Walk us through how a bottle gets from a winery in Italy to a restaurant table in Vermont…and how do you decide what gets brought in?

“It's actually a four-tier system: winery to importer, importer to distributor, distributor to retailer, retailer to consumer.

“As for what we bring in…I get asked that a lot, and the honest answer is, it changes. But if I had to narrow it down…I want to be able to talk to the owner, the winemaker, or the person in charge. If I have to go through three or four different people, it's probably too big for us. If I can't find out what's in a wine within a day, it's probably too large for our portfolio. We think of wine as an agricultural product, and we want to deal with the farmer as directly as possible. I'd say 95 to 98% of our portfolio works that way.

“We do have some producers who start with us that way, and then they grow. A good example is this Paso Robles winery that we started with 11 years ago. It was a really beautiful, boutique winery that we loved, and a new thing we really gravitated to. Then they blew up and eventually sold the winery for around 900 million dollars. It's now owned by one of the largest wine corporations in the world. Can I talk to the person now who makes that wine? No, I cannot. But it also pays a salary, maybe a salary and a half, from how much we do with that one brand. You can't say you're not going to work with it anymore just because it's not boutique anymore. And we still really like the wine.”

If someone wants to drink well without overspending, what should they look for? Any common mistakes?

“Buy from someone you trust. Go into a store where someone has hand-selected the wines. We have so many great local wine shops where they're tasting everything and buying those things they love.

“A lot of people in the wine world will tell you to flip over the bottle and look for a trusted importer…Kermit Lynch, Dressner, Bowler, de Maison. That's a great option. But you may not be at a store that carries those importers, and you'll end up ignoring wines from 200 other importers you really should be paying attention to…importers that are five or ten years old and don't have that reputation yet, but are doing great things.

“As far as price…the large majority of wines (my wife) Susan and I drink at home are between $12 and $18. That's really where we find the most value for a Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday night. It doesn't have to be a $40 or $50 bottle. When your head of lettuce is a dollar more, your eggs are $3 more, your orange juice is $2 more, and a bottle of wine is still $9.99, you might start scratching your head. So people are drinking a little less and drinking something a little better.”

What are your restaurant and retail clients buying more of right now? Anything having a moment…or about to?

“There's a real push back to the classics. Chablis, Bordeaux, Muscadet, Sancerre, California Cab, California Sauvignon Blanc. People are a little more risk-averse right now because everyone's watching their pocketbook a little more. When you spend $20 or $25 on a bottle and you don't know the grape and you've never heard of the region, and if you get home and you hate it, then what?

“Something like 95 to 98% of wine purchased in the U.S. is consumed within 24 hours. People are buying for tonight, or maybe the next two evenings. And they want to know they're going to enjoy it because they've had that bottle before.

“The more corporate-made wines are having a harder time…the numbers are really evident on that. Meanwhile, smaller importers are thriving. Someone like Mary Taylor…she brings in wines from Europe at $13.99, $14.99, and Mike always says he's never had a bad bottle from her. Her Bordeaux Blanc is crushable at $11.99. Her Chablis at $24.99 is as good a Chablis as you're going to get for under $30. People are gravitating toward producers they can trust.”

Bonus Question: What do you drink at home?

“I rarely drink the same thing twice. I try somewhere between 100 and 150 samples in any given week, and the ones I like, I'll bring home. Susan has almost never seen a bottle before it shows up. She really likes Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadet, and lately she's been really into Grüner Veltliner. For me, it's whatever's in the sample rack…things I can't sell, so they have to be consumed. It's an opportunity to try something that a supplier wants to get into Vermont, and it’s something I've never had before. Waste not, want not!”