Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Our Story
Thomas Keim has been in the wine business for 49+ years. Out of the service in 1976, he joined some local retailers to learn his craft. In 1984, he moved to Chicago and ran one of the finest wine shops in the city (the Sandburg Wine Cellar). He later moved to Orlando Florida and helped found the Wine Merchant of Altamonte Springs that ended up pioneering the Direct Import wine business in Florida, introducing wine importers like Kermit Lynch, Neal Rosenthal and Alain Jungenet to the Market. By 1990, Keim started noticing these little breweries popping up all over the place and founded the Direct Import Beer Company and introduced the Midwest to craft beer. The company later evolved into All Saints Brands that became one of the top independent beer importers in the Country. Thomas moved to California in 1999 and founded 'Vin de Pays', a shop that specialized in '500 wines under $15.00'. It became a huge success and spawned three franchises in the process. Keim sold the shop in 2006 and moved to Santa Barbara to become the wine director of the fabled 'Wine Cask' restaurant and retail shop. He eventually moved back to Minnesota and helped found and re-establish the legendary Yoerg Brewing Company in 2015. After a wild 10 year run, Keim has settled back into his retail roots, and founded the 'Direct Import Wine Company' in Little Canada, Minnesota. The rest is waiting to be written.
Oregon, here we come.
When Keim first visited Oregon's wine country, there were five wineries. Today there are over 850 and still growing. America's answer to Burgundy France has become a reality.
Great wines at half price
Finding a wine for half the price, that tastes just as good as the famous 'big boys' at twice the price has always been a passion of Keim's. Stop in and try one of Tom's discoveries.
The Finger Lakes
Keim has been obsessed with the wines of New York's Finger Lake's region for years. Easily the New World' finest Rieslings. Also super excited about the Bordeaux-styled blends coming out of the Finger Lakes.
In the ancient cellars of Louis Carillon in Chassagne-Montrachet.
One of the legendary estates of Chassagne-Montrachet, Domaine Louis Carillon was regarded as one of the finest in the village. Producing world- renowned Chardonnay that dated back to 1520. Following the 2009 vintage, Louis’ sons, Jacques and François, went their separate ways and split the vineyards between the two of them. The wines of Carillon are known for their striking purity of fruit and the understated beauty that they continue to carry regardless of ownership.
The legendary Duane Cronin in Santa Cruz, California.
Duane Cronin started making wine in his garage, and then quit IBM and made wine full time from 1980 – 2000 (he passed away in 2007). Peak production at Cronin Vineyards was just 2000 cases, including Cab, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay. Cronin was best known for his fabulous Santa Cruz Chardonnays from various single vineyards. His Red blends were also sensational, showing bramble, current, cedar, stone – the wines from the mid 1980s are still very much alive today and it's worth noting that the Cronin Pinot Noirs were well regarded, back in the day. Duane was one of my all time California winemakers.
Denis Durantou of Chateau L’Eglise Clinet in Pomerol.
Denis Durantou passed away in May 2020. L’Église Clinet is undoubtedly among the absolute top wines in Pomerol. It is an incredibly complex and nuanced wine with minerality, striking power and concentration, richness, and tremendous longevity. This property's name, established in 1955, combines elements from two estates: Clos L’Église Clinet and Domaine de Clinet. It is situated on the plateau, north of the church and adjacent to the cemetery. The topsoil is a mix of gravel, clay, and sand, while the subsoil is primarily clay intermingled with "crasse de fer."
Edouard Moueix of the illustrious Chateau Petrus in Pomerol.
Edouard Moueix was born in 1977, joined the legendary Chateau Petrus in 2003 and became the third generation involved in the family business. He immediately focused on developing the distribution of wines from the Left Bank, Graves and Sauternes. He was also key in the acquisition in 2008 of Château Bélair-Monange, Saint-Émilion Premier Grand Cru Classé, and in the expansion of Château La Fleur-Pétrus in Pomerol with the integration of a historic parcel on the plateau of Pomerol in 2012.
California pioneer Jim Pedroncelli in Dry Creek Valley, California.
