Wine for Guests. Tips on Where to buy in bulk?

[Kelly-Hayes-and-Justin0]

Hi all, 

I currently gift a can of Underwood Pinot Noir to my guests, adds up to a half bottle. It's pretty decent despite what one might think of the can, haha, all the same, I'd love to find other cost effective options. I can't seem to find anything at Costco. TIA.

be well, 
Kelly

[Edwin57]

Is best to comparing it on line it will give you a whole new world like Kmart and Amazon and so on best of luck

[Harriet-and-Stu0]

Many options, but don't forget that you usually 'get what you pay for' lol.  Most wineries & retailers offer case discounts but I'm guessing you knew that already 🙂

Wonder if you could do a marketing co-effort with a (likely smaller) winery - better price for you, more publicity for them?

Some wineries run great inventory-clearance or special-offer sales, often on-site only.  If you are looking for a nice day in wine country, ask some wineries whose wine you like if they have anything on offer to make a trip worthwhile.  Of course by the time you count your time and gas and etc. it will probably be more cost effective to just buy something at a nearby retailer!

If there is more than one Costco nearby, check them all out - their inventory can be very store-specific.

[Raf3]

If you're giving cans away Trader Joes has white wine in 6 pack cans.

[Donna240]

I vote for Trader Joe's, but not wine in cans. They sell an Italian wine callled Epicurio  with a black label and gold or silver writing for $4.99 that has impressed many of my friends. I saw it in Europe selling for twice that price. I like the Aglianico varietal the best, it's really a bold red, with a fruit forward taste...the experts call it jammy and it's great with food or a cheese plate, so trying one bottle will not be a waste of your time.

I always take my guests to TJ's to stock up on snacks etc and talked one of my guests from Austrailia into buying a bottle when she asked which one was best. During the week I arranged a trip up to Sonoma County and we went tasting at 3-4 wineries where she bought more wine. At the end of the week she told me she actually preferred the Epicurio.

[Michael956]

@Kelly-Hayes-and-Justin0 I have a wine rack in my kitchen that holds 12 bottles of wine.  As we enter the kitchen during the initial tour of the house, I point to the wine rack and tell my guests, "you're welcome to take a bottle of wine during your stay".  Most guests don't, but a few do.  I stock it with very inexpensive $4 and $5 wines from Trader Joe's (no "2 buck chuck", though!), as well as from my local discount grocery store (Grocery Outlet at S. Van Ness and 23rd St. It has a great selection of low cost wines).  It's a nice unexpected offering that most guests don't use, but the few that do really appreciate it.  

[Kelly-Hayes-and-Justin0]

@Michael956 I love that suggestion. Thank you, that was really helpful! 

[Vanessa738]

Hi Kelly Hayes & Justin,

I work for a winery in Oregon, and am am trying to figure out how to make connections with Airbnb hosts to do exactly what you're suggesting: partner to provide discounted wine in bulk so you can leave for your guests. I have reached out to Airbnb HQ/corporate to float the idea, but have not had any luck getting ahold of someone.

In the absence of working with Airbnb corporate, I am thinking connecting with the hosts themselves would be a good place to start. Figure out a mutually beneficial arrangement. Is that something you think hosts would be open to? I'm starting from scratch on this idea, so I don't know if it's already being done by other wineries.

Cheers,
Vanessa

[Dave--and-Dana-0]

We created a custom wine named after our property, with an image of the house and a short 'thank you note' on the label.  Guests love it!  We got it from www.NapaValleyPrivateLabelWine.com

There's no minimum order, but we order it a case at a time, so we're not sitting on too many bottles at any given time.