VinUS | Chartrand Imports | Frances Rose Imports | Organic Vintners
Candid Wines is the sum of many parts, and we depend on all of them. We have developed wonderful relationships with winemakers and farmers across the globe thanks to the good work by a few select importers. If you are reading this a distributor in another state who wants to source some fantastic wines from importers with integrity, we encourage you to contact any of the people below.
VinUS: Italy
The seemingly endless energy of Sandra Desourdry and Paolo Bernardi has built VinUS into a importer of small wineries on a national scale. We can’t say enough about their professionalism, attention to detail, and ability to find and maintain relationships. They have a deep understanding of what it takes to grow great wine and what it takes to bring it to this country efficiently.
All wineries that VinUS carries are estate vineyards and generally family owned and managed. VinUS pays special attention to ensure the quality and typicality of the wines we represent. Therefore, before adding a winery to our portfolio, they make sure that vine growing and wine making practices are banning every “artificial” intervention that would spoil the wine of its natural characteristics and would damage the vines and its soil over the time.
From VinUS, we buy the wines of Tenuta Santome, La Pietra Tommassone, Terre di Gioia, Azienda Agricole Casalone, Jasci and the amazing Friulian wines of Bressan Mastri Vinai.
Chartrand Imports: France
Paul Chartrand has been importing organic wine since 1985 and continues to travel the world, seeking remarkable producers.
We met Paul and Chartrand Imports when Connor O’Rourke travelled to the Languedoc in Southern France on a trip sponsored by the region. Connor was impressed with Paul’s thoughtful and reserved approach to tasting, drinking and pairing wine, and our commercial relationship was born.
Our offering of family owned wineries in France has nearly doubled in size thanks to Chartrand and we are excited to offer many new regions as well. From Chartrand Imports we offer: Domaine de L’Ecu from Muscadet, Champagne Serge Faust, Domaine St. Anne in Bordeaux, wonderful Burgundies from Guy Chaumont, the pioneering organic growers at Domaine des Cèdres in the Côtes du Rhone, and Beaujolais from Château de Boisfranc.
Frances Rose Imports: Germany
The wines at Frances Rose Imports are the result of a partnership between Tracy Plansky here in Illinois and Georg Meuller in the Rheinhessen.
Georg’s relationships in the Rheinhessen with small family owned estates has proved valuable for Candid as we have been able to offer some wines of tremendous interest and value that might otherwise be overlooked in this market.
From Frances Rose Imports, we offer Weingut Schwibinger and Weingut Huff, both of whom farm on the “Red Slopes” in the Rhienhessen, the wonderful Pinot Noirs and late harvest Rieslings from Weingut August Ziegler in the Pfalz, and of course, the incomparable wines of Klaus Peter Keller from Weingut Keller in the Rheinhessen.
Organic Vintners: South America
Paolo Bonetti and his team at Organic Vintners provide us with wines of tremendous value from South America. Paolo is not only an active importer, but he is also a passionate voice for the overhaul of this country’s arcane laws regarding the labelling of wines grown in organic vineyards. We encourage to read about his efforts and consider what truly matters on a label.
Organic Vintners works directly with artisan winegrowers, small estate wineries, cooperatives and family owned farms to find distinctive, handcrafted wines that you are not likely to find or taste anywhere else in the world. All Organic Vintners selections are made from 100% certified organic grapes, grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides. We feel that our selections from the Organic Vintners Portfolio include some of the best values available from Chile and Argentina for those who enjoy restraint and elegance in their wines. Nuevo Mundo from Chile is the only Certified Carbon Neutral, Organic winery in South America and Pircas Negras, from Argentina’s Famatina Valley is to Mendoza what Oregon is to Napa, not to mention the fact that they are part of an amazing coop of organic farmers.