Former Pedroncelli winery president Jim Pedroncelli retired in 2022 after a 70-year career at the family business. Born at the winery in 1932, Jim remembers Pedroncelli’s earliest wine sales. “We sold in bulk to other wineries, but also sold barrels to stores and individuals until around 1947. It wasn’t unusual for a family to purchase a barrel and keep it in their cellar. In 1955, He soon took over marketing and sales responsibilities. The winery began selling wine in gallon and half gallon bottles in the mid-1950s; mostly blends, but also Zinfandel Rosé and Zinfandel. Demand for premium varietals in fifths (now 750ml) began to grow in the 1960s, so we made our first Cabernet Sauvignon in 1965.
In the cellar at Chateau Haut-Bellevue.
Château Haut-Bellevue (frequently produced as Château Belle-Vue) is a respected Cru Bourgeois estate located in the southern part of the Haut-Médoc appellation on Bordeaux's Left Bank, near Margaux. The vineyards are farmed sustainably (awarded HVE certification), avoiding harsh chemicals and using hand-harvesting and table-sorting. The estate was eventually acquired by Treasury Wine Estates (owners of Penfolds) in recent years.
Vincent Arroyo: The king of California Petit Sirah.
Vincent Arroyo is a very small production winery with an annual case production of about 8,000 of seven different varietals. He pretty much was a one man show for awhile and when you’d visit the tasting room (which was right across from his house), you’d meet him. His signature wine is the Petite Syrah which almost always sells out prior to even bottling. The winery was founded by Vincent Arroyo, a former mechanical engineer from Silicon Valley who was looking for a more “rural” lifestyle. He was attracted to the farming aspect of the business and eventually became his own winemaker; he has never had any formal training.
Famed Washington State winemaker Mike Scott in Spokane.
Mike Scott had a passion for wine and a love for the land and a vision to be one of the first wineries in the Wenatchee Valley in the late 1990s. Scott made his first batch of wine in an apple bin in his garage! From there the passion grew to plant vineyards across the Columbia Valley. Mike eventually took the reigns of Caterina Winery in Spokane Washington where he developed a reputation for producing superb wines. Mike went on to open his first winery in Washington State; the Lone Canary Winery. Mike enriched his reputation with terrific wines at Lone Canary. Mike soon started a family and eventually founded Martin-Scott winery where his son could learn the craft. Mike continues to be the primary winemaker and takes great pleasure in passing down his knowledge and expertise. The Scotts are blessed to build upon the strong foundation laid years ago by Mike Scott.
Another Burgundy legend; the late Michel Noellat with his US Importer.
The Domaine Noëllat is located in Vosne-Romanée in the Côte de Nuits. 55 acres divided into more than one hundred fragmented plots that spread from Marsannay to Pommard. Like most of the wine estates in Burgundy, the Domaine is owned and run by the family. Since Félix Noëllat, its creator in 19th century, five generations have succeeded one another as the head of the estate: Ernest, Henri, then Michel who gave his namesake to the Domaine. The children of Michel, Alain, and Jean-Marc, have since passed the torch to their children: Sophie and Sébastien.
Jean-Claude Mas at his estate in the Languedoc in Southern France.
Deep in the beautiful countryside of Southwest France, a stronghold of Gallic tradition, are the 17 Châteaux and Domaines Paul Mas. Twenty years ago, Jean-Claude Mas founded the company with a mission: To revive the stellar reputation of Languedoc wines, and to bring out the essence of each far-flung terroir. His method: Reinventing the viticultural traditions of the Languedoc while above all respecting the land and preserving its future. Over these last two decades, the firm’s growth has been exponential. Starting with an 86-acre family plot, Les Domaines Paul Mas has thoughtfully expanded its holdings to 2,400 acres of vineyards.
Paul Portteus and his treasured Washington State Cabernet Vineyard
Paul Portteus first started making beer at age 19 in his home on Mercer Island, having been exposed to an uncle who was a home winemaker/brewer. While majoring in philosophy at University of Washington, he took an extended tour of Europe by motorcycle, discovering the Bordeaux region.After his college graduation and marriage to Marilyn, Paul started discussing the winery business with family friend Enrique Rafanelli in the Sonoma Valley. He originally considered starting a winery in Sonoma, but after seeing some information on the fledgling Washington wine industry (this was in 1978) he decided to relocate to Eastern Washington. He came to the Yakima Valley in mid-1980, and after months of searching for a proper vineyard site he came upon his current location in March of 1981. Paul has just sold this historic Cabernet vineyard and is retiring in three years. Direct Import is lucky enough to get the last couple vintages of Paul's legendary Cabernets.