During the past few days, I have noticed some deep discount wine deals being offered in the marketplace. A few days ago, I saw a 2014 Balboa Syrah from the Eidolon Vineyard which normally sells for $40 a bottle being offered for $16 at Last Bottle. Yesterday, I saw an offer from Full Pull for 2014 Basel Cellars Malbec for $17.99, normally $40. How and why do such deals come up? Often, it's because wineries want to clear out back vintages so they can move on to the next vintage. Or the offers may be of orphan varieties or brands that the winery wants to get rid of. A few months ago, Tero Estates decided to terminate the Flying Trout brand it had inherited when Asley Trout left. The Roskelley decided three brands (including Waters) were too many. So they blew out the Flying Trout brand for $15 a bottle for wines selling up to $40. 

Back in the days when I owned Esquin Wine Merchants from 1969 to 1997, I made lots of deals, so deal making is not new. Most of the deals were under the table because of Liquor Control Board price posting regulations. Wines had to be sold for a fixed price. Some of the deals were a one on ten cases or one on five. The wines were purchased at the posted prices, and then free cases would magically appear. Other deals were posted off blind which means only the deal makers see them. I bought pallets (50 cases) of 1983 Chateau Talbot, a highly respected Saint Julien Third Growth, which I sold for $13.95 a bottle. I also did a lot of direct imports (called DIs in the industry) where French and Italian wines would be brought in through an importer who took a 10% charge for bringing them in.

In 2010, the State Supreme Court ruled Liquor Board price posting to be unconstitutional, which made deal making above board. Any retailer, wholesaler or winery could make deals directly without encumbrance from the Liquor Board. When the initiative which privatized liquor sales was passed, volume discounts were allowed, something that was to the advantage of big store retailers such as Costco and Safeway. Deal making today, is prevalent. Esquin today has a big section on the floor devoted to wines on deal. 

Deal making is here to stay. There is so much competition in the wine industry today. Consumers have come to expect deals. And ratings and pricing are what drives the market. 

Coming Up: The March issue of the Review of Washington Wines and Weekly Blog

Next week, we will be in Seattle, so there will be no weekly blog. The next blog will be posted on Monday, February 24 along with the March issue of the Review of Washington Wines. That issue will have a lot in it. More winter releases from Walla Walla, revisits to Five Star Cellars, Basel Cellars and TruthTeller, plus new releases from Eight Bells, Nota Bene Cellars, Fortuity Cellars. Also the first of the year Rosé wines and more.