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Five years ago, Robert Morey founded Best Case Wines, a wine importing and wholesale company. He tells us how he became an importer and shares some tips for choosing great wine.
How did you become a wine importer? I started working at New Pioneer Food Co-op back when they had a member volunteer program, cutting and wrapping cheese. At the time, I was a graduate student in early dramatic literature. Soon after that, New Pioneer offered me a job as cheese buyer. I gradually worked my way into wine, and then when New Pioneer split into two stores, I ultimately became the department manager for the specialty department, which at that time included coffee, beer, wine and cheese. That was the circuitous route that brought me to wine from academics, not having known anything about wine beforehand. I worked at New Pioneer for over 15 years and I became really enamored with French wine. I travelled to France a couple of times with an importer that was based in Des Moines. When I learned that he was going to be moving out of state, I offered to buy the Iowa portion of his business, and that’s what I did. That was a little more than five years ago.
Did you always love wine? Since I started drinking it at around the age of 30, yes. For me it goes back to a love of food. I love to cook and I love eating, and my perspective on wine very much derives from an interest in cooking, preparing and sharing food with people. Wine forms a component of the meal, which increases the quality of life and the conviviality of the occasion.
How did you teach yourself about wine? Drinking. There are a lot of bookish things you can do, and I enjoy reading about wine, but I think the best way to learn is to be interested, curious and open minded, and to try different wines; taste different wines thoughtfully, not mindlessly.
When tasting a wine, what qualities do you look for? I look for wine that speaks of a sense of place, because you can have cabernet sauvignons from South Africa, Australia and Bordeaux and they are going to taste very different, whereas a merlot and a cabernet from neighboring villages in Bordeaux will share a lot of characteristics. So sense of place is really vital in a wine. Secondly, I look for wine that represents an appropriate value for its price. Thirdly, pleasure. Pleasure is the whole point. You want wine to be yummy and to be authentic. So yummy, authentic and appropriately priced. And when I say authentic I mean that it speaks of the place where it was grown.
How do you balance price with the authenticity and quality of a wine? Most of my wines hit the retail shelf at a price that makes them affordable for everyday drinking. I also sell some wines that hit the shelf at $40 or $50. And that’s not an everyday price, at least not for me, but I feel that they merit the price. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t sell them. The most expensive wines from the Champagne region are very expensive, they’re hundreds of dollars a bottle. But the family I work with in Champagne—their wine isn’t cheap—but it’s slightly more than half the price of that prominent yellow label that advertises in all the magazines. The famous brand is good wine, it’s not bad Champagne, but it doesn’t have the individual character or the level of deliciousness of the family wines that I’m bringing in, that sell for 60 percent of the price. The people I work with are farmers, they’re not into expensive ad campaigns worldwide. Their work is in the fields.
What are your favorite wines? If I could drink Champagne every day, I would. Recently, I’ve been increasingly drawn to compelling white wines. I love big red wines too, but I’m more drawn to white or pink wines, or lighter reds, wines that are restrained and elegant, as opposed to muscular and bruising.
What are your recommendations for customers in stores or restaurants looking at a wine list; what should they look for? Find somebody at a restaurant or at a retail shop who has a sympathetic ear, listens to you and offers suggestions, and follow their counsel. People who work with wine for a living are typically knowledgeable, passionate and love talking about it. So if you can find somebody like that, who you can form a relationship with, that’s the best. When I eat out, I’ll usually order a sparkling wine or a dry rosé because they’re easy to pair with a lot of different dishes. Also, people are more keyed to color than they need to be. What is most important isn’t the color of a wine, but its weight. For a dish that is heavy and meaty, you want a wine that is full-bodied. If you’re having salad or eggs, or something light, you want a lighter wine. There are plenty of red wines that are lighter in body than many whites.
What new and exciting wines are you getting this year? And where can we buy them? 2015 was a fantastic year nearly everywhere in France, so I’m excited about all my new wines entering the market. All my customers are listed on my website, bestcasewines.com, so find a store or restaurant and see what calls your name.
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