The Haggler addresses Premier Cru

premier_cru_nyt

The topic of wine futures has roiling the wine world recently. Yes, the lackluster campaign for Bordeaux 2014 futures has shaken some corners. But what I’m talking about here the payment and then non-delivery of futures at Premier Cru, a retailer in Berkeley, CA. Wine discussion boards have bubbled over with frustration as consumers have paid money to secure wines–some as long ago as the 2008 vintage–and are still awaiting delivery. Futures are tricky; complaints of non-delivery of wines sank 1855.com, a French retailer, into bankruptcy.

It’s great that the NYT’s The Haggler columnist, David Segal, took up the issue in today’s paper. While he provided an overview of wine futures and the situation at Premier Cru (including a few bons mots), he didn’t reach a resolution as the column often does while advocating on the behalf of consumers. Segal promises a second part of the column to follow next week.

In anticipation of next week’s column, if you are among the aggrieved it’s a good opportunity to further articulate your problems. There isn’t a comment thread on the article but you can comment elsewhere or write haggler@nytimes.com. Let The Haggler know your issues!

3 Responses to “The Haggler addresses Premier Cru”


  1. I stopped ordering from PC for exactly this reason. Unfortunately, more than half of my orders from 2012 are still unavailable, so I need them to stay afloat for at least another year! Friends that have been in this game longer than me swear they do come thru eventually, but that also part of their business model is probably based on people dying while waiting for delivery.

    I will certainly email this reporter. I’ve heard from others that those who receive priority from PC are those who complain the loudest. So thank you for brining this to my attention!


  2. It will be interesting to read the follow up article

    people are talking about how they just received their 2005 Bordeaux futures.


  3. I have experienced same problem before. That was terrible feeling.


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