Anyone get this letter from Kris Curran?

WINE TALK
1

Kind of interesting, although I still don’t think I’ll bite.

While doing some spring cleaning at the winery (see Homar, our harvest “crew” and Noe, our assistant winemaker, cleaning up a bit!) we found a few more cases of the 2005 BADGE Pinot Noir, just as we are getting ready to release the 2006. Not wanting it to go to waste, Bruno and I decided to offer all of you a GREAT DEAL; something we aren’t getting too much of these days! While supplies last you can buy a case of the BADGE 2005 Pinot Noir at full retail price, and receive a second case of any of our wines (14 different wines to choose from!) for $1.00! This can be a mixed case, a stand-alone case, even a second case of the incomparable BADGE 2005 Pinot Noir. Imagine that - two cases for the price of one! This offer is good through our tasting room in Solvang (805-688-3494), as well as on the internet. To order online go to http://www.dalfonso-curranwines.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and click on the “Purchase Wine” button. There is no limit to how many of the “two-for-ones” you can purchase, just know that supplies are limited - so act fast!

What a great way to feel a little better during these difficult times. And just know that Bruno, I and everyone at D-C Wines are with you in raising our glasses and toasting for an end to the recession! Salud!!!




P.S. For online orders, don’t worry about the “Total Purchase Price” shown online, you can just calculate how many cases of the 2005 BADGE Pinot Noir you wish to purchase and that will be your final purchase price.*


*Offer is good only on full case purchases; tax and shipping are not included. No other discounts apply

2

I never got on their list, but that seems like a fantastic deal. I’m not a fan of Badge Pinot Noir, but it’s certainly good. However, there are many other fantastic Curran wines that sound interesting at ‘a case for $1’, that’s for sure…Grenache Blanc, Sangiovese, Reserve Syrah…

3

They must not have a very good inventory system if they just “find” a butt load of wine.

4

I’d say they have a good “artistic license in marketing” department.

5

No question this is a marketing ploy - obviously you don’t just find multiple cases of a commodity as a business, particularly one that was among the most recent releases.

Still, the offer is valid, and I think pretty good.

6

Sounds like some big problems there…I mean, you know what you made…how many bottles were ordered…how much was sold…so, it should be pretty easy to figure out how much is remaining. [dash1.gif]

7

Oh…but I should note…that saying “we found all of this wine” is better than “wow, we have a lot of product left over because we couldn’t sell it on the first go around.”

8

exactly, but sometimes honesty is best, too. In an economy like this, people will be forgiving on information that reflects the reality of the situation. Quite simply, this is an overstock of goods, and they want to sell it, so they are putting out a tremendous offer.

I know for a fact that the consumer spending model right now in non-essential goods is one that if they feel they are getting a very rare and significant bargain (read: they are profiting from the recession, in sorts), they will spend.

9

Just a little devils advocate here.

We used a warehouse to store our bottled wine. There were numerous occasions when i though I had sold through the inventory only to be notified a week or two later they had another 10 or so cases stored on another pallet. I always appreciated this oversight as I almost always had an account who would take it in a heart beat. The scenario I hated was over-selling the wine I was told was in stock.

10

While I agree this is probably artistic license, I personally know that wine gets lost and found ALL the time.

11

All depends on how big the winery is and whether they store on-site or off-site. Big winery with off-site storage, sure. Small winery with on-site storage, not so much. But there are always exceptions. Basically, I just realized that this was a worthless post. Gonna submit it anyway-

12

When I saw Jeff had posted, I was just hoping that Rhy’s was going to make the same offer…

13

Nothing like submitting something pointless. Thanks. [1928_middle_finger.gif]

14

Standard operating procedure for you isn’t it? [bye2.gif]

15



sigh.
Cris -

Michael -

16

Maybe you were channeling your foil chapeaued kitty?

17

It is true that wine is thought gone but really there…happens more than you think. And definitely not a dishonest thing from the winery. Trust me, they want it SOLD! So…I think this is a pretty awesome deal. It’s like your ITB and getting the best discount imaginable! A nice gesture on their part, don’t think you need to read anything else into it.

*disclaimer: I have no stock whatsoever in Curran - DiBruno wines

18

How about your distributor calling to ask you what they are supposed to do with an extra order of wine they just got? Yep, a duplicate order according to the discussion at hand. Call to the warehouse is met with, “No way would we release same order twice”. OK, can you please check and get back to me? Like, NOW? 3 days later, with no response back another call is made, this time they sheepishly admit, “Well, we have no idea how this could happen, but…” This is a warehouse that is used by a good number of wineries, I should add. How about a wrong vintage released to a distributor, even after a number of emails were to make sure we are all on the same page and vinatge A goes out, not vintage B? Yep, didn’t matter, pallets went out and had to be brought back for a swap…

I’ve dealt with a few of those by now and yes, I have 3 small lots, 10, 10 and 12 cases, wines I thought were sold out way before, and have no idea what to do with them now.

I have no ides what took place with Bruno’s wine, but I can attest to the real possibility of “just found” wine scenario.