People on Cellartracker are liking it. Considering a purchase.
In for half a case.
50% off sale on First Bottle. A Venge Merlot and Cab Franc are available with some seriously nice pricing!
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I had issues with a shipping charge on my First Bottle order. Even though I ordered 3 Venge Merlotās and 3 Venge Cab. Francās I was assessed an $18 shipping fee. Has anyone else had a shipping charge issue?
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I had the same issue, and did not place the order.
Anyone tried the 2018 Jigar Malbec? At 50% off it is $8/bottleā¦Could always cook with it if it isnāt any good I guess!
I emailed First Bottle and assume I will be refunded $18. I shouldnāt have to email them though. 
Iām also seeing a shipping charge despite having six bottles in my cart.
I called the FB sales department, and they are aware of the issue. The IT team is working on it. The multi bottle discount isnāt working either.
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Fixed now
For those interested, I already received an email response from First Bottle apologizing for the glitch and agreeing to a shipping refund. Excellent customer service!
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Whatās the markup on these wines when they can sell at 50% and free shipping. Eye opening.
100% agreed! And possibly a 125-150% markup over their purchase price! If not moreā¦
pretty simple, find a true average retail (not an inflated one), back out 30% standard mark up by the retailer and then 30% standard distributor margin and youāll land on FOB. You also have to consider some built in margin by the producer for the need to discount, replace bad bottles, etc.
When I started in the industry, standard distributor markup was 33%, retailer 50%, so cost to consumer was double the distributorās laid-in cost.
Most distributor markups are higher now, probably average a good 40%. In most states I believe that standard retail markup is 50% but with huge variances.
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Sounds like maybe just excess inventory and trying to move on at a minimal gain for first bottle then. I have way too much wine and fought the urge this time.
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like dan kravitz says, thereās cost savings by disintermediating the distributor. this is part of what makes berserker day so important - because you get the savings - but what money is spent goes to the producer rather than an opportunist flash site.
in practice, wine retails are high because a lot of wine margin is carved out for the paying of all the middlemen, storage, transportation. but thereās also loans, payroll, rent, etc etc. wineries themselves are by and large just doingā¦alright.
if it were easier to get wine to people across the country without all the middlemen, i think youād see overall pricing be much more reasonable.
in the best of times, distributors are looking for new products, they are hiring salespeople who are showing the wines and introducing new wineries to customers. in current circumstances, distributors are running much more compact portfolios and salespeople are forced to do more with less. if wineries want to grow their market or even maintain their business, they now have to travel to places where theyāve already deputized distributor salespeople to do the job - and either accompany them, or do the sales calls themselves. itās another salary, another budget.
wineries have fewer places to go, and often can only respond slowly to market changes as wine takes time to become saleable inventory. not to mention that retail and restaurants are feeling the crunch as well, which means that bils are maybe not always paid on time - or at all.
so you get a lot of wineries who will end up way overstocked and looking for anyway to turn that wine into some $$$, although itās quite often at a loss when it ends up at places like LB or WTSO. bills for wineries keep coming due and sometimes you gotta suck it up and feed the beast. take the L and get back to work.
TLDR: Berserker Day is the best flash site by a wide margin and the money sustains the people making the wine.
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The 2021 Alma Rosa Barrel Select at $34 seems to be a screaming good deal for a 98 pt. Jeb Dunnuck reviewed wine. Recent Cellar Tracker reviews would be nice to confirm quality. Either way, Iām considering 4 bottles.
I think Iāll pass at 14.6% abv and all that new oak
Iām on the fence. Must stick to my New Yearās Resolution - temper my wine purchases! 
Yeah those are stylistic choices I donāt typically look for in my Pinot Noirs. I think Jeb was high when he scored this wine.
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