Online Customer Service
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why is the wine more expensive online than at retail?
- What are the benefits of being on the mailing list?
- How come my local retailer never gets the wine or only infrequently gets the wine?
- Why would a winery sell great wine to you, rather than market it themselves?
- Why are the Lots sometimes not released numerically?
- Can I save on shipping costs and stop by your office or the winery to pick up my online order?
Why is the wine more expensive online than at retail?
Most retailers buy our wine by the truckload and then self distribute the wine to their stores. There are tremendous efficiencies there that we pass along to retailers and they pass along to you, the customer. When wine is sold online, there are a whole host of additional expenses we incur that must be passed along such as LTL (less-than-truckload) shipping, additional, more expensive warehousing, pick-n-pack labor, website updates and maintenance, hosting fees, credit card fees, transaction provider fees, etc. This typically results in an additional $2-3/bottle. The good news is that we are reaching some economies on direct shipping and do offer shipping discounts when we can.
What are the benefits of being on the mailing list?
It is the only way to know when we will release our next Lot wine and where. The only way to get in our online discounts for wines we sell exclusively online and the only way to know where and when Cameron will appear in your hometown. We know how to make dreams come true! ;)
How come my local retailer never gets the wine or only infrequently gets the wine?
Our Lot productions vary in quantity because we are buying opportunistically on the "bulk" market. They are limited in size 1) because high-end wines are not made in large quantities and 2) because we can only work with the available componentry. One can’t magically increase the quantity available of a certain component. As well, if you have a blend that works, if you can’t increase all the component wines in unison, you can’t increase the size of the Lot without throwing off the blend balance.
That said, our limited productions do not allow us to ship wine to all stores all the time. Retailers tend to focus our wines in their better wines stores and expand the program to other stores when inventories allow. The best way to get your hands on a Lot wine is to check our Lot Locator. This will help you locate the Lot closest to you.
As well, our mailing list will alert you to stores nearby that have the wine.
Why would a winery sell great wine to you, rather than market it themselves?
Good question. In general, wineries are much better at making wine than they are at selling it. Most wineries sell wine only through their tasting room and appoint distributors to actually sell the stuff to retailers. When they have excess supply (which most wineries do as they tend to make more wine than they need, assemble a blend that works, and bulk off the rest) it is difficult to just pump it into the marketplace under their own label without incurring damage to their price point. Not to mention banks are not fond of financing a "liquid" asset just to keep it on the balance sheet in case it can be bottled and sold. Often, the best thing for wineries to do it cash out the wine on the bulk market, no matter how good it is, and put the proceeds towards cash flow (the key to running a successful winery).
As well, most of our wines are blends of different component wines or "barrel lots" and are proprietary. A component wines by itself is often not marketable or of sufficient complexity/quality to excite the marketplace. It’s the rare winery that has the excess sales channel capability to buy additional wine above and beyond what they make (or consider selling off) and then incur the costs of bottling and bottle ageing; rather, it makes better economic sense to bulk it off the me. Besides, navigating the bulk market is not easy and one has to move very quickly.
Why are the Lots sometimes not released numerically?
Different wines react to be bottled differently. Some come out of bottle shock and are approachable within a few months. Some take 6 months. We release the wine the minute we thinks its saleable but always warn there is always more upside to the wine if left in the bottle another 3-4 months or even 5-7 years (Lot 16 Stags Leap Cab). Sometimes, a wine is ready to go before its numerical predecessor and we release it first.
Can I save on shipping costs and stop by your office or the winery to pick up my online order?
Sorry folks, we don’t own a winery nor do we have a tasting room. We are a virtual wine company. We use other people’s facilities to bottle up super-premium made wines that we buy and blend from other wineries. As well, our licensing only allows for us to ship wine to you via common courier. We are not allowed to have wine picked up at our office because we would then have to be a licensed retailer (which we cannot be because one cannot simultaneously hold wholesale and on-sale retail licenses).