I am so happy to continue to pay 40-80% off for really good wine. The downside is a cellars that is more than busting at the seams because I know that I could be paying full price!!!
Thanks for a very informative article. I thought it was amusing that customers who paid $118 for wine complained to the winery that they paid $18 too much. They say rich people are usually tightwads though.
Some of you may remember that a few months ago, WS informed me and others that the B. Wise wine we bought couldn’t be shipped because the winery found out someone sold it to WS and stopped the shipment somehow, Just like described in this article. I didn’t know that wineries had this much power.
Answer: you probably shouldn’t be buying direct at the moment, and that goes for most Napa/Sonoma wines out there. A very large portion of those wines, including from many highly-regarded producers, frequently sell for 40-50% less in the secondary market currently. Previously non-discountable wines such as Riverain showing up on flash sale sites is just a symptom of the disconnect between the price wineries are trying to set and the price the market will bear.
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I heard a rumor that come next spring there will be even more drastic discounting when wineries need to clear out wine that didn’t sell well to make room for the newly bottled wine. Anyone read or hear anything like this?
Several threads here about some significant (forecasted) market softening.
What are wine spies shipping costs? Couldn’t find anything on the website so guessing it’s a variable cost
Most customers use their “lockers” to accumulate a case and then shipping is free.
Thanks, Dan
Good strategy by them to encourage more buying
You can accumulate up to 23 bottles in 2 lockers which they store for free. Then just before you fill the 2nd locker, ship the first filled one. I do that mainly due to not having much space in my cellar.
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Thanks for the tip Norm. Any time limit to hold before storage fees? Garagiste holds until you fill a case and I think they have a time period where you have to ship the partial before storage fees kick in. They do not have free shipping though
I don’t know of any fees for keeping a locker unshipped for a long time period. I buy often enough that my lockers only stay for a few weeks before shipping. Maybe if you keep a locker unfilled for 6 months or more, they may charge a fee. Others who keep their wine there long term may know.
I believe that when you order a magnum or larger bottle, they ship separately and charge you for that.
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I should note that I ordered a case of 375s, and the shipping was free. Not a bad deal.
For Zin lovers Rockpile seems like a buy
I tend to favor the sites with free shipping of a case that you can accumulate over time. WSpies and Wineslash have this feature. Last Bottle usually requires a purchase of 2 to 6 to get free shipping unless it’s during a marathon. WTSO requirres $60+. I’m curious as to what 375s you bought as I like these to have around when I don’t want to open a standard bottle.
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I bought the Stags’ Leap petite sirah 375s.
They might be gone by now. Try K&L.
Oomrang Muller Thurgau '22 is featured today, plus several others in their store. TEXT4WINE knocks the price down to $18 (winery price $65). I’ve enjoyed the '20 Muller I bought on LastBottle.
Interesting. The 2020 vintage was on Last Bottle this summer.
the muller was solid for like $15, the full retail price is a joke
Yeah, it was cheap. The description was interesting enough to make me break a 3 year streak of not buying anything from them. I should drink one and see what it’s like.
Agree. It was pleasant and did improve over a couple of days, but nothing that would warrant anything near that release price.