A Question Of Ethics

Say you have a good friend who is a winemaker. A very good one, I might add. Say he replaced his distributor. And say the old distributor is selling off the stocks at ridiculous prices, probably as revenge.

It's okay to stock up, right? I mean, I even got free shipping.

[David M. Bueker]

Happens all the time. It’s not revenge at all. It’s normal business, even if it feels a bit unsavory.

Just give us the distributor's website and the name of the winery and we'll solve your dilemma...

[Robin Garr]

True ethics would call you to buy up all the low-cost stock and give it back to your friend to re-sell at retail.

But true ethics is rarely seen in the wild.

I'll agree the most ethical thing you can do as a friend is buy all you can afford. Distributors do this to (1) clear their book of a product that has no future and (2)sometimes as a warning to other producers- "if you drop me you'll find your wine selling for less than your target price." As a friend the best thing you can do to help producer is to limit the time his/her wine in on open market for a discount price, which can affect public perception.

[David M. Bueker]

As an FYI, there have been many prominent wineries whose wines have been blown out when changing distributors.

I acquired a bunch of Trimbach at one point for insanely low prices, due to such a change. 750 ml bottles of SGN for $20. Gewurz VT in halves for $10.

I've switched distributors in a few different states over the years, and they've all asked me to buy back my inventory, which I've done. It usually has cost me a bit more than my FOB price, to cover their freight getting the wines there in the first place, plus whatever they've incurred in excise tax expenses. Only one was ever close to "revenge mode;" mainly, it was pretty business-like.

I'll agree the most ethical thing you can do as a friend is buy all you can afford. Distributors do this to (1) clear their book of a product that has no future and (2)sometimes as a warning to other producers- "if you drop me you'll find your wine selling for less than your target price." As a friend the best thing you can do to help producer is to limit the time his/her wine in on open market for a discount price, which can affect public perception.

Thanks, now I need to convince my wife this is actually a good deed