| Todd's Picks |
 |
 |
 |
|
The Best Values... The Best Deals... The Best Wines... The Best Values - I am spending nearly all of my time now focusing on the hunt for values. While it’s easy to simply say something is a value, what constitutes real value? For me, it means a wine is better than most other wines of its type at the price. Defining “of a type” is a little trickier, though... and that’s where many retailers fail to deliver real value. Just because a wine is the best example of Romorantin from Cour-Cheverny doesn’t mean it is a good value. But they’ll tell you it is. Look, if a $20 bottle of some obscure white wine is not as good as a $14 bottle of something else, then it isn’t a good value. “But.. but... it’s not Romorantin... introduced by King Francois I, as he was from the region... it used to be the most widely planted grape in Eastern France, but now it’s relegated to this tiny little area...”Enough. Don’t get me wrong, I love an obscure wine as much as the next person. I didn’t get into this business because it’s what my career counselor suggested. I love wine. And I am perfectly willing to pay extra for the experience of drinking something obscure. Or limited. Or really, really good. I buy 20 year-old Vouvray. Mencia from Bierzo. I buy $100 Chateauneuf from Mordoree because I can’t stop my vertical. But none of them are good values. If you want good value, buy the wine - not the story. But, hey, if you’re feeling flush, I’ve got over 1,500 wines in stock that I can sell you, and another 100,000 or so I can have here tomorrow. Obscure? Got it? Limited? Got it. The best of the best, regardless of price? Got it. But if you want value, and I suspect most of you do, then listen up. Cause that’s what I do best. It’s not a marketing slogan or scheme. It’s what I do. It’s what I believe in like some fanatical religion. Now more than ever. (I just remembered I touched on this topic back in April of ’07... I’ll stick that original rant down below. I was not entirely sober for that one...) The Best Deals - Kind of goes hand in hand with value, I guess. But I will be focusing more than ever on finding really good deals. Which means buying big. Not exactly what my accountant would suggest right now, but if I want to get the best deals, then I need to commit. So commit I will. I’m only hoping you all are along for the ride! And these are real deals, mind you. Feel free to price shop. I know I won’t nail it 100% of the time. There is always some joker who will price their three bottles of wine x a buck cheaper after reading my email. But day in and day out, I think you’ll find our prices will stand up next to anyone’s. Of course, I can just tell you I will “price match” any competitor’s advertised price, but that misses the point, doesn’t it? You’ve got other things to do than run around comparing prices. I’m hoping my six plus years of delivering the goods will reassure you you can save your time and just buy from us! The Best Wines - In uncovering the best wines available, I do my darndest to make sure they are great values and secure great deals. But, the reality is that sometimes you have to pay for the best. And, ultimately, what constitutes a good value or a good deal is a completely subjective idea. Which means, sometimes you will see a wine listed and think, "Huh? How can a $200 bottle of wine be a great value?" Well, sometimes it isn't. It's just simply the BEST. And sometimes I feel like treating myself! I'm figuring you do as well...
|
With my picks, I try to whittle down the world of wine for you to the "best." 
