Cynthia Hurley

By David Keck

As of last week, VT Wine Shepherd will be working with Cynthia Hurley Imports, an importer of French and Spanish wines, and the first wines have arrived! We began the conversations last fall about working to bring in wines from this outstanding portfolio and the first shipment has finally made it to the 802. 

Cynthia and Robert Hurley found their love of French wine while living and working in Paris. The Hurleys would travel France on the weekends, visiting wine regions, knocking on the doors of small, family-owned producers, and becoming enamored of French wine. When they returned to the US, they began importing wine that they couldn’t find in the states, starting with Bordeaux. Cynthia would write a newsletter introducing their dedicated following to new producers as they slowly expanded beyond Bordeaux to Burgundy, the Loire Valley, the Rhône Valley, etc. Vacations and holidays were all spent on back roads in France, ‘maps in hand, knocking on doors, meeting with producers, and tasting their wines.’

When they left New York, Cynthia moved the company to Newton, Massachusetts, expanding into restaurants and wine shops, and adding sales reps and marketing. In 2008, Bob joined the team full-time, leaving his career in advertising and digital marketing. Sadly, Cynthia passed away in 2011, but Bob and the team, including their national sales director, Craig Gandolf (whom David met in 2011 while working in distribution in Texas when Craig was with one of the largest Spanish wine importers in the world), continue to grow and find amazing producers. They added Spanish wines to the portfolio recently, continuing to espouse the same philosophy in choosing those producers: no co-ops, no negociants, low intervention.

Stay tuned for in-depth commentary on some of the exciting producers heading your way!