine tours at Terre di Nano, which he will promote out o fhis West Coast office in the coming weeks.
I selected which importers to approach predominantly by talking with retailers. I asked them who they enjoyed working with, which had the most interesting portfolios, which were the most reliable, etc. I figured retailers know better than anybody else.
I also researched companies online and read as much as I could before my trip. It was a bit of a whirlwind tour, but a satisfactory one. Now I'm just waiting for everyone to settle back in after the holidays, to taste our wines so they can see what they've been missing -- and, I hope, start importing Terre di Nano to the United States.
Danielle Pollack -- danielle.pollack@terredinano.com
Nano, nano, said Mork from Ork.
Posted by: Fredric Koeppel | January 07, 2007 at 12:17 PM