SIX PACK!

[budrichard]

Went to my local dealer yesterday and thought I would try some Oregon Pinot Noir. He suggested Argyle 2000 Reserve. OK, "give me case" I said. "Do you want one or two six packs" he said! Caused me stop and think, was I purchasing beer? For my whole life wine has come 12 bottles to the case unless purchasing 375 mil/half bottles where in France you get 24 to the case. I vaguely remember reading somewhere about purchasing wine in Calif that way at vineyards. Now I have this little forlorn case sitting all alone in my celler(actually we store wine all over the house in almost every closet or area we have) but it still looks forlorn next to full cases. -Dick

[Craig Camp]

6 bottle cases have been popular in Europe for a long time. It is a convenient size for retail sales and for restaurants with little storage, but the warehouse people in the USA hate them.

It is also a great pack for highly allocated wines. That way you can get your 6 bottles in a nice box with a logo instead of an old Vodka box.

[tcizma]

Quite often the wines packed 6 to a case are on the pricey side. This has prompted me a number of times in the last couple of years while negotiating the purchase of a particular wine- to ask "6 or 12 pack?" (After having been surprised a few times.

[Carema]

El six pack I think too is a packaging geared for on-premise (ie restuarants) and also makes overpriced wines seem more affordable. Oftentimes you will see regular old stinky large ava bottlings in 12 and then the cannot really tell the difference 'cept for extra oak single vineyard business in the 6 pack. I like them because the distributor's do not charge that ever annoying 'split case' fee which can be up to $1.12 per bottle in this god forsaken state (Illinois). However oftentimes the salespeople will calculate the per bottle cost off a twelve pack. Then everything goes out the window. Just like ted said.

[GordonCooks]

Many of the Cult wineries like Harlan, Bryant, etc are doing 3 packs

[tcizma]

6 pack of Marcassin Chardonnay offered to me last week: $1800

[Phil Ward]

6 pack of Marcassin Chardonnay offered to me last week: $1800

[tcizma]

Not only that, but how many cases of good wine can almost 2 grand buy? To be fair, the Marcassin is currently getting $500-$700 a bottle at auction, so $300 a bottle is a "good" deal in that sense.

I, however can't bring myself to drink such wines ( Bryant Family, Screaming Eagle et al ) because very rarely does the wine live up to my expectations vis a vis the price. Unless of course somebody else is buying.

[budrichard]

El six pack I think too is a packaging geared for on-premise (ie restuarants) and also makes overpriced wines seem more affordable. Oftentimes you will see regular old stinky large ava bottlings in 12 and then the cannot really tell the difference 'cept for extra oak single vineyard business in the 6 pack. I like them because the distributor's do not charge that ever annoying 'split case' fee which can be up to $1.12 per bottle in this god forsaken state (Illinois). However oftentimes the salespeople will calculate the per bottle cost off a twelve pack. Then everything goes out the window. Just like ted said.

I purchase at a few places in Illinois(Sam's and Wine Discount among others) and have never heard of this 'split case charge'. Can you explain what it is and where you find it. Part of the difference may be that i only purchase full cases based past experience where I purchased a bottle and when I went back it was all gone. Most retailers will take back a case if you don't like the initial bottle. -Dick

[tcizma]

A split case charge is applied when a retailer or restaurant orders less than a whole case of a particular wine from a distributor. Generally, if you are buying enough wine they will waive it.

Doesn't really mean anything to the retail customer, except that it may be reflected in the price you ultimately pay.

Megaliths like Sams or Binnys have so much buying power that they can usually tell the distributor what they want to pay for a wine ( within reason ) the small independents ( restaurants and retailers ) get hurt here, because they can't offer the same wines at a competitive price.

This is where service and personal attention from your wine merchant come into play. Buy from people you like and trust - and support the little guy ( or Gal ) Because the big stores will always be there, and if and when they are your only choice, they'll be telling you what to buy.