Thread

1. toomuchtodo · 1790628296 · focus · HN ↗

   If you’re a domestic US wine lover, now is a great time to be buying if you have the space to store it.

   1. JumpCrisscross · 1790628483 · focus · HN ↗

      :D

      That said, American wine—and California wine in particular—has a bit of an IPA problem inasmuch as there is a lot of overpriced, overproduced swill being priced exceptionally high by international standards.

      1. toomuchtodo · 1790628666 · focus · HN ↗

         I get the swill at a discount :) "The best wine is the wine you like best." Best deal I recently got was a few hundred bottles for under $1k, <$5/bottle. Easier than the trek to a Trader Joe's or Costco, ymmv (and I don't feel bad throwing a bottle out if it isn't for me, versus a $100+ bottle).

         1. Ancalagon · 1790628912 · focus · HN ↗

            Do you just buy barrels at that point?

            1. toomuchtodo · 1790628986 · focus · HN ↗

               Only one so far, I'm willing to take more but not a lot on offer. Maybe I'm talking to the wrong suppliers. There's a right price for everything, but I am looking for fire sale prices. Replies with leads welcome!
            2. JumpCrisscross · 1790630361 · focus · HN ↗

               Large-format bottles are criminally underappreciated this side of the Atlantic.
         2. nkrisc · 1790629627 · focus · HN ↗

            Sounds like a great deal, but that’s quite a lot of space required to store them, no?

            1. toomuchtodo · 1790630137 · focus · HN ↗

               Not really, takes up a large wall in a basement somewhere in the Midwest.

               1. vehemenz · 1790631457 · focus · HN ↗

                  Don’t even need that. If they’re packed in wine boxes they take up hardly any space.

                  1. 8n4vidtmkvmk · 1790663632 · focus · HN ↗

                     You allowed to do that? You'd at least have to tip the box on its side if storing for a long time now? I'm no sommelier but I hear the cork needs to stay wet or they'll spoil.

                     1. toomuchtodo · 1790686519 · focus · HN ↗

                        The bottles I've received are in large boxes that hold ~20 bottles each, delivered via Fedex.

                        1. hdjrudni · 1790828029 · focus · HN ↗

                           Interesting. Never heard of someone using an inventory system for the wine.

                           You haven't addressed what I asked though. Are you sitting the boxes upright? Do they have corks or are these cheapo screw cap bottles?

            2. harvey9 · 1790630795 · focus · HN ↗

               'a lot' depends on how much you had to begin with.
      2. alistairSH · 1790629629 · focus · HN ↗

         Not just American wine... wines from any region have always been more expensive in the US.

         Quick poking around Google... Italy, France, and Germany all have mid-tier bottles of their own domestic wine for far less than we (in the US) get any wine, domestic or import.

         1. intrasight · 1790645494 · focus · HN ↗

            I spent a month in Italy and drank many fine wines. The most expensive sold at supermarket was 15 euo. Most were like 6.
         2. chihuahua · 1790647993 · focus · HN ↗

            Have you bought wine at Trader Joe's? It used to be famous for its "2 buck chuck" aka Charles Shaw. And many other well-regarded wines for under $10.

            1. alistairSH · 1790682655 · focus · HN ↗

               I have, and their prices have gone up. Their reserve wines are $20 now. Still a good buy for bottles that are usually very drinkable. Bit similar wine in Italy would still be about half that price.
      3. _jwr · 1790634089 · focus · HN ↗

         It is incredibly difficult to sustainably run a winery in California. The margins are often negative without operating at a large scale, which is part of why the industry has consolidated heavily over the past few decades.

         Often times, wealthy people buy wineries as a hobby to dabble in, but end up selling and calling it a day before it drains their cash. If you want to buy wine for cheap that is made in California, buy mass-market wine.

         Smaller brands are generally expensive because that price is necessary to sustain operations, but most of the time that fails, and the owners end up selling.

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