What's Going On in the World of French Wines

I first met DC Flynt back in 2001 when I entered the Master of Wine program. You’d be hard-pressed to find a nicer or warmer wine expert! DC has a background in restaurants, but now works as an importer and distributor. DC has always been passionate about French wine, especially wines from Burgundy. I especially love his answer to question number 10 – it is truly indicative of the down-to-earth wine-lover that he is!

1. How did you get started in the wine business?
In 1966 at 14 I started working in a restaurant as a busboy, and shortly became a waiter. Selling wine to our patrons was very profitable for the wait staff, but required some knowledge. In 1974 after finishing college I built my first restaurant/ bar/ wine bar “Scarlett O’s” and in 1981 I opened an up-scale restaurant Café Margaux, which was destroyed by Hurricane Rita in 2005. In 1991 I began the import business DC FLYNT MW SELECTIONS. In the beginning, our primary focus was on wines from Burgundy and a small amount of Champagne. Today we also import wines from Bordeaux, Rhône, Italy, Spain, Chile, Australia, and New Zealand, and distribute wines from the US as well.

2. Tell us a little about what you currently do in the wine business. What is a typical day in the life of DC Flynt like?
Today we are totally involved in import/export and distribution. Along with our distributor partners we ship to 7 countries and 37 states in the US. Besides distributing our regular portfolio of wines, we spend a considerable amount of effort developing custom brand projects for clients like Costco, HEB, Central Markets, and others.

3. What is your favorite wine region in France to visit?
Burgundy, there is something fascinating to discover every step of the way.

4. What is your favorite food and French wine pairing that might surprise people?
That is like asking me which of my children I like best. Here are two meals I love, both are simple dishes, Bouillabaisse and Alsace Pinot Gris, and a Wood Fired Organic Omelet with Champagne. These are inexpensive meals that highlight the best qualities and purity of the food and wine, without masking the flavors either. Alsace Pinot Gris is one of the best buys on the planet, and even the best eggs are so cheap we can all afford to drink Champagne with joy.

5. How has French wine changed since you started working in the wine business?
French wine has both changed and remained the same. I believe that the quality of wine worldwide has improved dramatically over the last 40 years and wines from France are no exception. These positive changes are due to improvements in education in the wine sciences, vineyard husbandry, clonal selection, technology and cellar hygiene. The end result is that we are experiencing an unprecedented era of French wines that display both the artistic effects of quality winemaking and a pure sense of terroir. As a quality wine producing country, France has few rivals and their drive to produce the finest wines seems to be a core competency of the French.

6. What made you decide you wanted to become a Master of Wine?
In the 70’s and 80’s I admired the high level of wine education which was common for the trade in the UK. The leaders in providing this educational experience were the WSET and the Institute of Masters of Wine. In the early 90s, the Institute of Masters of Wine made the decision to open their membership beyond the boundaries of the UK to the world community and I jumped at the opportunity. I had no idea how difficult the course of studies and the examination would be. By 1998, 10 Americans had become Masters of Wine. I was fortunate to be in that group, and although the end result was always in my cross-hairs it was the education, experience and the opportunity to hone my trade that really drove me.

7. If you were stranded on a deserted island, which 3 French wines would you have to have with you?
Hopefully I won’t be alone and this island will have at least one deep cave for me to store cases of Champagne de Bruyne Grand Cru 100% Chardonnay from Le-Mesnil-sur-Oger, 1990 Robert Ampeau Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes, and the 2005 Bernard Gros Frère et Soeur Clos Vougeot Grand Cru Musigny. Champagne and red and white Burgundy are hard to beat if you can only have three!

8. What has been the most memorable French wine that you have ever tasted?
I’ve been fortunate to taste many unusual and top wines from many regions in France, and picking one is tough. It is the occasion and the company that make a wine truly memorable. For me, it was a remarkable bottle of Bollinger RD Champagne shared one evening in the Spring of ‘85 at Restaurant Boyer les Crayères.

9. What new innovations do you see in the future for French wines?
I’m not sure if new innovations are the driving force behind the future of French wines. The French are open to new technology and certainly some regions are more open to change than others, and this is the correct balance. The French have a mandate to protect the sanctity of terroir for the top regions and appellations, and the challenge of competing with the rest of the world for a greater share in the category of table wines. To this end, the euro has hamstrung the French. The innovations that the French producers need now are in dealing with the cost of labor, taxes, poor exchange rates, and useless government regulation. These are the areas that have the greatest competitive impact on agricultural products and this is particularly true in the competitive table wine category.

10. If you were a French wine, what wine would you be and why?
How exciting to be a French wine for a day! Despite all the wonderful choices, as a Southerner I think I would have to be a Bourgogne Pinot Noir. There is not much Grand Cru or Premier Cru about me, even the Village level would be a reach. A Bourgogne Pinot Noir speaks about where it is from in a simple and straight forward way. It is a thumbprint of the land and the vintage, but most of all it is about enjoyment and the simple pleasures. I think that is who I am.