Category: bargain wines

Mind the Gap: Wine Marketing 101

Selling Wines Online: Two Different Approaches

Wines under the Wind Gap label are being unloaded. Garigiste.com offered several a few weeks ago, and today, two websites offered a Wind Gap wine at $15 a bottle.

As we start the New Year, which would you buy based on the website’s offer?

Here are your choices:

  1. Buy a wine associated with a guy in prison for fraud who claimed to be rich, spent lots of money, not always his own and also made by an excellent winemaker. And it was “millions” of dollars. And you are led to believe he, the guy in prison, spent tons of money on the wine.
  2. Buy a wine described in bright, uplifting terms made by an excellent winemaker.

#1 A Wind Gap Pinot Noir as offered by www.vivino.com

“What you are about to read may be the most significant cloak and dagger event in the wine industry ever!

June 27th, 2017 Wine Industry Tycoon Charles Banks was sentenced to 4 years in prison for fraud after excessively overspending to craft the best wines in the world.

The Players:

Charles Banks – His Resume:

✔️Screaming Eagle / Jonata: former co-owner / co-founder

✔️Managing Partner: Terroir Capital – $200 million in winery assets (including Wind Gap)

✔️Defrauds two NBA stars out of millions: (somewhere around $22 million)

Pax Mahle – The Winemaker:

✔️100 point superstar – founder of Pax Cellars and Wind Gap

✔️Possibly more 94-100 point scores than Heidi Barrett and Philippe Melka combined”

 

#2 A Wind Gap Syrah offered by  www.lastbottlewine.com

“BIG, bold, in your face Syrah from none other than Pax Mahle (yes, the guy who just scored 100 points for his $50 Sonoma Hillside bottling under the Pax label) that is made in a drink-me-now-with-gusto style. Bright, perfumey and juicy, this isn’t real heavy or meaty at all, just a warm, friendly, lovely, MIND-BLOWING DEAL if we have EVER seen one. Pax and his wines are all the buzz these days, so it’s particularly thrilling for us to have a little (little!) parcel to sell. PLEASE don’t miss! WILL sell out in the blink of an eye!

(oh, and Happy New Year, also, please hurry on this as Pax Mahle’s Wind Gap is more popular than a roomful of newborn kitty cats and we don’t have very much)”

 

So please cast a vote.

Shameless or frivolous?

 

2018 Wine Website Annual Awards

 

Now that the post-Christmas sales are over and we can wrap up this absolutely crazy year for online wine sales, the results are in for the year’s winners and, yes, losers.

So, without further ado and other clichés, here we go:

BEST FOR ONLINE DISCOUNTS

One site kept improving its offering throughout the year while maintaining healthy discounts usually over 50%, sometimes approaching 70%.

The same site actually apologizes when the discount on a special wine falls below 30%. Others brag when they can offer something at 25-30% below average retail.

And the winner for best discounts in 2018: www.wtso.com

As a footnote, this site was sued 2 years ago for mis-representing average retail prices. So it has really cleaned up its act to become a role model.

We can only hope that other sites relying on false and misleading prices, scores, and narratives take note.

BEST ONLINE WINE DISCOVERIES

This category looks for wines that are not available either in traditional wine shops or on most websites. The focus is on discoveries of unusual, limited production wines that are true to their type. But NOT EXPENSIVE.

Every wine lover is on the lookout for something different, a wine not in the mainstream.

Such as outstanding wine from Greece or Slovenia as well as wines from Germany, Spain, Italy and France. A wine that is highly enjoyable and comes with a rich and exciting history.

And the 2018 winner for presenting the best wine discoveries is: www.sommselect.com

BEST WEBSITE FOR CULT-LIKE WINES

We know there’s a market for 95+ point rated wines priced on the high end. This wine buyer is interested in not only California cults (Cade, Pahlmeyer, Insignia, Shafer, Harlan) but also in the top rated Bordeaux and Brunello, as well as the Super Tuscans like Sassicaia.

Not limited to the current favorites but also interested in the next great cult wine.

