lperry Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 ...Point is that I am suggesting sampling an individual bottle from any source you can and then going online (Winezap, wine-searcher.com) to find the most competitive price. I've also syndicated small groups of people to buy from WA state wineries with some success (i.e. 30% off from Bergevin Lane). WTSO is just one source. Credibility from a numerical source on printed media (!) helps them and others. The taste of someone you trust (i.e. Marcus noted above) is worth even more. Got it. Now I need to find someone to trust. I think Jake Parrot recommended Joe Perry on Wine Disorder, a name I only remember because it also belongs to my Dad. Stephen Tanzer is a well-known wine critic with his own publication, International Wine Cellar, since 1985. I think he's generally well-regarded, and his judgments tend to matter. Jonathan H. Newman is a somewhat shadowy figure believed by some to plug wines in which he has a financial interest. It has been suggested that he has a stake in WTSO. I have no personal knowledge of any of this, but I generally avoid wines on WTSO that are recommended only by him. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr food Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 I was always curious about WTSO Platinum, Jay. I had seen it mentioned on Berserkers among other places. I figured you had to hit a spending minimum to get an invite, but all you need to do is ask? Yes, just ask. After all, they want to sell wine. As far as critics, Tanzer is fairly conservative and so can be trusted. Does anyone here use cellartracker dot com for inventory management? Wines that TN posters there have written are generally reliable. Cinderella is part of Wine Library and I've gotten some great deals if you can put up with all the emails! B-21 has a free shipping day every month and if it's your first internet order, you can get an additional discount. However, it's in Florida so shipping season will soon be over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe H Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 I first stopped in B 21 in the mid '80's when part of it was a nightclub with a couple of hundred seats. Today that is gone and the space is used as a warehouse. The retail store is incredible: 200 or so cabs on the shelf-just for a starter. Not just that they had Leonetti but they had Leonetti Reserve, Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet. From two vintages. I doubt if there is that much walkin traffic-probably the vast majority comes off of the internet. I was also told they have weekly deliveries to other parts of FL including Orlando (100+ miles) and South Florida (250+ miles) where some kind of vehicle leaves Tarpon Springs with numerous cases of wines. Still, B-21 carries as much serious WA state wine as I have seen in Seattle (Pike and Western) and serious CA cab as many of the better stores in San Francisco. B-21 is incredible, well worth driving an hour out of one's way to visit. Part of the reason for this is that a lot of what they carry is almost unknown in the Southeast. Also, relatively few people actually go into their store to see it. There was serious ten, twelve year old Shiraz on the shelf last week that someone probably walked by every few weeks and dusted. And, over time, they did NOT raise the price. And there it sat...waiting for me. They are also ferociously competitive on Reidel stemware including Sommeliers. Cindarella Wine is the Wine Library which I have written about ad nauseum on here. It is the single best wine store I have ever been in. Anywhere. (Four times now) FWIW B-21 is close to being as good; in some ways such as bargains collecting dust because nobody knows what they are, it is as good or better. Both store are superb for walking in and spending a lot of time looking over their shelves and then buying a collection of bottles to try. If anyone reading this finds themself near Springfield, NJ or Tarpon Springs, FL (15 miles north of Clearwater) both stores are well worth a visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithstg Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 Yes, just ask. After all, they want to sell wine. As far as critics, Tanzer is fairly conservative and so can be trusted. Does anyone here use cellartracker dot com for inventory management? Wines that TN posters there have written are generally reliable. Cinderella is part of Wine Library and I've gotten some great deals if you can put up with all the emails! B-21 has a free shipping day every month and if it's your first internet order, you can get an additional discount. However, it's in Florida so shipping season will soon be over. I use CellarTracker, and have for many years - most recently upgrading to a barcode scanner now that my wine is at home and not at the Wine Rack. I totally agree that the TN's on there are excellent - it's a large part of CT's appeal for me. Joe H, if you like Wine Library and B-21, next time you are in the greater San Francisco area, check out Premier Cru. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe H Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 I use CellarTracker, and have for many years - most recently upgrading to a barcode scanner now that my wine is at home and not at the Wine Rack. I totally agree that the TN's on there are excellent - it's a large part of CT's appeal for me. Joe H, if you like Wine Library and B-21, next time you are in the greater San Francisco area, check out Premier Cru. Thanks, Keithstg, will check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr food Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 another internet retailer (there is a brick and mortar in White Plains, NY) I can recommend is Dan Posner with Grapes the wine company. http://www.grapesthewineco.com/ Ask to be placed on his various mailing lists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkS Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 I use CellarTracker, and