Any general advice and tips for first-timer ?

Looking for some common sense “been there / done that, so don’t do that / do this” kind of advice for a first-timer. Not specific deals, just general approach and hints to playing the game and coming out the other end in a “good” place. Thanks -Jim

Check out the preview day.

Feel free to buy wines out of your comfort zone. I really like looking for new producers each year.

Bid on the auctions.

If you plan on spending $500 allocate $1000, just in case.

Definitely use Preview day to plan … it’s the only way to make a plan - but allow for sudden inspirations on the actual BD day. Many of my favorite discoveries happened because of discussions in the BD threads.

Set a limit for yourself if you need to - it’s like auctions, you will want everything!

Buy some Veleta foods … (and wines!) because they are wonderful.

Have fun and embrace the insanity!

Another vote for becoming a Grand Cru member and checking out the offers on Preview Day. But you can also gain a lot of insight by reviewing previous years’ BD offers and buyer replies BerserkerDay IX (January 27, 2018 - it was a doozy - WineBerserkers, as well as the ‘Has anyone been drinking Berserker Day wines lately’ thread Has Anyone Been Drinking BerserkerDay Wines Lately? - WINE TALK - WineBerserkers. Lots of info thru out the entire WB site about the producers/vendors if you poke around a bit.

Sometimes it helps to review the wine offered on Cellartracker. You’re looking for previous vintage history.
If the particular thread has a very positive buzz, I’d factor that in to your purchasing decision.

There are several winemakers that offer good value wines. You can’t just pop a $75 wine every night, but the $15 - $25 bottles ie Sandler, Navarro, Paetra will open your eyes to good wine at a great price. It’s callled QPR.

Definitely have a plan based on previews. The offers come so fast and furious it can easily get overwhelming.

I’ll repeat my advice from a different thread:

As a BD veteran, I’ve found that the best way to manage the mayhem is to become a Grand Cru Crü member. My strategy is to use the Preview Day and Early Purchase Offers to prepare a spreadsheet outlining everything I want to buy. It is much easier to budget and plan when you can review the offers in advance instead of having to react to them as they appear (though I still haven’t figured out a way to completely avoid at least one or two impulse buys in the excitement of the actual event). Remember, these are mostly small producers, so quantities are limited and I’ve seen in recent years that some wines offered by BerserkerBusiness members get sold out to Grand Cru Crü members as Early Purchase Offers and never make it to the actual BerserkerDay event.

If you want some insight into wines being offered, the “Has Anyone Been Drinking BerserkerDay Wines Lately?” thread is a good resource, as are the forums from past years. Looking at the forums from the past few BDs will give you an idea of how things look once the dust has settled.

[cheers.gif] Just to clarify for a couple of posts here, I am and have been in the Grand Cru Cru since I joined several months ago. I also would recommend it to others in general. and not just for Berserker Day. [cheers.gif]

happy hunting Jim … [cheers.gif]

Then we’ve succeeded! [cheers.gif]

As you know, the insanity of it all is the charm. It’s becoming totally unmanageable and I can’t wait!

[berserker.gif]

Preview day is huge.
Use CT
Take a flyer or two.
Never bought a bad BD wine.

Really good advice from all the post by experienced BD veterans.

Interesting the comments about CT. I’m a CT fan and Eric has agreed to allow CT notes in BD offerings and has for several years. But not all do it. There’s an affinity to the big name critics which probably is important in typical retail channels.

They’re missing out as BD is about feeling comfortable about expanding the horizons and berserkers will buy if fellow berserkers recommend, first and foremost, and then if there’s a trusted source and most often that’s CT.

January 27th has to be a big day for CT traffic, if not the busiest.

Take a look at the BD forum archives for a sense of some of the vendors. There’s no guarantee that you will see them again this year but it can give you a sense of the types of offers you can expect to see. Also, don’t forget to figure in food, glass ware and other paraphernalia offers that you might be interested in as they can add up pretty easily. There are usually some really great non-wine offers in the mix.

  1. Become a GCC member
  2. Preview day is key. Make a plan, but don’t be afraid to deviate as warranted.
  3. Use this as a great opportunity to get out of your comfort zone. Purchase from producers and regions with which you are unfamiliar.

Yes! This is brilliant, Paula - definitely 75% repeat participants, at least, and you can get a feel of what the offers are like, which might sell out, etc.

YES!

One of the better predictors of future Berserker Days is past Berserker Days!

I was thinking about this, and I’ve gotten some great deals through the years-Arcadian, Briceland, Liquid Farm, and others. But I think I’m most pleased with the wines from Cabot.

Definitely have to agree with your Cabot recommendation, and there are tons of other good ones out there.

Set a budget! Allow yourself to go over by 10% then-Stick to it. There are many great offers and they come fast. Take advantage of good deals on exploration wines, varieties that you have wanted to try or grapes you are unfamiliar with. If you like beef, Flannery’s is awesome.

Eh don’t listen to these people, jump in with both feet and buy as much as you can and then some! Then enjoy your rewards later [highfive.gif] After my first BD the next morning I found a note from my wife on my keyboard that said “DON’T BUY ANYMORE WINE!” hitsfan Hey we’re still married flirtysmile