Wines that look better, but are worse

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Wines that look better, but are worse - 2/26/2024 9:19:42 AM

Echinosum

Posts: 592
Joined: 1/28/2021
From: Buckinghamshire, UK
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My local up-market supermarket has a habit of replacing a wine I like with another wine from the same producer, with a different designation. The new designation makes it sound better, but when you try it, it is actually worse.

For example WellKnownAusProducer Varietal was replaced by WellKnownAusProducer Organic Varietal. Oh great, you think, those must be more carefully grown grapes. But no, it is actually worse. It turns out it is any old grapes that benefit from the Organic designation. When you find the original plain label in another retailer, it is actually more expensive.

Recently WellKnownFrenchProducer Varietal was replaced with WellKnownFrenchProducer Varietal Vendange Nocturne. Oh great, they are keeping the grapes cool, in those southern French vineyards, by picking them at night. But it is worse. So probably they are just setting out what they do anyway, and by explicitly putting it on the label, it is an excuse to sell us an inferior cuvée.

And recently WellKnownTuscanProducer Chianti Classico was replaced with WellKnownTuscanProducer SpecialBrandName Chianti Classico, which again is a step down in quality in comparison with their well known and internationally marketed plain Chianti Classico.

In these cases, I was a regular customer for the original. But when the replacement came along, I buy a bottle, instantly spot the step down, and stop buying it.

Does anyone else suffer from this phenomenon in their local market?

Are the generality of customers for these wines sufficiently lacking in discrimination that they don't notice?

My guess is that what is happening is that the producer or its wholesaler tells the supermarket the price for the follow-on vintage, and with inflation the supermarket goes, that's going to push it above the price point at which they want to sell it. So the producer goes, tell you what, I'll do you a special label, and I can give you that a bit cheaper.

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RE: Wines that look better, but are worse - 2/26/2024 10:06:29 AM

ChrisinCowiche

Posts: 7841
Joined: 12/16/2009
From: Cowiche, WA
Status: offline

quote:

My guess is that what is happening is that the producer or its wholesaler tells the supermarket the price for the follow-on vintage, and with inflation the supermarket goes, that's going to push it above the price point at which they want to sell it. So the producer goes, tell you what, I'll do you a special label, and I can give you that a bit cheaper.

I am aware of some of this happening in the PacNW. Big grocers want exclusivity with "their" label, some like Costco, even HAVE their exclusive label. When it come to quality, I think it is more hit-or-miss and random from what you describe. Meaning the "new and improved" label is not always a step down.

The key for me is to recognize it is NOT the same wine, but to one of your other points the general wine buying public is unlikely to be that precise when label shopping. I've been buying a lot of de Negoce, a negociant mainly in California, and I have a hard time explaining that concept to people. "yes, these labels all look identical, but no, these are NOT the same winery/vineyard/winemaker."

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RE: Wines that look better, but are worse - 2/26/2024 10:56:19 AM

khmark7

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Joined: 7/6/2008
From: Chicago suburbs
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I know an original Panafonics and Sorny when I see one.

When i read the original post the first thing I thought of was Maison Ilan.

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RE: Wines that look better, but are worse - 2/26/2024 11:50:32 AM

dad300

Posts: 845
Joined: 1/5/2020
From: South Paris, Maine
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this is a fight against increasing prices at the wholesale and distributor end for the retailer. the retail shops are trying to keep a certain Price point in the store.. They don't care what the item is.. I.e we need 60% of our skus to be in the $15-$20 range.. item A had a price increase and gets too high for the mix. find a replacement. if its the same "brand" even better. fighting this battle at the shop I'm buying for. We have a 3 for $25 rack. it should be 3 for $30.. quality is starting to suffer.. but.. the owner wants this price point.. to the detriment of the wine buyer..imho. quality is not the driving factor.

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