KevinS
Posts: 21
Joined: 6/22/2005
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Thanks for the comments and good questions -- let me see if I can address them:
quote:
what kind of pricing can U.S. customers expect in comparison to current retail prices in the U.S.A.?
As with mailing lists in the U.S., pricing will approximate regular retail. Now, with European wines there is a wider spread of "retail" prices, depending on the state, retailer, sourcing and any number of other factors. We're advising wineries to target the mid to lower end of the range of prices from legitimate sources (not gray market) and final pricing decisions are made by them. Note however that the wines will be generally offered prior to their release in the U.S. (again, as lists here usually do), so there ought not to be much direct price comparison. In sum, don't think of VinConnect as a discount channel (the world has LOTS of those), think of us as a convenient way to purchase consistent allocations of wines you know and love with winery provenance.
quote:
For now it looks like the Massolino and Vieille Julienne lists are the only ones offered, (even though those were my only preference for now) will the Burgandy list be handled differently?
We just today launched the Clos de Tart list -- that selection will be turned on soon. Burgundy in general won't be handled any differently, but of course since quantities there can be very small the offers and allocations may differ than those of other regions.
quote:
It seems like customers are signing up for individual lists with each winery and as such would be required to buy minimum allocation for each, etc... to stay on list. Is this correct?
Each winery will handle its policies as they see fit (with input and guidance from VinConnect), as it really *is* their mailing list. And the unique dynamics of supply and demand will differ by winery as well. Since these lists are starting from scratch there ought to be plenty of room for people to join and to have flexibility in what they choose to purchase; that said, if demand grows over time and supply does not for whatever reason, we certainly could see situations where we have an "active" list and a "waiting" list, where some level of participation will be required to maintain your spot. But, again, that will be case by case. I will say that we are expecting to limit the size of the Clos de Tart list out of the gate, due to very limited quantities, but that looks to be an exception at this stage.
quote:
Related to this, will wineries drop buyers from list by a single policy or will it vary? i.e. Will any "credit" be gained across wineries? for example will buying from winery A, keep you on the list from winery B.
Each winery owns their own list; so each will have their own policies. From their perspective, giving a member credit for buying from another winery probably isn't in their best interests, so I wouldn't expect that.
I appreciate the questions and will be happy to answer further, so feel free to keep asking...
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Kevin Sidders (ITB)
www.vinconnect.com
Mailing lists for top European wineries
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NEW: Mailing Lists for European Wineries - 
. On the other hand, this does sound interesting and I completely concur with your assessment of the "upfront" disclaimer, something that does not always occur. Oh well, I must remember what I just wrote on the moratorium. 
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