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The last time we wrote about our friends Ed and Kim Daizovi, the news wasn’t good.
Their little wine-importing business in Ossian, Visentine Wine & Spirits, had lost its warehouse and a partner when Italian plumbing parts maker Visentin SpA ran into financial trouble. Instead of selling its American subsidiary, which Ed ran, they just shut it down.
You might not know the name Visentine, but you should know the line of wines it imports, especially the flagship San Giulio Malvasia di Castelnuovo Don Bosco, commonly known as Malvasia.
For those who haven’t had the pleasure of tasting Malvasia, it’s a red, sweet, sparkling wine. It’s sweet enough that wine beginners will love it, but it’s also fruity and complex enough that lovers of dry, red wines will love it, too. We have never found another wine that starts a gathering off better than Malvasia.
Luckily, by the time Visentine SpA floundered, Visentine Wine & Spirits was already partnering with Indianapolis distributor Vinture Wine Group, so San Giulio wines still had an outlet. But the huge variety of wine Visentine was importing was no longer available, and even Malvasia could be hard to find at times.
That was two years ago, and, finally, now there’s some well-deserved good news.
Now, Malvasia and San Giulio Moscato D’Asti will be distributed by Monarch Beverage Co. of Indianapolis.
How big is Monarch? The company delivers almost 50,000 cases of beer and wine to restaurants, bars and stores in Indiana every day.
Ed estimates that his importing business – now known as K.D. Imports – will probably quadruple.
“The mutual goal is that Malvasia in three years should be in the top five wines sold in the state,” Ed said.
We think that if K.D. Imports can just get people to try it, that should not be a problem. We have never found anyone who has disliked the wine, and almost everyone we know that has tried it loves it.
They also think that in three years the San Giulio Moscato D’Asti can be among the top 10-selling wines in the state. We wouldn’t be surprised by that, either – if you like Bricco Riella Moscato D’Asti – and thousands of you do – you’ll love San Giulio’s version. Plus, it’s $1 cheaper.
One of the things we’ve always loved about Ed and Kim’s wines is that they never compromised. They hand-picked the wines to import based on what was best, not what they thought would fly off the shelves.
And now, their patience and hard work is finally being rewarded.
“It’s absolutely phenomenal,” Ed said. “This was always more of a very expensive hobby than a business.”
If the sales in Indiana take off as expected, distribution will probably expand to Ohio as well. But he gives all the credit to Kim.
“She tasted (the Malvasia) and said, ‘This is going to be the best-seller we have,’ ” Ed recalls. “I call it Italian Gatorade … but she was absolutely right.”
Cheers!
