How often do you share your allocations? I have found that I am on too many mailing lists and can not buy all the wine allocated to me so I have been passing on some releases lately. They are all lists I want to stay on, just too many other things vying for my money right now. I always try to share my allocation on CC or with someone I know is interested in it. If I pass on two releases, I usually drop off of the list to give someone else a chance. How many releases do you pass on before dropping off of the list or do you just stay on the list until the winery drops you?
If I am going to skip an entire offer, I will not attempt to share it. I am fine with the winery dropping me or not.
On the other hand, I do sometimes share an allocation, but I am moving away from that as well. Why not just buy less?
I am coming around to the idea that it may make sense to trade offers, I share my allocation of wine X with you, you share your allocation of wine Y with me.
For those ITB, does the idea of sharing allocations concern you at all and would you just prefer that if someone does not want their allocation for personal consumption that they just pass vs. share?
i see no problem with sharing. Financial situations change. I have dropped all lists and take what friends dont want.
I’ll sometimes buy a little more than I need personally and spread it around to friends (sometimes at cost, occasionally as a gift) who love wine but don’t have time/inclination to get in the weeds quite as much. It’s really part of what turned me on to wine - just a friend passing me a bottle that perhaps I’d have never discovered on my own.
Is your sharing just with local friends, and if not, how do you usually handle the different shipping locations?
I will pool some local friends to split some allocations. It saves on the shipping costs if I only want a couple of bottles. Also, if I know the winemaker/owner I don’t mind helping them sell more especially if there list is still open.
It’s rare - really a bottle here or there that I think a friend would like to try. For instance, having gotten my hands on some Arcadian, I gave a couple to a friend who I hoped would like it as much as I did. We’re supposed to grab lunch next week in the city and he’ll probably offer to pay (he may not, it doesn’t matter) But not a shipping operation by any means - I think it actually may be more of a “bribing people to be my friend” operation. ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
I’m really careful about sharing allocations, mostly because I respect the wineries’ list and allocation process. I’ll share a few bottles with local friends from time to time, but that’s about it. I don’t ever buy anything from an allocation unless I’m taking the vast majority personally. I just think that there is something not quite right about passing your list spot on to someone else who didn’t queue up themselves. I guess it would be okay for a one off situation (can’t afford one allocation and don’t want to be dropped), but beyond that I don’t like it. Just personal preference, not judging here…
Its a tricky thing
For people like me who are finding my way in wine i find this topic interesting, i find sharing allocations a good thing. I think the key is honesty, after a few years waiting for Saxum a member here offered me their allocation which i gratefully took. After taking two releases i asked the person if i could take it over and they said yes so i emailed and Sierra was appreciative of my approach and as i was almost due allocation anyway they switched to my name, as i love Saxum i dont see this as a bad thing. Now in reverse someone else buys no girls and horsepower and they are happy to do it.
I think as long as people are buying wines to drink and not flip i dont see the harm, yes you are on a wait list a bit longer but it also promotes our forum and the friendships you build.
I think that as i have received a lot of wine by people generously letting me take allocations im on the side of its ok
Maybe I should have specified that it is more a case of not buying a release and posting it on CC for someone else rather than ordering six for me and six for my neighbor. There have been times that the release just doesn’t suit my needs or budget, but I want to stay on the list for other releases.
An example is Bedrock. I passed on the last release but I will likely buy the next one, budget and space just didn’t allow this time around. I absolutely love their Syrah and it is such a bargain.
I have also traded allocations with a board member. I bought his No Girls and he bought my Rivers Marie Pinot. I didn’t have room for the RM this time but I will make room for the cab release. I didn’t really have room for his No Girls but I will make room.
I have considered the “ethics” behind giving or sharing the allocation and the wineries viewpoint. Surely they don’t mind and have to know that it is being done. I would like to think they are ok with it if for no reason than they are getting the wine into more people’s hands. Is it unfair for someone who has been on the wait list for years? Maybe. But they can always check CC. I say that a little tongue-in-cheek.
BTW, I am passing on my Dirty & Rowdy allocation. PM me if interest.
I see it is part of the being in the community, I share what I have and at times enjoy getting what others have to share. Simple and fun.
Same here, minus the sharing a few bottles with friends from time to time. I suppose if one of my friends reached-out to me and asked if they could get in on my allocation I would say Yes if I wasn’t taking it all myself, but I never do the reaching-out.
I am well over what I have the capacity to store and last year my purchasing was twice my consumption. I can’t possibly buy any more wine but I somehow continue to make purchases.
I’m the wine supplier for my in-laws. There is no way I need (or can drink) all of the wines I am interested in and am allocated so I let him purchase what he wants on my allocations. I think my last Bedrock allocation was over three cases. I have 50+ in my cellar so the case that just arrived was half his. I have turned him onto riesling so now I have to find it for him. Plus at least half of the bottle I get for him I get to drink when we have dinner over there.
The recent Patricia Green Cellars offer went to him, three members of a dinner club I belong to and a few for me. This is really the first time I have facilitated a purchase for someone outside of the in-laws. They are getting the wine at my cost.