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A wine importer who specializes in finding hidden gems
Don’t suggest to Robert Kacher of Robert Kacher Selections that the lousy economy has ushered in an equally lousy wine market.
“The market’s good,” Kacher said last week during a visit to Columbus. “We’ve found that we just have to work a little harder.
“If we sit and wait for people to come to us to buy our wine, we’re in trouble.”
Kacher isn’t sitting OR waiting. His visit to The Refectory restaurant in Columbus last week was an opportunity for Kacher — just about everybody calls him “Bobby” — to show off his portfolio of imported wines to the retail wine shop owners, restaurant owners, and grocery store wine buyers from throughout Ohio who are among his customers. Supported by his Ohio distributors Wine Trends and Cutting Edge Selections, Kacher spent three hours talking up and providing tastes of his portfolio, with obvious enthusiasm.
Kacher’s wines range from under-$10 Southern French whites, roses and reds, to wines from some of the most impressive zip codes in France’s Burgundy and Rhone regions. But for my money, his wines are most impressive in the less-expensive price points. The man can spot hidden gems, and he can deliver them to the wine market at very reasonable prices. His name on the back of a bottle of wine under $25 is a virtual guarantee of a very attractive quality-to-price ratio.
Highlights of the tasting included:
WHITES
— Domaine de Pouy 2009, $8.99: This may be Bobby’s greatest find. Year after year, this blend of Ugni blanc and Columbard is a crowd-pleaser, with its touch of sweetness balanced by fine acidity. The ‘09 doesn’t miss a beat.
— Mas Carlot Marsanne-Roussane 2008, $10.99: A fifty-fifty blend, plenty of fruit, decent acidity and a fine price.
— La Hitaire Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon 2009, $12.99: Grapefruit and rose petals, with just a touch of the New Zealand style.
— Domaine des Corbillieres Touraine Sauvignon Blanc, $15.99: Strikes just the right balance between the herbal, steely European style and the grapefruity NZ style, with plenty of zingy flavor.
REDS
— Grand Cassagne Grenache-Syrah 2008, $11.99: This 60-40 blend is soft, friendly and appealing, a good candidate for the Thanksgiving table.
— Mas de Guiot Grenach/Syrah Vin de Pays du Gard, $12.99: Good concentration of fruit and flavor at this price range, this would make for a fine “house red.”
— Mas Carlot Mourvedre-Syrah Les Enfants Terrible 2008, $12.99: Rich and earthy, with a hint of mushrooms in the nose from the mourvedre. This could pass as a Bandol wine at three times the price.
— Brunel Cotes du Rhone 2006/2007, $13.99/$14.99: Solid, well-made Rhone blends, with the ‘06 showing a bit more spice than the deep and fruity ‘07.
— Font du Vent Cotes du Rhone “Notre Passion” 2007, $17.99: This blend of equal parts grenache and syrah is even richer and full-bodied than the producer’s very good “Les Promesses” grenache-dominated bottling.
— Mas de Guiot Cabernet/Syrah “Prestige,” $18.99: You’ll know you’re drinking a French red, as this wine boasts just a touch of earthiness that adds complexity to the finest French wines, and it also has a solid core of fruit and a long finish.
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Comments
By KT
September 23, 2010 5:55 PM | Link to this
Savona Restaurant in Centerville is offering, “Wine Down Weekdays”, select wines are $3 a glass every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Anyone drinking wine can enjoy a pizza for half price.
By Ann Boucher
September 23, 2010 12:38 PM | Link to this
Thanks for making the trip to Columbus to attend and thanks for the nice write-up about the event.