The Beeb weighs in on Two Buck Chuck and other stuff...

[Botafogo]

So, I get up at 3am to hit the head (where I keep a small radio always tuned to NPR which runs the BBC from midnight to 6AM) and the World Wide Service of the Beeb is doing TEN MINUTES on the wine glut in California, Two Buck Chuck and other dreary news for California producers. That is a LOT of airtime for a major radio network....

Then, this morning, a rep comes in with a bottle of a nice Paso Robles Syrah that is wholesaling for $11 a bottle, deepest deal...and offers it two us at a price that will allow us to RETAIL it at $5.99 if we take all 240 cases. We did, then had to turn down an even better deal on a Napa Viognier due to lack of space.... When you factor in that we sell almost exclusively Italian wines and must be pretty far down the list of places to dump California wine it is looking pretty sad (but GREAT for consumers).

I would NOT want to be a grape grower this coming season, Roberto

[Bucko]

Holy smokes -- that is a friggin' deal if the Syrah is even passable........

[hotwine]

Good grief. I could go broke chasin' across the country after all of the good wine deals that are poppin' up. A $5.99 Paso Robles Syrah?! Yow!

[Skeeter]

Great, so California is groaning under the weight of its grapes, while New Zealand is going to have its smallest harvest in a decade. If the prices skyrocket over here, I might have to start trying some imports... Any suggestions?

[winoweenie]

And with the seams on my cellar (and pants) bursting you sniff out this. I'll call you. CB decided to fly over Thurs so we partied a couple and I never ceossed the San Diego County line. Will have to get back in a couple as I also didn't finish some important biz in SD. Will make every effort to get up country then. Is the smile gone yet? WW