Reader mailbag: getting my wine picks on your table
Dear Dr. Vino,
Have you even considered taking your 10 for $10 list, or the most that you can find at a single store, and putting them in a case or half case that people can buy. I see that you have a “find this wine” link, but maybe people would be more inclined to buy MORE wine and sample the bunch if there is some way of YOU assembling the case online at a store and providing a link for us to purchase the box. Is this not possible? Thoughts?
yours truly, Alastair
* * * * * *
Alastair,
Great question. In fact, it is so great, I’d love to open it up to input from other readers.
I hear your frustration (and of course praise you for your fanatical dedication) and maybe it’s something I should consider. I’ve previously touched on the difficulties of making wine recommendations for the US market. I just don’t have the market clout for shops to be arranging their end-cap displays with my picks.
I source my wines from a lot of shops but I would recommend checking Sam’s Wine in Chicago or Astor Wine or Crush Wine in New York City since they ship to many states and I buy a lot of my wines from them. But that said, I could easily compile a case (or two or three!) of wines I like from each of these stores or others of my faves in NYC or Chicago or SF.
What do you think, dear reader? Would you like it if I arranged for some value wines that I recommend to be found at a vendor with more or less national shipping? Would you have liked a one-click “buy now” button for my summer wines list for example?
My only hesitation is that I only recommend wines because I like them not because I have any inventory to move or sales targets to meet. I think it’s an important distinction: I recommend wines, I do not sell them and I have no desire to cross that line.
If I arranged some of my picks with a retailer, it would indeed be easier for you. And I wouldn’t have any inventory. Or sales targets–if I couldn’t find wines that I liked from one vendor at any particular time, then I simply wouldn’t put together any cases or half-cases of my picks.
I look forward to your thoughts.
* * *
Win some wine — thru Sep 7
tags: wine | wine blogs
On September 6th, 2006 at 12:11 pm ,Jeff wrote:
I think this a good idea, Tyler. Even if you get marginal response, I think the lines of influence and commerce are happening quickly in the blogosphere and this is a litmus test on a small scale that would be interesting.
You likely have been approached, as I have, by a company called Trigget that does wine based contextual linking. That might be an option, as well.
On September 8th, 2006 at 3:43 am ,Alastair Halliday wrote:
Hey, I think it’s a great idea!
-Alastair