"That Wine is Out of Stock"

[Jerry D Mead]

Jason...You make some valid arguments, but it's still hard to swallow when one sees hard to find, allocated product stacked up in Costco or wherever, when local fine restaurants and fine wine shops are getting bottles or none at all.

And frustrating when the wholesalers are so busy selling the big brands that are their bread and butter (once again hard to blame them)and allowing really great brands with no marketing clout (re no powerful whiskey companion or high volume brand connected)to languish in the warehouse to where when I review current releases no one can find them because the wholesalers are running two to three vintages behind.

I'd say the biggest problem with wholesalers is that there are not enough of you. All the consolidation to where each market has three serious wholesalers...means laundry lists of brands in every house to where you basically become order takers and not salesman.

The only thing most wholesalers sell is the high volume stuff that's on "post off" or "deal" for the month, or that has some big extra "spiff" or free trip connected for the salesman.

It's the system in general that is the problem...it's not that wholesalers are inherently evil or something...they provide a great service that is needed...but the middle tier of the 3-tier system is a dinosaur that just can't be everything to everyone.

The Wine Curmudgeon