Know Your Importer: Hand Picked Selections
Importing fine wines from exceptional producers is certainly a worthy goal, but how many of us can actually afford a great premier cru Burgundy or a Cote Rotie? If I’m buying in the ‘once a week’ to ‘everyday’ range,’ then I rarely will get above the $20 mark. And frankly the closer I can get to $10, the better.
So can I still find exceptional wines in this price range?
No, it’s absolutely impossible, so just give up all hope now. Ha ha, just kidding. Of course you can. In fact, I’d say there is enough great affordable wine on the market to keep you busy for a long time. The problem is differentiating it from the sea of mediocre and flat-out bad wine you can find in the same price range. To me the key is to look in regions that aren’t very well known or understood. Or look for producers that have a good reputation in their country but are relatively unknown here. Generally you can find many producers who are making great wine, but can’t command higher prices, because the demand is low.
One importer that seems to have this practice down to a science is Hand Picked Selections. Their portofolio includes some of the best producers you’ve never heard of such as Pierre Boniface in Savoie, Chateau de Lancyre in the Pic St. Loup district of Languedoc, and Paul Jacqueson who makes his pinots in the Cote Chalonnaise region of Burgundy. There are simply too many solid wines than in their portfolio for me to properly address here, but check out their Top 40 list to find some great wines that may be available in your area. Most of these wines are under $15, and the vast majority won’t disappoint. One wine that is not on that list that I highly recommend you pick up is the Plan Pegau Cotes du Rhone. I haven’t had the current release, but the last vintage I had was just killer for about $16. I know it’s a bit hot out for heavy reds, so you may want to go the with the Pierre Boniface Apremont instead. Either way you’re not going wrong. And that’s kind of the point.
Old World Palate 