have for many years - most recently upgrading to a barcode scanner now that my wine is at home and not at the Wine Rack. I totally agree that the TN's on there are excellent - it's a large part of CT's appeal for me. Joe H, if you like Wine Library and B-21, next time you are in the greater San Francisco area, check out Premier Cru. I use CT as well and really like the fact that I can see my cellar Inventory on my Ipad. What Barcode device do you use and how is it set up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lperry Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 WTSO is having an event today called "cheapskate Wednesday." They are selling a different wine every 15 minutes or until sold out, whichever comes first, and claim to be selling at the best price on the web. They are running a Twitter feed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lperry Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 Last Bottle is having a "Harvest Marathon Madness" event today, with what are supposed to be great deals on low quantities of wine. You have to reload the page as the wines change fairly frequently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr food Posted August 20, 2013 Share Posted August 20, 2013 Those last bottle marathons, IMO, have dropped in quality and I'm tired of ordering a wine and then it's gone. 1 or 2 bottle lots aren't worth the trouble. And please, the winos are laughing about the Moon Mountain. Nobody wants it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lperry Posted August 20, 2013 Share Posted August 20, 2013 ^ I didn't buy anything from this one, although I did buy a case of wine from the WTSO one upthread. It's interesting - if you are nimble-fingered enough to type in your search quickly, a lot of the wines these places sell are available at the same or a better price fairly nearby. I don't usually see the District or Virginia and Maryland listed, but NJ, NY, and even Delaware have come up fairly frequently. As a wine-buying novice, it's fun to watch what shows up and then learn about the varietals I've never seen before. I must have missed the Moon Mountain, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silentbob Posted August 21, 2013 Share Posted August 21, 2013 Those last bottle marathons, IMO, have dropped in quality and I'm tired of ordering a wine and then it's gone. 1 or 2 bottle lots aren't worth the trouble. And please, the winos are laughing about the Moon Mountain. Nobody wants it. Most of what they were offering looked like repeats of prior offers that didn't sell out. I was under the impression that we'd be seeing low but new inventory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PappyVanWise Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 There's another LastBottleWines.com marathon going on right now. Early returns are good labels from off years and possibly vintages on the decline. Still, some good bargains to be had if you're fast enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lperry Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 I've noticed that the WTSO wines tend to recycle themselves periodically, thus calling into question the "sold out" part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PappyVanWise Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 If anyone really wants to give up their day and get great deals on wine, check out Berserker Day over on Wineberserkers.com. A few of us here are members over there, and January 27th usually ends up being our most expensive day of the year. Every 15 minutes a new deal is posted, and they mostly come direct from the winery or importer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr food Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 If anyone really wants to give up their day and get great deals on wine, check out Berserker Day over on Wineberserkers.com. A few of us here are members over there, and January 27th usually ends up being our most expensive day of the year. Every 15 minutes a new deal is posted, and they mostly come direct from the winery or importer. yep, some deals on wines that you'll probably never see in the area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithstg Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 If anyone really wants to give up their day and get great deals on wine, check out Berserker Day over on Wineberserkers.com. A few of us here are members over there, and January 27th usually ends up being our most expensive day of the year. Every 15 minutes a new deal is posted, and they mostly come direct from the winery or importer. Easily the most expensive day of the year for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PappyVanWise Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 I'm five orders in (Sandler, Keating, Graft, Match, and Vincent) and still trying to find more local buyers for Grand Cru to try and ease my shipping cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lperry Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Just out of curiosity, are the wines that people bought at this event from wineries with which you are already familiar, or do you take the time to do a little research online then buy, or something else altogether? What I like about Last Bottle and CInderella Wines is that I typically have the time to do some research on the wine and then decide if I want it. In contrast, I took a look at the WineBerserker site and found myself feeling overwhelmed. Is it a matter of experience, or perhaps of having more time to look up some of the wines? