From what I understand most producers subsidize shipping costs to varying extent. I met up with Reid back in August and one of the things he mentioned is that it was important to him to have the cab below the $100 price point and in order to do so he has to pass the full shipping cost down to the customer.
Regarding the wine itself, he brought the '22 Moonridge with to our lunch. It was just bottled and PnP but still got a good grasp that I bought my full allocation (darker fruited than '19 but had good tannin/acidity). There is a common theme regarding the '22 wines that showed well from that trip - the more restraint producers from hillside/mountain sites still produced great wine.
Oh I have no doubt it’s the true cost. I don’t think wineries are making money off shipping costs, didn’t mean to suggest that. I was just trying to say ‘wow FedEx and UPS have gotten very expensive while also downgrading service quality’
@Roy_Piper , amazing numbers. I didn’t realize what you or the wineries are charged. Personally, I’d be ok if you charged something closer to your true costs, like $40-$50 for shipping six bottles or less and $60-70 for six bottles and above. Your margins are already thin.
How are retailers able to offer lower shipping? For example, a retailer I buy from is a small operation, based on their extremely competitive prices I’d be surprised if they are subsidizing shipping, and its $55 to ship 12 bottles from CA to MN.
I have to assume that some of the winery pricing being discussed is not “just” UPS/FedEx charges but the charge to the winery by a third party logistics company that provides the shipping materials, packs and labels the boxes, etc. and charges for that. As opposed to a retailer who uses its own employees and supplies to do that and just pays UPS/FedEx the actual charge to pick the box up and ship it.
The reason retailers can do that is they own their own storage and have their own staffh on hand. It is not an additional cost, it is built into their business, directly. In most cases, unless one is 10,000 cases or more in Napa, everyone stores and ships via a third party. All that labor has to be added to the UPS charges. Also, to be honest, most wine retail stores are not storing at 55F. AC bills for storage facilities the size of a Home Depot can add up fast… Finally, California is just stupid expensive across the board.
4x Cab + 2x Syrah for me. Ground shipping to the East Coast was over $70. Seems about standard these days for those using third party shippers.
However, I will say that Williams Selyem just sent me my first offer. I bought 6 bottles on Saturday, they shipped overnight yesterday, just arrived this morning. $61.
Struggling with this one. I took my full last time, but haven’t gotten around to actually trying any (I prefer wines with some development). Oh bother.
Why are they charging the same for Bangor ME as Austin TX?
It’s seems everyone is really paying a lot for convenience here. (Well except those in Bangor maybe)
I bought 4 cabs and 4 syrahs. Like others here, I had the pleasure of tasting with Reid at his home vineyard in Sonoma last year and me and my whole group were blown away by the quality of the wines. We tried the '22 Moonridge Cab, '22 Bien Nacido, and '22 White Hawk. I couldn’t pick a favorite, but was surprised how well the syrahs were drinking right out of the gate. They were all - as described by others - quite restrained and “old school” in terms of style.
After trying them, I’m all in. Reid also told us about some exciting releases in the future, so there is more to look forward to!
Almost missed the email. Put an order for 6 Syrah and 3 cab. Would have done the full case but this month has been a bit out of hand with potential tariffs around the corner. Have been front loading some French wine and German Riesling that I would normally purchase at my leisure.