WOW!!! This is NUTS!!! I’ll wait until we receive confirmation from someone at Copain before making any further comments, but… ![[shock.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0b1dcf699ec319f43254f92e3f145786dcd93904.gif "shock"){kind=small}
I’m loath to join any wine club (although if Dujac started a wine club, I would join that one), and won’t be joining this one. I really love the Kiser pinots. Just fantastic wines. But they’re getting to the price point where I’ll probably not order any more. Too bad, cuz by all accounts Wells seems to be a really solid guy (I’ve never met him).
Figured this thread would pop up fast…
Not a big fan of this either. I don’t want to go 3 cases a year on just SVDs (been doing about 2 cases, including the blends).
I met one of the Copain folks at a tasting in Atlanta recently. I recall them saying something along the lines of ‘we are going to make some changes we think you will like’. Hmmm.
In checking my recent buys, there is no discount on the SVDs (at least for me!), just on the blends. What this probably does to me is have me stop buying the blends to round out cases, etc. But, it also is highly annoying that they will just basically tack on a 15% markup on the SVDs, since they will not offer that 15% “discount” to the club members.
So in sum, looks like a price increase if you stay out of the club…
It is never simpler when they tell you what you’re going to get, as opposed to letting you choose. ![[head-bang.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/b/b1cd199e4b2b2988b5107c3c9598fd28dc92a776.gif "[head-bang.gif]"){kind=small}
It is never simpler when they tell you what you’re going to get, as opposed to letting you choose.
It’s simple, alright. I simply stop purchasing.
From a business model perspective, it’s probably attractive for the winery. Assuming you have solid demand, moving to the club model and large yearly allotments per member must improve margins (just on shipping alone) not to mention labor. Then whatever is remaining after the club you can drive through the much smaller mailing list channel which is the feeder system for the club.
I’m assuming a winery could run an analysis of the current large purchase list members that will move to the club model. If fact, if it were me, I’d personally contact all of them to make sure they’re willing to move to the model. You don’t want to upset the whales and end up with disgruntled club prospects and small mailing list guys feeling slighted.
I just spoke with Jim. He will be contacting people personally as opposed to issuing a blanket explanation on this Board.
Without stealing Jim’s thunder, the new policy is a win-win (at least for me) and I’m quite pleased with it.
This time of year I’m evaluating how to reduce my purchases to get them more in line with my consumption, while still maintaining the depth I want from producers I really love. This ultimately requires some tough decisions, to cut some producers I merely like, and now I learn Copain, a producer who was absolutely not on the chopping block, wants to take a more active role in my purchasing decisions. I can’t imagine how the Copain folks figured their customers would be happy with this.
Trying to avoid a knee-jerk reaction, let me take a look at how the club structure would fit into the purchases I’m already making:
According to CT, in the past 12 months, I’ve purchased 31 bottles from Copain, 23 SVDs and 8 Tous Ensemble or Les Voisins blends. Like Brian mentions above, my primary interest is in the SVDs, but I like the blends for early drinkers and use these to fill out full cases to get free shipping.
It appears that the 4 & 6 bottle clubs are really blend-centric with the 6 bottle adding a couple SVDs. These are clearly opposite of my approach to Copain.
The SVD club would significantly increase my Copain budget, by increasing the number of bottles and eliminating the low-price blends completely. That number of bottles would leave my budget in no position to go deeper on vineyards/varieties I prefer, so I’m not interested in this option.
The closest match I can see is the 4-bottle blend club and buying SVDs as they become available, but will Copain be able to combine SVD orders with club shipments to consolidate shipping? What kind of diligence will that require on my part? How is this better than the existing list?
I believe my approach will be to skip the clubs and consider SVDs only as they are released, which means I lose the “discount” and will discontinue buying the blends. If this results in a price increase on the SVDs, then those will need to be re-evaluated against the market. I can pretty much guarantee this will result in me buying less Copain next year. Given that I’m facing tough decisions about cutting producers I like, it could mean a lot less. Maybe I’m just in a bad mood today, but I’m very disappointed by this change. The good news is, there’s plenty of wine out there to buy.
I too will be calling Jim shortly. I am a loyal Copain Pep Squad member and given that, having discussion with the horse’s mouth is what will help me decide how to proceed. For the amount of Copain’s effort and commitment to the development of the wines, for their decision to walk a path that said to hell with Parker and all their ridiculous influence and follow their own vision, that is worth supporting. There is not enough of that these days.
I’m a huge fan of their wines too, but its a bit ironic that someone who’s “following their own vision,” thinks they should pick my wines for me. I’d like to follow my own own purchasing vision…
Brian, if you are huge fan, then call Jim and talk with him. At least you can gain some perspective on why they made the changes, see how an alternative plan may fit for you and them.
I just hung up with Jim, I made the commitment to go with the 3 cases. It’s a bit more than what I already do but the shippng costs are now gone and I am getting the 15% discount going forward.
Frank, after speaking with Jim, I ended up making the same commitment. Given the discount, may end up costing less than previous orders, given my purchasing habits…
Huge flexibility with this and some immediate and material benefits. It works very well for me.
Hmm. Am I the only Futurama lover reading these comments and thinking that Jim is actually the Hypnotoad?
I also just spoke with Jim. The answer to the question I raised (quoted above) is that the winery will not force customers in the svd club to buy 4 each of all of the wines every year. From my conversation, I understood that svd club members will be allowed to tailor their orders based on which svd wines they want to buy and in what quantities to get to the 36 bottle annual number. For example, if a particular release contains a wine the customer doesn’t want the customer could buy more of the other wines or even svd wines remaining in stock from past releases. I have decided to join the svd club based on my satisfaction with the answers to my questions. If my buying habits change or I run out of storage space, there is nothing stopping me from withdrawing from the club later on.
I spoke with Jim too. And I’m not joining a club, I don’t by 36 bottles of wine from ANYONE in the course of a year, and I have no plans on starting now.
You certainly seemed to say that in Post No. 25, but thanks for making it clear. Again. ![[smileyvault-ban.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/4/426cc97ad8dd530c8304b0918ca75ff841d4d950.gif "[smileyvault-ban.gif]")
Lost in the commotion surrounding the new pricing program is the quality of the 09 Kaisers. I’ve had the pleasure of tasting them on two occasions. These wines really set the bar with respect to Wells’ new direction.
HA!
Sorry to be redundant, but that was before I had a chance to actually speak with Jim. I may have been too terse in my last post, in fairness, he did reassure me that those of us on the allocation list will still get notified about available SVD’s even if the club’s that they are offering don’t appeal to us.