This article is the first in a series of Importer Highlight articles I plan to do on a continual basis. My goal with these Importer Highlights is to provide coverage outside the larger regional reports published on this site, as well as show the breadth, style and quality of the importer’s portfolio.
This report focuses on Dan Kravitz’s Hand Picked Selections, which is based out of Warrenton, Virginia. Dan founded the company in 1985 with a focus primarily on Bordeaux. He branched out to France’s Southern Rhône Valley in 1988 by becoming the sole importer for Domaine du Pegau in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. He then moved into the Languedoc and the Roussillon in 1989, followed by the Savoie region in the mid-1990s, and then Spain in 2004. Today, the portfolio focuses on wines from France, Spain and Argentina, with Dan’s stated goal to “provide consumers with moderately priced wines of flavor and character” showing clearly in the selections and prices. I’ve been tasting the wines from Kravitz now for over a decade and these wines consistently deliver reliable quality at rock solid prices.
While there’s plenty of highly rated wines in the report, the true strength of Dan’s portfolio is the plethora of high-quality, reasonably priced wines that satisfy both the palate and the wallet.