This is a hotly contested category.

Over the year one site has proven itself to be the one-stop shopping for the cult and cult-wannabe wines of the world.

The 10-20% discount and free shipping on orders of $149 or more cemented its place on the top.

The proven track record for reliability doesn’t hurt either.

And that site is: www.wineexpress.com

 

BEST WEBSITE  FOR INFORMATION, KNOWLEDGE SHARING

This category may surprise those of you all too familiar with the non-stop hype that highlights fake scores, 100 point winemakers, “greatest vintage ever” nonsense so common on wine websites. 

You may be surprised that the category even exists.

But it does. And we reviewed many websites for their content and found that…

One site offers helpful background information about regions and vintages as well as insights about the wine producer.

One site knows the prime regions of France and offers insider insider information about recent vintages.

One site finds the best values available in Washington and Oregon, both fast-changing wine regions, as well as the occasional gem from California.

The winner is this category also seeks out wines that are organic and NOT MASS produced.

The winning website which is also a good read is www.garagistewine.com

BEST ALL PURPOSE SITE FOR WINE SHOPPING

Think of amazon prime but only for wines. And, no, sorry but amazon does not yet have a good, all purpose wine department.

Check out my review at www.bestonlinewineshopping.com

So for now finding an all-purpose wine website offering  wines from all regions, in all price ranges, including top sellers and cult-like wines is of extreme importance.

It can’t possibly have everything, but we looked for the one site that offers close to everything.

And the winner in 2018 is:

(We interrupt this awards program because it is New Year’s Eve and the Head Judge

just heard the sound of a Champagne cork…)

To be continued next year.

 

Last Minute Gift Ideas to Wow the True Wine Connoisseur

 

Yes, people into wine are almost impossible to shop for because you, a normal person,  don’t have all that much time and inclination to devote to wine.

But if the wine person in your life truly appreciates fine wine and is not one of those nouveau snobs seeking out high-priced, faux-cult wines for bragging rights, then this buying tip is for you.

One online wine site I follow regularly comes up with spectacular, out of the ordinary choices, wines that are excellent but not your mainstream wines. Wines that hit the WOW factor and will have people asking,”where did you find that?”

Interested? Then

Check out:

http://www.sommselect.com

On December 15, it offered:

2014 CLOS DU MOULIN AUX MOINES, SAINT-ROMAIN, Cote de Beaune. This is a super red Burgundy from an unusual, make that esoteric place. Authentic, fabulous French Burgundy.

Another unusual wine offered earlier the week was the 2004 Morgon Domaine Calot, Vieilles Vignes

A wonderful Morgon like this at 15 years old would surprise and delight even the most jaded wine lover.

I also appreciate the fact that sommselect provides a ton of background information while avoiding the hype and silly comments found on most wine websites.

For instance, here’s what they say about that 2004 Morgon:

“We were shocked when they revealed this small stash of 2004, even more so when they told us why they were holding it back—because of sediment! They didn’t think customers and restaurants would want it! Well, we checked a bottle overseas and one more when it arrived at our warehouse. It’s exactly where any 15-year-old, unfined, unfiltered Burgundy would be! To avoid the little that is there, stand the bottle upright 24 hours prior to opening and then carefully decant (stopping when you see the “smoke,” or wisps of sediment) for about 15 minutes before serving at 60 degrees in Burgundy stems.”

“It has entered its peak drinking window but still has lots to offer over the next several years.”

Finally, these two examples and most wines from www.sommselect.com are reasonably priced. Reasonable to me means under $100 a bottle. Way under.

The Morgon is $30 a bottle with free shipping on 4.

So while others looking for great wines to buy are frantically going over lists and trying to make sense out of vintages and point scores, relax, go to www.sommselect.com and then buy something for yourself.

Martha Serves Up A Great Wine Deal

Yes, we are talking about THE Martha Stewart.

Working with a major online wine company named the wine insiders, the offer is the “Martha Stewart Collection.”

Dont go to her site, for this offer:

Go to  www.wi-wine.com/martha

Six bottles for $29.99 or $4.99 a bottle, with free shipping.

