I had a similar encounter in Jan 2022. A comparatively under the radar winery (not cult or “board darling”) said the expectation was to purchase a $1k 3-pack. I passed.
I do understand the reluctance to name names. There are people, businesses, and livelihoods behind these brands. Particularly if it is a high end mailing list where you have personal relationships (which it sounds like this is).
$43 if you find it at Costco.
Perhaps, but their customer service is abysmal. This is how you treat a customer who has purchased from you in the past? Pompous, pretentious, and entitled. Those kind should be outed. The wine biz needs less of that.
I believe this is very rare, though, like maybe a handful of wineries.
The beauty of Napa is that this exists for those who are willing and want to pay that price, while there’s an ocean of other choices for those who don’t.
It’s not even civility, it’s just being secretive, and considering this is a wine discussion board, it’s a tease. It’s not like a wine maker told him off the record that his wine full of megapurple. He asked about a tasting, the winery sent a professional and informative reply, but for some reason, we shouldn’t be allowed to know what winery it is. To me, it’s like not telling other Berserkers what a wine’s release price is.
Clearly this model is working for them, so some people are paying these fees and buying. There’s so much wealth in the Bay Area to the south, and plenty of people eager to conspicuously consume, so not really surprising.
While I tend to agree with most of the criticisms in this thread, I’m trying to look at it from the other side as well.
This is a tasting with someone who owns a number of high-end Napa brands . I don’t know how extensive of a tasting experience it is, but, hypothetically, if you got a really good experience tasting wines from several premium producers, and they told you the expectation was that you would choose from them X bottles to purchase afterwards, I guess it could make sense to someone who is an enthusiastic buyer in that category.
Taking this out of the realm of Napa cult wines (since everyone is so jaded about those), suppose someone asked Christian Moueix about a tasting of his brands. His rep said they can arrange a sit down tasting with a knowledgeable person from his company of LaFleur-Petrus, Trotanoy, Hosanna, Belaire-Monange, and Dominus. But the expectation is that you will buy three bottles a person after the tasting.
Or suppose LVMH offered a tasting experience of top bottlings from Moet & Chandon, Veuve, Krug and d’Yquem, with the expectation each taster would buy three bottles at the end of it.
Would that be crazy? I wouldn’t do it, but I guess I could see that making sense for the right kind of buyer.
Mostly just playing devil’s advocate here.
Fuq right brother🤘…$300 milk shake…thats not wine…major pass
Maybe I’m naive, but how many Napa wineries charge $500+? It shouldn’t be that hard to ID, right?
My response would have been.
“No thank you and may I please ask you at this time to remove me from your mailing list”
Rather than pompous/pretentious/entitled I would call them honest. They are telling you right up front that their priority is maximizing every ounce of their financial gain over creating a nice customer experience. Being a client and previous buyer as OP was, unless I deemed these wines to be among my very favorites and without peer in their price range, I’d move my purchasing dollars to other less stringent/more welcoming producers with that bit of info, but I wouldn’t necessarily say the business is entitled.
Pretty obvious this winery is more in it for the greed than the passion of making great wine.
I agree 1,000% Curious as to the winery mentioned . Can you please elaborate?
Yeah fuck that, pardon my language. If you are paying for a tasting, then buying shouldn’t be required. If the tasting is comped I believe there is a cat and mouse game depending on if you are an active buyer or not whether to purchase. Sometimes I purchase and many times I will not and tell them they will get my order off the next release, which I do. Example, comped tasting at Spotswoode earlier this year. We bought nothing, but I did place an order for their release.
I don’t think the two are mutually exclusive.
Interesting thread indeed and a few thoughts:
If the bottle costs are really high and they are opening bottles just for you, one might be able to justify higher tasting costs to ‘recoup’ bottle costs (of course, if you want to think of the actual ‘costs’ of the wine, it is far below retail)
Forcing you in advance to commit to purchases is whacko IMHO - and if you are a wine club member, rather insulting
So many other options - let them know how you feel very specifically. As others have said, this type of stuff will continue as long as enough folks agree to take part by their rules.
Cheers
I have completely come around to this way of thinking over the years when thinking about whether to buy expensive napa or not. Fantastic bordeaux at under $100, under $200 especially . . .
I see nothing wrong with saying the names. All that would amount to is informing the community here about the parameters of doing a wine tasting at this place. It would be a factual post. The winery set the terms. Seriously, what is wrong with saying the name? If the winery would have a problem with saying their name, then that makes it pretty damn clear they know their policy is absurd, otherwise what would be their issue with saying their name?
Right, I get why you’d delay giving the name if you’re waiting for the outcome of a dispute before naming the company.
