tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post6383816284933862703..comments2024-03-18T04:47:16.199-07:00Comments on The Gray Report: Is Two-Buck Chuck bad for California wine?W. Blake Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-34556109241563783392012-07-26T09:28:23.745-07:002012-07-26T09:28:23.745-07:00Chicago: Could be wrong (I wasn't there), but ...Chicago: Could be wrong (I wasn't there), but wasn't Mondavi's story basically that Napa Cabernet was as good as Bordeaux, which at the time was considered the pinnacle of wine?<br /><br />That said, you're right, Mondavi was the king of wine charm.W. Blake Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-87675011673621161792012-07-26T09:24:51.799-07:002012-07-26T09:24:51.799-07:00ronmcfarland said...
"Wine regions that use ...ronmcfarland said...<br /><br />"Wine regions that use a single story to promote everyone will be caught in this trap and all brands will be lowered to the common denominator of price."<br /><br />But isn't that what Robert Mondavi did in the 1960's to great acclaim? I guess the lesson for developing wine regions is choose your storyteller very carefully!Douglas Trapassohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18348522207945522495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-39461488992909081362012-06-21T14:32:14.668-07:002012-06-21T14:32:14.668-07:00Trader Joe's does make a profit on Charles Sha...Trader Joe's does make a profit on Charles Shaw.<br /><br />People buy it for a few reasons, in my experience.<br />1. Americans' culturally-embedded sense of cheapness. The "hey it's in a glass bottle so even though it's $2, it must be ok" factor.<br /><br />2. The line of reasoning that "Well if Trader Joe's sells it, how bad can it really be?"<br /><br /Beauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05835422435318171027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-34096744152696477012012-06-21T08:34:20.435-07:002012-06-21T08:34:20.435-07:00My wife is a Social Worker and I WISH she had a ta...My wife is a Social Worker and I WISH she had a taste for Franzia or TBC. Unfortunately (or fortunately? ) living so close to Oregon Wine Country and having friends that make and own wineries has upgraded her taste to top notch Pinot Noir ( although not expensive in my view, definitely not "cheap".)<br /><br />I personally have tried almost every "cheap" wine at TJ's..( Portland Charcuterie Projecthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11741838890062064902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-64793881609759151262012-06-21T08:04:31.624-07:002012-06-21T08:04:31.624-07:00At 600,000,000 bottles over ten years, that an ave...At 600,000,000 bottles over ten years, that an average of 60,000,000 bottles annually, or 5,000,000 cases annually. That represents about 1.5% of all wine produced annually in the U.S. It's a big figure, but not enough to significantly bring down the whole market a la Australia.Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16666030273896376610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-35746956296183662592012-06-21T07:05:48.037-07:002012-06-21T07:05:48.037-07:00Is the potential problem one of price or story tel...Is the potential problem one of price or story telling?<br /><br />I suspect once Yellow Tail became the primary Australian wine story everything else suffered.<br /><br />Same thing in New Zealand, when the grape supply increased and marketing lacked the ability to quietly move the product it became the story of the season.<br /><br />I once read that if we do not learn to tell our story - thenAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-61919204413526942242012-06-20T20:32:35.968-07:002012-06-20T20:32:35.968-07:00I just got this comment by email from a wine resea...I just got this comment by email from a wine researcher who doesn't want to be named:<br /><br />"Market research done shortly after 2BC really took off showed that most of the volume came from: (a) trading down from $5-10 bottles; (b) people adding wine-drinking occasions because it was so affordable. E.G. “I’ll open a bottle just because I feel like a glass, because at $2 it doesn’t W. Blake Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-44509630558254245462012-06-20T17:38:15.515-07:002012-06-20T17:38:15.515-07:00Will they trade up? Probably not.
I have seen sno...Will they trade up? Probably not.<br /><br />I have seen snobby neighbors who showed off by buying a Hummer and then served Franzia box wines at their dinner party. And they looked down their noses at us. At least we have a decent wine cellar!<br /><br />Another example, I just came back from a watercolor workshop attended by people who have money. What did they serve at the social hour? Lynnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10144729430387958496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-20502974132075569462012-06-20T15:31:30.696-07:002012-06-20T15:31:30.696-07:00Chris: Well that's kind of the point of the Pa...Chris: Well that's kind of the point of the Palate Press column: that there IS better wine. Which is what SUAMW is also saying. Nothing wrong with TBC, but we do have to get people to accept that if they're willing to pay a premium for better hamburgers or coffee or dress shirts, the same concept applies to wine.W. Blake Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-18748185427199677182012-06-20T15:29:15.845-07:002012-06-20T15:29:15.845-07:00John: Thanks for clarifying; that's a savvy po...John: Thanks for clarifying; that's a savvy point. <br /><br />But still: it's only at Trader Joe's, which can't sell anything else now, and that includes Bronco wines.<br /><br />So if you're right, Trader Joe's will push back on the deal and it becomes Three-Buck Chuck (in California; I realize it's already Three-Buck Chuck in some other states, but that's W. Blake Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-79673696995850673182012-06-20T14:52:00.623-07:002012-06-20T14:52:00.623-07:00Blake - Bronco can do it because in distribution y...Blake - Bronco can do it because in distribution you get a pull-through effect: "yes you can have 3 cases of TBC if you take 2 cases of X at this price."John M. Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18343670865804216103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-27409803655827445082012-06-20T14:40:29.067-07:002012-06-20T14:40:29.067-07:00The US is one of the only growing wine markets in ...The US is one of the only growing wine markets in the world, let’s hope there is growth in value not just volume.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-80002380043582199592012-06-20T11:11:18.417-07:002012-06-20T11:11:18.417-07:00I think there is some merit to people who otherwis...I think there is some merit to people who otherwise probably wouldn't be drinking wine at all drinking $2 wine. (SOME!). <br /><br />The real question is: Will those people ever trade up to better wine. I think we're in a perfect position to tell now. The discounting of the past few years is ending (for CA wine) and prices are going back up. Will the consumer who got used to drinkingAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-28509278976524974832012-06-20T10:30:53.548-07:002012-06-20T10:30:53.548-07:00John: I agree that TBC is a loss leader for Trader...John: I agree that TBC is a loss leader for Trader Joe's. BUT I can't see why Bronco would do it as a loss leader. I'll bet very few TBC customers could name the company that makes it, so it's not gaining anything for Bronco in company image. If Fred Franzia's not making money, why do it?W. Blake Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17755307711801965966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-77233426370305986702012-06-20T09:26:04.964-07:002012-06-20T09:26:04.964-07:00Yellowtail killed the export market for Aussie win...Yellowtail killed the <b>export</b> market for Aussie wine. Is TBC killing the export market for California wine? I don't know - have not seen any data to support this. <br /><br />And who says TBC turns a profit? $24 a case RETAIL, right? That's under $12/case FOB. I calc the all-in cost at the million-case margin to be something like $16/case to bottle AIR. Can you say "loss leaderJohn M. Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18343670865804216103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9210235767643862872.post-59543005322711754402012-06-20T09:21:04.120-07:002012-06-20T09:21:04.120-07:00The only decent wine in the TBC line up is their C...The only decent wine in the TBC line up is their Chard. The other wines, particularly the reds, are pretty crappy. <br /><br />It's not TBC or yellow tail, or whatever other bargain brand that is to blame.<br /><br />It is the notion that whatever you like is good, bolstered by the beliefs (as pernicious as they are pervasive and erroneous) that 1) perception of a wine's organoleptics is Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04213984217724336433noreply@blogger.com