The Fizz #3: Sophie Kzirian and the state of the small importer.

In this interview, Sophie Kzirian and I talk about what it's like to run a small importing company, how she chooses producers, and how COVID-19 and wine tariffs have impacted business.

For The Fizz episode 3, I sat down over Zoom with Sophie Kzirian, who runs Violette Wine Imports with her father, Richard. Violette has been in Boston since the 1980s, and they were one of the first natural wine importers on the East Coast. They’re a small shop with a book of 45 producers, many of whom are direct-imports (meaning they bring their wines into Massachusetts themselves). They also work with other importers to distribute wines in Mass. This shop is a long-standing part of our Boston wine community.

I’m really excited to hear from Sophie about how their history has impacted her vision for the future of Violette.

Sophie sitting on a shipment of rosé in what seems like absolute joy

Margot: Violette has been a really important part of the Boston wine community for a long time. Can you tell me about your history?

Sophie: My dad, Richard Kzirian, started the company in 1984. He got his retail and wholesale license then, which now you can’t do—you can only have one or the other. He opened a shop in Porter Square and started off just buying wine. He wanted to have a more personal relationship with winemakers. He didn’t want to just learn about the wine from the large distributors he was purchasing from at that time, so he started finding his own winemakers.

There was no focus at that time on organic wines. A few years after starting Violette, he started going to shows in France and Italy and met producers that were working organically. He’ll talk about when he met the Guillot family and tasted with them—he thought he never had a Macon like that before. He was so intrigued by it that he wanted to find more wines made in that way. It’s sort of crazy because back then they were faxing one another—there wasn’t even Gmail. There were long distance conversations. Finding these producers, he’d have to go there and meet them. That’s sort of the evolution—every year he would go and find producers. 

I was born a few years after his store opened. I grew up in the store without understanding its impact. A lot of people at the time thought he was crazy. He was working with these wines that people weren’t familiar with—they were “weird” then. It’s funny to see where we are now and how it’s so common. Producers like the Guillot and Pacina families were really important to my father. He learned from them, stayed with them, spent time with them, and tried to understand what the whole natural wine scene at the time was and what it meant. For him, questioning wine was really exciting. 

When I was a kid, for example, I wasn’t allowed to have soda—my dad would get me “spritzers” from Cambridge Naturals with 70% juice. The whole thing aligned with his dietary habits. Before he got into natural wine, he assumed he was just drinking grapes. Then he realized [what went into conventional wines, and thought] oh wow, this is not what I want in my body.

M: Now that you’ve transferred into a more central role at Violette, what has that been like for you?

S: It’s crazy. Before I started to work with my dad, I hadn’t worked in wine before. I never worked in importing or any of that—I was working in New York in e-commerce. It has been a wild ride—there’s a lot to the business that I didn’t know about. You get to know these producers, taste their wine, build community with them abroad, and bring it back home to Massachusetts. That’s amazing. The logistics are tricky—oh, this shipment is too heavy to fit on the bridge so we have to find another trucker. Things like that I didn’t realize would be a part of my day-to-day. Working with my dad who established this company a long time ago can be difficult—I love my father, but no matter how much you love your parents, it’s hard to work with them. It’s also incredibly rewarding, and I feel extremely lucky to be a part of what he’s built over the years.

Sophie and Richard hangin’ with Julien Guillot

M: How do you find producers that you want to work with?

S: When my dad started out, he just went to shows—that’s the only thing you could do. [Sophie is talking about trade shows like Raw Wine or Millesime. These are major events where producers table and pour their wines and often have materials you can take home. They can be loud and intense, but allow you to meet winemakers face-to-face and get a sense of their style and personality.] Producers like Pacina introduced us to other producers, like Buondonno. Guillot introduced us to another Burgundy producer, Derain. Producers that we have established relationships with will sometimes connect us to other producers. Today, we still go to wine shows. I was hoping to go to Italy in 2020, [but COVID happened]. It’s great to meet folks in person. 

In terms of values, my dad is really intrigued by people who are always questioning the exploration of their wine. “Next year I’m thinking of trying this because I’m curious what would happen with this”—he loves the process of seeing the evolution of these winemakers. They want to push the limits. We want wines that are organic, that’s our minimum for what we bring in, and we also look at good labor practices. Having such a small portfolio means the people are so important. We look for people that we can trust, like when they come to the United States, you’re comfortable with them staying at your home. Many of our producers are very small—these are people that feel like family. 

Now that we can’t go to shows, there’s a different kind of connection. Marta and Alberto of Col Tamarie, for example, I was emailing with them before the pandemic, asking if they had representation in Massachusetts, starting that process. I was able to get a sample of the wine sent to me, and we had a really long back and forth. They sent me five page Word documents about how they make their wine, and about themselves, they sent photos of their winemaking, of them with their cat. When it became clear that we weren’t going to Italy in 2020, I started working with them via this online relationship, and we’ve been able to communicate so much. I’m trying to maintain the same principles that my dad started with. It’s finding really great people making wine honestly.

M: Are the producers at these shows mostly not represented in the states? How do you find the right folks to talk to?

S: They used to not be at all. Today, a lot of them will go because they’re seeking representation. Sometimes they have New York or California distribution, but they're looking for other states. When we’re there, producers have suggestions for other folks' wines, which we’re always excited to try. We try and find producers in certain regions and do our research before we go, see who is there, reach out to people beforehand. There are so many people to talk to that narrowing it down is easier. Convention hall type shows can be very challenging. I struggle with that because I think that the best tasting experiences are when you go to someone’s winery and you get to know them. It’s overwhelming for the winemakers too—it’s so loud, people don’t speak the same language, but it’s hard to establish that relationship unless you do go meet them at a show.

