I thought the format was well done. For me, I’m more of a modern style wine fan and enjoy zins, rhone blends, riesling, so the wines offered in my style were small but I still enjoyed reviewing the items and I purchased several. Finally, I was able to have shipments to PA!
I agree with Jason, back vintages are great since many of the current release wines I buy on BD won’t be popped for a few years. Sellers could see better and faster attachment to mailing lists if us Berserkers pop and appreciate their stuff sooner rather than later. Just a thought to get more sellers and newbies in the door and having better success.
Another BD/WB newbie here having discovered the forum last November. Both are fabulous for my specific wine drinking/buying wants/wishes, which is why I bought so much. That said, my BD recommendations are:
- Release a list of all sellers on or before Preview Day so we can check out those producers who are new to us. Allowing new sellers to post bios was helpful but no need to permit all sellers to do so. Its easy to do one’s homework in preparation by reading thru the previous BD threads to get a sense of who might be offering what and at what price. Learning what the forum members’ feedback was on those previous BD offers/producers was equally helpful for me in planning my strategy. However I had earmarked several sellers who unfortunately for me chose not to participate this year, resulting in some last minute scrambling that could be avoided by knowing ahead of time who’s in/out.
- Also either on Preview Day or first thing in the morning of BD release a list of the times that each offer will go live. While I enjoyed the opportunity to monitor the proceedings continuously all day, I know many members can only pop in and out periodically. Giving everyone at least some advance notice of when the offers from their targeted producers’ go live would be equitable and maximize buying/selling opportunities for all. The alternative to this would be to go live on all offers at the same time. I know this was much discussed after BDVII. For me, just knowing the timing beforehand will work well enough.
- I like the idea of bundling multi-producer offers to showcase AVAs, varietals or vintages, if the logistics can be resolved. I would have targeted such offers and probably been able to sample a wider variety of producers.
Overall, I concur w/the consensus: huge thanks to Todd and the sellers! “I’ll be back” next year!
All the wineries participating should have a background post prior to the preview day. Everyone can use the exposure - especially with so many new forum members. I also hope some of the new wineries stick around, post and contribute throughout the year (not just on Berserkers Day). They were given a big brand building opportunity without paying to officially become a Berserker business - would be nice to see some make the time to particpate.
We’ve had offers in just about every BD - we have fun with the event and put a lot of thought into our offer to make it fun for you also. We already have a theme for next year’s offer LOL. ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
+1
Karen - I could not have said it better.
A little less Pinot!
That’s a tough one, as it means I’d basically have to turn away some, and how would I do that? Would I do it based on their discount? Their popularity? What about newbies?
I think I mirror most of what has been said.
I like the profiles posted ahead of time.
I don’t wish for less pinot, I just wish for more cab. But I’m sure this is just related to who was interested in participating so little control there.
I liked that some wineries offered packages as well as an overall discount. Some I wanted to try, but didn’t like the mix package they were offering.
Really liked Patricia Green offering the 375s. Would be interested in seeing more unusual offerings, like 375s, mags and library wines. I assumed there would be limited supply of some of these offers, but most if not all seemed to be available all day. Although I know selling something that will sell out is probably more work for the seller.
The previews of newbies were fun and the pinning of the posts made it so much easier to follow what was there and find what I wanted. Of course I wanted way more than I bought!
Agree on the 375, magnum, and Library offerings. Makes things interesting, even for those who already buy from that winery.
Mystery packs were fun too.
Magnums and Library stuff are among the more expensive items from a winery. I think a lot of people on BerserkerDay are looking for “bargains.” So major considerations are inventory and pricing. But no harm in making an offer for some high end stuff…if it does not sell, then we know there is no market for it, right?
It seems like there are different markets within BD. In deed there are folks looking for bargains but others looking to explore new wineries with sample packs and still others happy to go in for the high end items like the auction items or $100 Zin from Limerick Lane. I would love to see more sellers offer sample packs and bargain deals along side of high end offers of mags, library offerings, special releases etc…
My “sample packs” are typically 3 vintage runs, offered at original offering prices. I have also offered “collector’s corner” runs, but they are not cheap. Typically very short inventory.
I have never offered my top-of-the-line “Special Selections” because they are short lots (25-35 cases). They would be expensive, and would need to be pulled from holdback.
The next 2 vintages are already short because of low yields. But I will do something…get creative…be out there next year in some various formats.
I think the kind of offerings that we see from you are exactly what I’m taking about. You offer a good deal on mini verticals and also higher end library offering (collectors corner). Since you don’t really make economy bottlings, there is no way to offer real bargains bin type offerings.
I guess what I’m saying is I would like to see more offers like the ones you offer. However, if you can get more creative and mix in even more intersting things to offer, I’m sure they would be well received.
Thank you for the feedback - that is very helpful.
One person actually purchased only the collector’s pack. Typically it is only an addition to the more value-conscious regular offering.
I realize I am near the top of the price range for BDay. For a single vineyard, limited production (all the buzz words we all love) Napa Cab, EMH is not highly priced. But I honestly start to think about my BDay offer right away. Just ask Todd, I am there emailing him by December (or earlier) saying what’s what for the next year!
Again, thanks to everyone for their orders!
Agreed!
Echo: less Pinot… way too much of that… and i like Pinot don’t get me wrong.
Echo: have all sellers provide a profile - fun to read.
Curate offers - yes if there’s 100 pinot offers, pick the best 30-40 based on discount/value/quality. have the BD committee decide.
Cab lovers unite! Let’s recruit more diversity.
How do new wineries get involved in berserkerday? Simple, you ask them. Really.
If you know a winery you think would make for great BD material then share the story with them and get them excited. I/Todd are more than happy to assist you with getting them into the process. In fact, once they’re committed we’ll handle the rest.
I know we’ll have a newbie small Washington producer next year.
Now with the newbie thread it’s a great way for you to share your support and experience to help promote a new winery in gaining traction. I look at what Navarro did this year as a prototype.
From a producer’s standpoint, I thought things worked very smoothly - nothing I can think of to change. The way the offers were rolled out this year was a definite improvement.
Thanks to Todd and Brig (and anyone else who helped organize BD this year) - great job! We had a nice increase in orders compared with last year - they’ve gone up each year we’ve participated.