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PappyVanWise Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 There's a sort of ramp up beginning after Thanksgiving of wineries hinting that they are going to get involved and make offers. Some winemakers are active participants on the board, so I've interacted with Eric Keating before, and bought his wines a bunch from offers he's made on the site. Others, like Sandler Wines for instance, have a really good reputation and tasting notes abound from other members of the WB community. Graft wines was a new one to me, but I have a soft spot for California Grenache, and took a chance on a new label. Also, if you donate at least $25 annually, you get a preview list of what wineries have offers available and what times the offers will go live so you can plan your purchases a little better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lperry Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 So, at least in theory, you can make notes and plans, then spend one day stocking your cellar for the year? Sounds interesting, and certainly something to think about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithstg Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 For the year? My bank balance wishes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lperry Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 For the year? My bank balance wishes! The problem I'm having now is losing some wines in the cellar because they are past their prime. Mr. lperry is not really a drinker, and sometimes my enthusiasm for buying goes beyond what I and our guests can drink. Apart from a case of white I ordered recently (can't resist the Torrontes), I've pretty much stopped buying until everything is out of the cellar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr food Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 I bought zins from Cabot (pinots last year which I enjoyed) and from Nola Palomar as it was an inexpensive way to try her wines from Spain. It's nice to be able to interact with so many winemakers. When I bought a sampler of Brian Loring's pinots recently , I was able to ask him directly about their drinking window. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PappyVanWise Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 I ended up going in for the Cabot Zin pack as well. Heard such good things about this wines, and am looking forward to trying these out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lperry Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 I officially have to cut off my subscriptions to Last Bottle and Cinderella wines. I've been editing manuscripts for the past few days, so I'm right at the computer for long periods of time just looking for something to distract me. Things have been running something like this: *bing* A new email - better check that out. Ooooooh. Grenache. That sounds really good. *click* "Thank you for your order!" 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 I officially have to cut off my subscriptions to Last Bottle and Cinderella wines. I've been editing manuscripts for the past few days, so I'm right at the computer for long periods of time just looking for something to distract me. Things have been running something like this: *bing* A new email - better check that out. Ooooooh. Grenache. That sounds really good. *click* "Thank you for your order!" I used to do this all the time with Carolina Wine Company, and had to unsubscribe (and thank goodness I did before they went belly-up). It's starting to happen again with Rare Wine Company, so I may unsubscribe there, too. On the other hand, I just bought 10 cases of Champagne and Red Burgundy with a single email, so I'm not cured just yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PappyVanWise Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 There are way too many "good deals" out there, even if you're just hooked into one mailing list it can keep your wallet empty and cellar full. I am planning on getting together a buying group in Richmond, so a bunch of people can get a few bottles here and there of things they like. Just the direct from winery deals are enough to maintain a buying group like this. Speaking of which...anyone interested in the Keating Wines Spring release? (Or Bedrock, or Sojourn, or Rasa, or Myriad, or etc...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lperry Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 On the other hand, I just bought 10 cases of Champagne and Red Burgundy with a single email... You win. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 There are way too many "good deals" out there, even if you're just hooked into one mailing list it can keep your wallet empty and cellar full. I am planning on getting together a buying group in Richmond, so a bunch of people can get a few bottles here and there of things they like. Just the direct from winery deals are enough to maintain a buying group like this. Speaking of which...anyone interested in the Keating Wines Spring release? (Or Bedrock, or Sojourn, or Rasa, or Myriad, or etc...) If you do that (and I've done variants of this before), one thing that has worked for me in the past is: 1) Keep your group very small, with similar tastes to your own 2) Agree that people can commit to purchasing without first conferring with every single person in the group Number 2) requires you to know and trust the people in your group, and 1) follows logically from 2). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 You win. You get to pick one for doing the chat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PappyVanWise Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 If people are interested in buying spirits online, Caskers is having a free shipping with $150 purchase event through Sunday. They have some pretty good bourbons that aren't distributed in VA or probably MD at fair prices. I can recommend the Hooker's House Bourbon, which is finished in Pinot Noir barrels. A very different approach to bourbon, adding some red fruit at the end of the barrel aging. It's an interesting add to your bar for $40. They also have a good selection of ryes and Tony Kornheiser's favorite french whiskey, Brenne. I'm including my referral link, so if you buy anything I get a little credit, Caskers.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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