Varietals
3So I’m not sure about the economics of Casemates and will quickly bow out if this is just not a feasible thing, but is there a reason for the concentration of mainly California (some OR/WA) and 5 or so grapes? Are the logistics and prices just not doable for a group like this to introduce some new and unique offerings?
Does it need to be producers of a certain size before we can get a bulk discount? More just generally curious. Not sure how many cases can or need to be “guaranteed” through Casemates to get a vintner on board or if that is how it works.
Just something I was thinking about as I see so much of the world adapting right now and considering options they never did before. I don’t want to give short schrift to the winemakers that have been part of Casemates or anything like that. I know so many operate on a razor’s edge. But seems like an opportunity to find some new stuff from small producers that generally catered to restaurants and the like and need guarantees for their grapes before they decide if they’ll still exist.
Food for thought. And like I said, I don’t know what is involved in getting wines from abroad, especially with the tariff happy one. But there are lots of interesting vineyards out here, too, that are looking for lifelines.
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Cabernet and Chardonnay. Ever looked at a grocery store shelf? They are everywhere. It makes sense they tend to show up more often here. I am thankful I’ve gotten to try Muller-Thurgau, Petit Manseng, Cinsau(l)t, and probably a few others I am forgetting for the first time due to this site.
That said, variety is the spice of life and we could always use more obscure offers!
As for the prevalence of West Coast wines, that just makes sense. Ship wine from the East Coast to California to have it shipped back? That’s not economical.
@WineDavid49 has done, imo, a pretty solid job of getting “obscure” varietal wine here. How many people (in general) have heard of varieties beyond the big 8 (ish) in the USA: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Malbec, and Zinfandel.
Another bunch of varieties are perfectly “normal” to me, but “obscure” to others that they get introduced to here: Petite Sirah, Sangiovese, Rousanne, Marsanne, Viognier, Grenache, Grenache Blanc, Mourvedre, Cinsault, Riesling, Cabernet Franc, Carignane, Tempranillo, Barbera, Petit Verdot, Charbono, Tannat, Touriga Nacional, Negrette, Graciano, Dolcetto, St. Laurent, Gewurtztraminer, and Early Burgundy. WineDavid has sold all of those varieties here.
But rare varieties are rare - that makes them hard to find and sell at heavy discounts. So while I agree it would be fun to have more obscure and esoteric stuff sold here, first you have to find it, and then you have to convince a winery to sell it at a discount in enough volume to make it work.
Another major factor is that Casemates deals directly with the wineries, not distributors. With imported wines, there’s already one middleman (the importer) involved. Casemates (and its predecessor wine site) has done some imported wines, but not many. I suspect the reason is that the economics don’t work out. For economics to work, the Casemates price has to be better than you’d pay retail, even at a discount wine merchant/Costco/Trader Joe’s/etc.
I’m not sure why you think the grape selection has been limited… There has consistently been a broad selection of varietals.