You can order 6 reds, or 6 whites, or a mix of  3 and 3.

I am familiar with wine insiders and the company is reputable and the wines are not bad at all for the $4.99 price. Most of its other wines are much more expensive.

My suggestion:

Go with the mix of red and whites..

Or if you like Chardonnay, go with the whites which include a very good Chardonnay

Other info:

No further obligations, no commitments

Free gift of a corkscrew

Reality Check:

Are they hand-selected, artisan wines rated 93 points made by real wineries: do you believe in Santa?

Did Martha taste her way through hundreds of wines to select these 12 offered: probably NOT, but she may have tasted the 12 finalists.

Are the wines medal winners? Yes, but that means very, very little these days.

But at $4.99 a bottle they pair well with a little baloney.

I’m sure Martha also has a Baloney Collection.

 

Two Best Bets for Cyber Wine Deals

 

Two wine sellers broke out of the gates quickly on Cyber Monday.

Probably no coincidence that both learned on the job and fine-tuned their skills with Flash Sales.

Opening today with a magnum of Bernardus Santa Lucia Pinot Noir for $34,

www.wtso.com plans to focus its Cyber Monday run on magnums.

Magnums? Sounds like they planned ahead,

Look for more good to great deals on magnums, the perfect size for entertaining over the holidays.

Also eyes should be on another favorite,  www.lastbottlewines.com.  It out-performed right through to late Sunday with a terrific deals on a 2013 Barolo. And this website was a thing of beauty to watch over Black Friday.

These are the two best bets.

Most other sites are trotting out old and tired nags and trying to disguise them as last-minute deals.

70% off a loser? No thanks

Last chance?  Right, until next time.

Best Black Friday Wine Deal

12 bottles, ready to drink wine for $99, shippng is free

Each pack contains 1 bottle of each of the following:

  • 2014 St Mary’s Bells And Whistles Red Field Blend 
  • 2017 Clark Estate Upper Awatere Sauvignon Blanc 
  • 2016 Marquis D’aqueria Tavel Rose
  • 2014 Westerly Chardonnay Santa Ynez 
  • LC Villa Prosecco Millesimato Extra Dry
  • 2017 Curtis Nova Pinot Grigio 
  • 2016 Mairena Cabernet Sauvignon 
  • 2012 Vinas Viejas De Paniza 
  • 2017 Chateau Bas Pierres Du Sud Coteaux D’aix En Provence Rose 
  • 2015 Herdade De Calda Porta Da Calada Tinto 
  • 2017 Riviera Terre Siciliane Pinot Grigio
  • 2017 Dandelion Wonderland Of The Eden Valley Riesling 
  • No dogs here! All good to excellent quality.
  • Versatile and great tour of the wine world.

Wine Sale Alert

Best Fall Sale this Week

With free shipping on select wines www.wtso.com is one to check out.

Act fast because a few sold out within hours.

Still available is an excellent Chardonnay: 2014 Cuvaison Estate Carneros, $15.99

And an excellent red: 2014 Chateau Hoyot Reserve Cotes de Bordeaux, $13.99

Another super Chardonnay with free shipping on 4: 2014 Iron Horse Estate Chardonnay, $16.99

Learn more about wtso at http://www.bestonlinewineshopping.com

 

Heads up for a Wine Sale Well-worth Exploring

  • When: October 16 through the 19th.

  • Offered by: vintage wine estates

  • Website:www. vintagewineestates.com

  • Look for daily updates and special offers

  • The deal: over 150 wines offered, with discounts as high as 50%

  • Shipping: free on all case orders (12 bottles)

Background on vintage wine estates:

This company has been acquiring wineries over the last decade and now owns over a dozen real wineries and brands.

The top names are B.R. Cohn, Clos Pegase, Swanson, and Sonoma Coast Vineyards.

Its private labels and brands are best ignored such as Purple Cowboy and Pro-mis-Q-ous.

And it is also responsible for the Game of Thrones wines which are frequently sold on E-Bay.

