Most of the lists I am on are for things I cannot get at retail. There are a small group (3) that I stay on because I want the winemaker/owner to get a bigger cut of the sale.
I think the sentiment in this thread applies to those highly expensive type lists like Shafer HSS, Alban, Harlan, etc.
But if you like a winery like Kutch, Carlisle, Rhys, Arcadian, Limerick Lane, etc., it still makes sense to buy from them directly, get the wines you want, not have to buy from assorted retail and auction sites to get the various wines you want.
Sure, if one of these were widely and consistently available at significantly less than direct, I’d probably migrate to retail.
3 years sitting on the shelf.
I think it is. California is in a precarious position with their pricing. It can only sustain as long as two things are in effect: a) a boom cycle, and b) when the buyer is American. Anywhere else in the world CA wine is severely overpriced and just not very competitive. Exports are limping along. And when the next recession hits and the American consumer looks over their spending, well, I wouldn’t want to be one of those Napa wineries…
Let’s face it, wine shouldn’t cost $100-200+ per bottle. There is something fundamentally wrong with that. Look at the Bryant thread and how their demand has fallen off a cliff after their last hikes. Reading this board, there seems to be a majority who have stopped buying these wines and getting of the lists, and this is in a boom cycle. Those sentiments will only deepen with a worsening economy.
As someone once said: “rich people get tired of writing checks, too”.
I read posts like this and understand the idea of it.
However, my reality in the Midwest is 99% of the lists that I am on are not availabe in any store in our state. I used to buy a lot of those through K&L, but they can no longer ship to us (thank you to our state for saving our distributors-thats a separate topic). So I have 2 choices, remain on the list, or drop the winery and I have done both.
3 choices. You can move.
Under hot lights or in the store front facing south.
This for me, and some added intangible value of REALLY liking the producer. It’s hard not to be swayed by the annual winery visit…
Damn, you are in California man. You can get virtually anything at retail. Availability is relatively easy except for all but the most rarefied wines. For the rest of the country there is the access problem, and this is what tends to prop up the system. I wonder how many of the big boys will continue to move product at $250-$300 per bottle if the dot commers go through another bust cycle?
Even if I can find some Carlisle or Rhys at retail, I don’t think it’s cheaper than direct, I wouldn’t be able to get every wine I want, and I’d probably have to order from several retailers in order to get the wines I do get.
Again, I agree with the chorus on something like HSS, Harlan or Alban. If I can get it cheaper at retail, I’d probably just buy retail. But I don’t think that is applicable to a lot of smaller high quality non-trophy producers.
Not to mention producers like Bedrock which are cheaper direct. I’m also in California, but these lists are great for these small non-cult producers.
On the other hand, I’m not willing to pay a premium to order direct, so for example I only buy Monte Bello futures from Ridge even though I love many of their other wines (which I buy retail).