Know Your Importer: Michael Skurnik Wines

So how do you find a great importer to seek out?  Well you can always read someone else’s list *cough* or you can do this:  Every time you have a great foreign wine that makes you say, “wow, this wine is amazing” turn the bottle around and check the importer.  Soon enough you’ll start to recognize the names from wines you’ve had before.  And the name that turns up the most?  Well congratulations.  That’s your new favorite importer.  Personally for the past year that importer has been Michael Skurnik.

Michael Skurnik began his wine career 1977 as a waiter at the storied Windows on the World restaurant that sat atop the World Trade Center.  There he worked closely with Kevin Zraly, who at the time was leading the charge for incorporating American wines into the best wine lists.  Skurnik went on to start his own company as a distributor in 1987.  At the time his focus was on bringing boutique wines from California to the east coast (one of these wines was Sutter Home, believe it or not).  Not long after that he began representing foreign winemakers, and now imports compose 65% of his portfolio.  And the list of winemakers represented is impeccable: Selbach-Oster, Joh. Jos. Christoffel, Schloss Gobelsburg, Borgogno, Alain Graillot, and H. Billiot et Fils just to name a few.

Don’t recognize any of those names?  Well herein lies the beauty of knowing your importers.  You don’t have to memorize the hundreds wines that an importer represents.  You just have to know their style and what level of quality they tend to bring in.  Now that’s not say the Aussie Shiraz Skurnik represents are going to remotely resemble the Northern Rhone Syrahs, but in countries such as France, Germany, Italy, and Austria you can count on his wines being well made and uncompromising in their tradition.  And the best part about his portfolio is that despite the pedigree of the many estates represented, there are still many wines that are easy on the pocketbook.

Need some examples?  Check out the Ecker Eckhof Gruner Veltliner or the Berger Blauer Zweigelt.  Both of these come in liter bottles, are perfect for summer drinking, and can be found for about 16 dollars.  Find them.  Drink them.  And while you’re drinking, give a nod to Michael Skurnik Wines for making it possible.

~ by Ben Bell on July 18, 2008.