M: You brought up labor practices earlier. It’s good to see the industry is focusing a bit more on these issues. As you bring in new producers throughout your career, how are you going to approach knowing that people’s labor practices are fair?

S: That’s such an important question now. This past summer there was really a spotlight on this issue. [Sophie is talking about the investigation into Valentina Passalacqua and her family’s business labor practices. Angelina Chapin wrote a great article about it here.] It made me think about how we always ask producers about what their sulfur count is, but not about their labor practices. We definitely have to do more. We have to ask more questions when we start working with someone new. When we visit, we need to ask about who works the harvest, what happens at that time. Within the community, we all have to talk about this more.

M: It’s easy for folks in our industry to say oh the wine is so great and culty and delicious and sells really well, so I’m not going to talk about that potentially sketchy thing I saw when I went to visit the winery at harvest.

S: Yes, exactly. I think transparency is something that this industry has to focus on. We’ve spent so much time on the transparency of what’s in the wine, but what’s in the bottle is also partially the people who made the wine. That deserves and needs equal transparency. As an importer and distributor, that’s something that I need to do a better job of asking about. It's something that’s really important to me.

Sophie and Hubert Hausherr in Alsace

M: We were just hit with some more wine tariff news recently. These affect every importer, wine bar, restaurant large or small—how do they affect your business?

S: For our company, the tariffs affect our French wines—our portfolio of direct imports is predominantly French. It’s been very hard. In October when the tariffs hit, we thought okay, let’s get through the holidays and we’ll increase our prices in early 2020. By the time COVID hit, there was no way I could increase my prices. Restaurants and shops are struggling—it’s already hard to sell wine. Especially as a small company, we pay more in shipping and logistics. Smaller amounts, you pay more per case to transport the wine around the world. I'm trying to cover as much of those charges as I can right now, but that has to change. We’re going to have to raise our prices a little.

M: Are you thinking about branching out into other regions that haven’t been affected by tariffs?

S: Yes, but not because of the tariffs. I would like to branch out as much as we can, I just want more variety. Our current producers, though, are so important to us. They're struggling too—they’re struggling with COVID, with these tariffs as well. I want to keep buying their wine, I want to sell their product, but I also want to continue to stay in business. It’s just hard. 

M: What is unique about your size as a small importer? What are some of the joys and downfalls?

S: It’s funny to think that for us it was hard to sell the wine back when we were one of the only distributors doing this because the wine was “weird”. Now there are so many producers out there that are incredible. There’s such amazing natural wine on the market, which is awesome, but it also makes it hard to sell your wine when you have a really small book. On the flip side, what’s really cool for us is that because we’re a small company, we’re really connected to each producer, and each account that we have. It’s a relationship, it’s not just a business transaction. Buying wine from our producers is more than business. We’re taking on their art to show it to other people. They want to feel like their wine is in the right hands. Being a smaller company, we can have relationships with our winemakers and the people we sell the wine to. That’s special.

M: You mentioned that you seek wines from specific regions. How do you structure your book—do you try and find producers from distinct areas?

S: I should probably do a better job of this. We have a few Alsace producers. If I found another Alsace producer I loved, I’d probably go for it! If we’re wowed by something, it’s hard to pass on it. Maybe that’s not a smart idea! [laughs] We do want to fill in the gaps—when I’m doing research, I’ll note producers knowing we’re looking for, let’s say, more domestic producers. If we try something and we love it immediately, though, it’s hard to say oh this is overstocked. 

M: You’ve been bringing on a lot of new Australian wine recently. What about Australian winemaking is exciting for you?

S: In 2019, we were introduced to Tess Bryant, who is the importer of the Australian wines Tess Bryant Selections. I met her in New York and tried a few of her wines that I ended up loving. The next day we said “let’s do this”. She is the first wine importer that we’ve decided to distribute in a long time—we’ve mainly been doing direct importing or distributing California wines. Australia was so different from what we were direct importing that it felt like such a good fit. Tess also has a small book. She only works with producers that she really knows and loves—very similar to us. Now it’s been about a year and a half. I love everything she imports, and her producers are all pushing the boundaries. They’re inquisitive—”what if there’s a bit more skin contact?” or “What if we make a pet-nat out of it?”. She’s said things about her producers that I’ve heard my dad say about his in the past. I think she’s doing such awesome work and I feel lucky to be able to distribute her wines here.

M: Tess is amazing. It feels like your values are aligned.

S: They are, exactly.

Tess Bryant (left) with Nico Coturri, Dan Marioni, Devin Meyers, Image from Sonoma Mountain Winery

M: As you’re starting to get a feel for your life at Violette, what do you hope to bring to the business in the future?

S: My dreams are a little bit boring—it’s all logistical. I want to organize everything! I want us to be more tech-savvy! [laughs] Honestly, this sounds small, but continuing the company and staying strong. Staying in business. Bringing on more producers, making more connections. That’s what I hope for.

M: How do folks support you right now?

S: Reflecting on this past year, I don’t know if people realize how much it means when you see someone on Instagram drinking a wine you brought in. It feels so good. Like, wow I imported that and now it’s on that person’s table. Just drinking wine that you’re buying from small businesses, that supports us. Getting wine from your local retail shops and restaurants or wine bars that have become bottle shops. Supporting independent wine establishments supports us.

M: Supporting restaurants and buying wine from restaurants and shops is essentially buying wine from you, because it is enabling those folks to keep buying from you.

S: Yes, exactly.

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You can support Violette by buying their wines from your local wine shop or restaurant. You can tell which wine is from Violette’s direct import list by looking at the label on the back of the bottle.

Non-profit pairing: Sophie supports Soul Fire Farm, “an Afro-Indigenous centered community farm committed to uprooting racism and seeding sovereignty in the food system”. Donate to this important organization here.

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