Here are two teasers of what will be included in this sale

  • 2015 BR Cohn Silver label Cabernet Sauvignon, $15 (usually $25)
  • 2014 Viansa Sonoma Coast  Pinot Noir Reserve for $27 (usually $45)

Insider information:

Though no fan of global wine companies, I am comfortable with this one…so far.

To date, the parent company has maintained the integrity of wineries such as BR Cohn, Swanson, Clos Pegase, Sonoma Coast and Firesteed.

A few wines from Both Swanson and Clos Pegase have been hyped and discounted at vivino, so this is not the one and only online sale opportunity.

Before buying any wine, check out the price at www.winesearcher.com to se if you are getting a genuine deal

Partial listing:

Vintage Wine Estates is a group of winery estates and brands that include Clos Pegase, Cosentino Winery, Girard Winery, B.R. Cohn Winery, Swanson Vineyards, Viansa Sonoma, Windsor Vineyards, Cameron Hughes, Firesteed, Tamarack Cellars, Cartlidge & Browne, Sonoma Coast Vineyards, Middle Sister, Tall Dark Stranger, Pro-mis-Q-ous, Monogamy, Girl & Dragon, Purple Cowboy and a number of exclusive wine brands. 

Time to Harvest Great Wine Deals

The first major online September wine sale is at www.cawineclub.com   

And is a wonderful way to kick off the harvest season.

And stock up on all types of wine because this sale turns out to be a bargain hunter’s paradise with excellent wines from real wineries.

Take advantage of terrific discounts, a few over 50% off.

And the sale includes $1 shipping on 6 or 12 bottles. Shipping a case normally runs $38-40.

Check out this exciting “Harvest Wine Sale” which ends on September 30, 2018.  Prices listed are per bottle.

My top 5 Great Value picks under $15

2016 Cambria Monterey Chardonnay  $8.99

2013 Tangent Grenache Blanc Edna Valley $9.99

2013 Zaca Mesa Syrah Santa Ynez $12.99

2014 Kieu Hoang Cabernet Sauvignon Napa $11.99

2016 Clos LaChance Central Coast Red $13.99

Top Scoring Wine

94 points, (tasted at the winery 23 August)

2016 Clos LaChance Central Coast Red $13.99

Combines Merlot, Cabernet, Malbec and Petit Verdot from home vyd in Santa Clara and nearby estate vineyards.

Crafted in a smooth, rich classy style. Classic blackberry, tea leaf, spicy aromas and flavors with light touch of oak. Serve this Meritage red to your snobby Napa Valley friends and they will think it is a $100 bottle.

Drink now or age this one for a few years This is the old Clos LaChance label that is being replaced next vintage which might explain the exceptional deal.

Best of the Rest under $50

2015 Morgan Winery Pinot Noir, Double L, Santa Lucia Highlands $38.

This is the top of the line and is fabulous Pinot at any price.

See more at www.cawineclub.com

Check out more online deals and honest, detailed reviews of wine clubs at

www.bestonlinewineshopping.com

International Pinot Noir Day!

Those 6 or 12 bottle sets of wine deals organized around some theme are best ignored. They are featured by most of those wine clubs sending wines 3 or 4 times a year.

The wines are most likely being unloaded for good reason and usually are not much of a deal at any price.

In my coverage of the top 20 online wine sellers, I routinely suggest wine lovers with any brains avoid these themed deals like the plague or a STD.

Well, one 6 bottle set came along that includes excellent wines at an attractive price. 

And yes, this is International Pinot Noir Day!

The theme is “6 Pinots from our Favorite Growing Regions.”

From wineaccess.com which selected 6 excellent Pinots from top vintages.

the price of $149, shipping included, is excellent.

The Pinots are from Scribe (Sonoma Valley), Bernardus (Santa Lucia Highlands) Withers Hill, (Dundee, Oregon), Domaine de la Cote (Santa Rita Hills) Karo-Kahn (Carneros)  and Solena Estate (Willamette Valley).

The website:

www.wineaccess.com