Merryvale Suing Marketing Partners - This Will Get Interesting

Have to imagine we’ll see more of these types of lawsuits as brands struggle to maintain placements and ‘prestige’ in the marketplace. I know many of you will feel that this is really insignificant because you don’t drink Merryvale or Starmont wines but my guess is that there are a number of other wineries in this same boat . . .

Love this line:

V2 alleged that Merryvale’s owners “erroneously believed that they could produce as much wine as they desired, charge whatever prices they want, and blame V2 if consumers disagreed,” V2 stated in a court filing. “However, Merryvale cannot repeal the law of supply and demand, whether by litigation or otherwise,”

If Merryvale is calling Costco ‘low class’ in court filings, that may end up having some repercussions for the vintner.

At least in my observation I see a lot of high end stuff moving at the Costco’s I go to.

Perhaps Costco’s buyers will accommodate Merryvale and not hurt their feelings by carrying pallets upon pallets of the wine in their ‘low class’ locations.

I also like how they classify Merryvale’s legal accusations as a “Festivus-like ‘Airing of Grievances’”

Interesting. Back in 1998 when Patty and I were at Torii Mor a deal was struck between the owners of Merryvale and Torii Mor for the former to purchase the latter. They flew Patty and me down to Napa and toured around their properties, tasted at the winery and had a BBQ with the family and relevant employees. They were excited about having a “brand” in Oregon. I bet the GM (at the time?) that the deal would not go through. I knew better. Bet him a case of good, red Burgundy. Shortly after returning the TM owner decided not to go through with the deal (it was signed for and everything) and we had to pay Meeryvale some amount of money. Think it was in the $25-$50k neighborhood which was not insignificant money for a 4,000ish case winery 20 years ago. I still have not received my case of Burgundy. I, of course, know nothing of their operations over the past 20 years. They were such a different entity than we or, really, any Oregon winery I had encountered. I can’t recall accurately if it seemed like hubris or confidence and experience running the show there. It was just worlds apart from our strange operation based out of a warehouse on the railroad tracks. Interesting to see how they got they got to this point somehow regardless of my little quirky dealings with them.

To me, even the early-1990s reds from Merryvale were under-performers, about as impressive as an over-steamed green bean.

Current vintages are over $75 per bottle, and taste like purple-dyed oak jam.

There were some real gems in that article…