Thank you. Great feedback. We are working on exactly this. We have Myriad and Switchback Ridge in the network, as an example. Mike Smith, maker of several 100pt wines at Myriad is now making wines at Switchback also. We have a private release event for cardholders happening in LA this week (socially distanced, of course) featuring a new wine. We’re going to follow-up with a virtual event after harvest.
I mentioned a bit about the card, but to give you the full picture:
Access to private event series
Priority Wine Pass
Wine Magazine Subscription
5x earnings at 400+ wineries
3x earnings at all wineries and wine stores
2x earnings everywhere else
We’re working on adding a unique wine store where you can use points and/or cash to get some really great bottles.
I like Todd’s idea about a cool, hard to find bottle of wine. Doesn’t need to be anything too exotic or expensive but a MacDonald or Aquamarine would work. Even something like an old Mount Eden cab would be cool (something that’s awesome and not top of mind for most folks). Maybe the better parallel is the old SPG moments, where SPG would use connections to open doors that couldn’t otherwise be open.
The advantage airlines have is their selling expiring inventory - if a seat goes out empty it’s empty so may as well sell it cheap for miles. Wine is a bit tougher obviously without the economic advantages of expiring inventory, but if you can leverage contacts to open doors and get cool wines that will go a long way.