JK Imports has been selecting fascinating, highly enjoyable top quality, limited production wines from small, family owned Italian, German, Austrian, and Spanish producers for a discriminating private, select retail and top restaurant clientele throughout the USA since 1985.
For additional information, please get in touch with us by either phone (800-WINEDAY (800-946-3329) or
Every single estate in our two portfolios has been hand-picked and never been imported into the USA before.
We are quite proud that we made Ligurian Pigato 'famous' in the States and were the first US wine importer to introduce top-quality DAC Gruener Veltliner, Lagrein, Schiava, Rossese, 'real' Lambrusco, Vitovska, Terrano, Malvasia Frizzante, Malvasia Istriana, CdL Vermentino, Moscato di Terracina, Cesanese, Gutturnio, Longanesi, Centisimino, and the first "East German" wine from Dresden to this country.
After 16 years of importing (1991-2007) fascinating wines we continue the search for wines that are not only varietal correct and of the highest quality but also a pleasure to drink. We import wines of quality, tipicity and pleasure - not points or numbers.
We are the exclusive US agents for all of the producers we represent. ALL of our selections are imported in refrigerated containers (know as 'turned on' reefers; yes, not all reefers are shipped 'turned on').
- James
Medici Ermete (Emilia-Romagna) "When we talk about the Medici Ermete family, we run the risk of becoming boring. We arre always saying how their good fortune is essentially due to the fact that long ago they understood that to make good wine you need good grapes, and - especially as far as Lambrusco is concerned - adequate technology in the cellar. But there isn't much we can add - this actually is their secret - except perhaps that their production method and concept of Lambrusco, with its generous fruit, extremely clean aromas and well-rounded flavor, should be an example for everyone else." - Gambero Rosso, 2007
Franz Gojer (Alto Adige) "Franz Gojer is the ideal companion at the dinner table. He is congenial, cheerful, witty and loves to eat and drink in company. We add to this that since he inherited this estate in 1982, he has produced some of the best, classic wines in the Bolzano area." - Gambero Rosso, 2007
Kuenhof (Alto Adige) "There is a lot of frequently silly talk about organic, biodynamic or even "natural" wines as well-known and less well-known personalities try to elbow their way into the limelight of fashion. Then we come to Kuenhof, a couple of kilometres south of Bressanone in Valle Isarco, uncork a few bottles in the old farmhouse and start chatting to Peter Pliger and his wife Brigitte. The chasm separating substance from appearance, and trends from a way of life, becomes too obvious. After discussing the magnetic balance of the soil and homeopathic products for treating the vineyards, we took a tour of the vines and rediscovered the meaning of Peter's words and his way of living life, nature and wine." - Gambero Rosso, 2007
Gumphof (Alto Adige) "This year, Markus Prackwieser failed to win another Three Glass award with his Sauvignon Praesulis '05. Nonetheless, it is still one of the best around, with aniseed and damson notes that open up on a full, juicy yet taut palate with vibrant acidity and a long, expansive finish. It's a pity because this likeable young winemaker has for some years now always submitted characterful, personal bottles from the 30,000 units he bottles at his four-hectare estate clinging to a steep cliff on the slopes of the Sciliar range, at the entrance to Valle Isarco" - Gambero Rosso, 2007
Zidarich (Friuli) "Benjamin Zidarich's approach to winemaking is meticulous and exremely respectful of nature, something that in the Carso zone is practically de rigueur. Vine density per hectare is high, ranging from 8-10,000 plants, and the fruit is destemmed before fermentation and maceration on the skins in open vats, with the cap punched down several times a day. There is no temperature control, ambient yeasts are used, ageing is in large Slovanian oak and Benjamin shuns filtering and stabilization. The same procedures are used for all the selections, whether white or red." - Gambero Rosso, 2007
Barranco Oscuro (Granada) "Emergent regions are one of the most exciting areas for research. There has always been a popular supposition that anything south of Madrid and everything south of La Mancha was roasted rubbish, shriveled on the vine by the merciless sun, etc. What people forget is that eastern Andalucia is the most mountainous part of Spain (including Spain's highest peak, Mulhacen, at 11,424 ft (3, 482 m) and has the second-highest vineyards in Europe. The combination of merciless sun all day and a massive temperature drop at night allows bodegas to make wines of quite astonishing quality. The Alpujarra mountqains are a particularly high-quality area, split between Contraviesa-Alpujarra in the province of Granada and Laujar-Alpujarra in the province of Almeria, with vineyards to 4,488 ft (1,368 m) making nearly mile-high wines of an extraordinary complexity, especially whites from the Vigiriega grape (extinct everywhere else on the mainland) and reds from Tempranillo, Granacha, and Cabernet Savignon. The soil is schist, and there are no insect pests and almost no cryptogams at these altitudes." - Wine Report, 2007
Lambruschi (Liguria) "This estate's history goes back to the beginning of the 1960s, which was not a great time to be going into the world of wine. But the Lambruschi family took on the challenge, and it proved to be a winning move. They have five hectares of vineyard on the Lunigiana hillsides, surrounded by the characteristic Mediterranean scrubland that can be tasted in the wines themselves. These slopes may well be inaccessible and difficult to work, but the Lambruschis still aim unswervingly for quality. Hard work in the vineyard and respect for the grapes in the winery is the philosophy which has guided the business for more than half a century."
- Gambero Rosso, 2007
Sant'Andrea (Lazio) "Last year, Sant'Andrea sent its first wine - the white Dune - to the finals. This time there were two finalists, one red and one a dried-grape passito. The obvious conclusion is that quality is high across the board and Gabriele Pandolfo and his son Andrea should be proud of their range."
- Gambero Rosso, 2007
Laura Aschero (Liguria) "During the last century, Laura Aschero's grandfather used to vinify his grapes in the cellar of the family home. In the 1980s, Laura took this work one step further by setting up a winery in her own name and planting selected vermentino, pigato and rossese clones in well-aspected hillside sites at Monti and Posai, near Pontedassio. Laura was ahead of her time because she completely restructured the cellar and installed mondern functional equipment. This unforgettable, straightforward and single-minded lady was one of the few female figures in the Ligurian wine world, and sadly she passed away in spring 2006. Her son Marco has taken up the baton, having been involved with the company for over 20 years, during which time he shared his mother's plans and philosophy."
- Gambero Rosso, 2007
LaDistesa (Le Marche) "The fly in the ointment here is the tiny production but this is also what allows Corrado Dottori to oversee each detail with care. Verdicchio Gli Eremi 2004 is excellent, its skilful wood maturaton giving balance of fullness and elegance. Terre Silvate 2005 has energy and full-flavored length"
- Gambero Rosso, 2007
Giacomelli (Liguria) "Roberto Petacchi aims to bring out the character of the local grapes in his high-quality range. Boboli (2005) impressed us with its personality, mineral notes and ripe white fruit aromas. The basic wine (2005) has focused aromas of meadow flowers and citrus notes with a reasonably long finish."
- Gambero Rosso, 2007
Leone Conti (Emilia-Romagna) "Leone Conti runs his winery with his partner Coral McGill, and his work can be viewed as a creative, even poetic, exploration that may linger on various aspects according to th stimuli that the sensitive Leone picks up. This sensitivity is shared by Coral, and her contribution is important not least because of the contrast she is able to provide. The winery's production is very diverse but there is a clear tendency to experiment and work with native grape varieties, from centisimino to longanesi and uva ruggine. The most interesting wine we tasted for this edition of the Guide was the centesimino-based Arcolaio 2004, a project close to Leone's and Coral's hearts."
- Gambero Rosso, 2007
