The Wine Collector

"Saint-Emilion classification system ditched" was the headline in a Decanter.com story today.  Good riddance!  Does anyone really need such a system for buying guidance in a world where wine bloggers, consumers, and even professional critics are posting tasting notes and wine reviews 24 hours a day with their opinions? My answer is "no."

However, since I do like Bordeaux, and many people don't realize that there are multiple classification systems which apply within Bordeaux, this post is a good opportunity to raise awareness of what they are.  I'm not going to write a long essay because everything you'd ever want to know about Bordeaux can be found on www.bordeaux.com, including the gory details of each of six classification systems.  Enjoy!

Join "Mr. Burghound", Allen Meadows, and Vinfolio at Spruce Restaurant in San Francisco on the evening of Tuesday, October 14 for a tasting of a dozen fine Burgundies (learn more, including the list of wines being poured).  Allen will provide his usual entertaining explanations of each wine and producer so if you'd like to meet Allen in person or just learn a bit more about Burgundy from one of its masters, purchase tickets for the tasting now at $225 each (note: the dinner event is sold out).

To see a selection of notable wine events for the remainder of 2008, including other Vinfolio events focused on Champagne and caviar in November and on Cult California wines in December, click here.

If you consider yourself a wine collector (or are looking for a gift idea for someone who is), you owe it to yourself to check out The World of Fine Wine magazine.  At $169 for a U.S. subscription (it's British), this quarterly publication is not cheap.  But it's very content-rich (216 pages in the latest issue #16) with in-depth articles on a broad range of topics and only a handful of advertisements.  Relative to Decanter or the Wine Spectator, it feels like you're reading an academic journal of sorts but it also contains beautiful color photography and is printed on heavy stock paper so it lands on your coffee table with a loud thump.

You can download some sample articles by visiting their home page and scrolling down to the bottom.  For example, here is a link to Burgundy 2004 En Primeur from Issue 11 and to Symington Family Ports from Issue 12.

I subscribed myself and am glad I did. 

When I launched The Wine Collector blog back in late October 2006, I stated that one thing I would not do is write wine recommendations and reviews in my blog.  Doug Wilder, our Director of California Acquisitions and Sales, was already writing about California and other domestic wine in his Free Run Juice blog and in his free weekly wineletter, The Wilder Side of California. 

Now, I'm pleased to announce that we recently launched the Vinfolio Staff Picks blog where our collective team of wine experts will tell you about their personal favorites on a regular basis and why they like them.  Generally speaking, the wines covered will mostly be international wines to balance out the coverage which Doug provides on the domestic side.  In addition to reviews and recommendations, the Staff Picks blog will cover other topics relating to drinking wine and having fun.  Laura Conway, our Editorial Manager, will be the blog's facilitator (that's her photo on the right).

Please check it out and subscribe via your RSS reader using the Subscribe link on the blog's home page.  You can also see all of our RSS feeds (and subscribe by email if you prefer) by visiting Vinfolio's master RSS page. 

Note: I just noticed that the new Staff Picks blog is not yet on the master RSS page but we'll get that fixed quickly.

Wine clubs, those subscription-oriented wine-buying programs offered by wineries and others to broaden your taste horizons are usually defined by the following basic characteristics:

1. Monthly or quarterly shipment frequency
   
2. Fixed price for a specific number of bottles, usually with a predetermined contractual commitment
   
3. A thematic element for each club which defines the type of wine you'll receive
4. All subscribers to a given club get the same wines (or drawn from the same limited subset of wines)
   

Flaws in the traditional wine club model

1. Targeted at more novice wine enthusiasts - To keep the price per shipment down, the vast majority of wine clubs select relatively inexpensive wine as subscribers tend to have less wine knowledge and are therefore more price sensitive.
2. Pricing structure is not transparent - There's an inherent conflict in the pricing structure because you sign up to pay a fixed price for some number of bottles.  The club operator, however, wants to minimize his costs so he can make a profit.  The component bottle prices in your shipment are never provided.
3. "One size fits all" - Other than generic criteria associated with what types of wine fall within the typically broad parameters of your selected wine club, you get the same wines as everyone else who signs up.  Buying the same wines in volume is how most operators make their money.  The need to have enough of the same wines often precludes smaller, boutique wines from being obtained.
4. Wine "dumping ground" - Wineries may package wine that isn't selling to move through the club as it's a "guaranteed" channel.
5. Inflexible - It's hard to skip a shipment without cancelling (which may not even be possible).
6. Weather conditions when shipping wine ignored - Extreme temperatures, hot or cold, can cook or freeze the wine in your shipment.  Operators should not blindly ship wine on the appointed schedule regardless of weather but most do.
   
7. Notice of forthcoming shipment not provided - Wine must be signed for by an adult.  If no adult is home, the wine shipment will sit for one or more days in a non-climate-controlled delivery truck or warehouse.
8. Customer service generates cancellations - Operators seem to believe that reminding subscribers of their forthcoming shipments or providing other notices just stimulates cancellations so they minimize such interactions.

Vinfolio's personal wine clubs

When Vinfolio decided to offer its version of wine clubs, we sought to address the flaws above.  Our fundamental premise is that a wine club is simply a more efficient means for many consumers to receive personalized advice on what to buy.  While our customers may call their Executive Wine Specialist (EWS) for individual recommendations at any time, they may be too busy to do so.  So capturing their detailed individual preferences for their EWS to use in hand-picking their wine, and pre-agreeing to a flexible schedule of shipments is simply more convenient and saves them time. 

In short, we view wine clubs as merely a customer's preferred or supplemental method of buying wine from our retail business where each and every order is tailored to an individual's preferences, where our entire inventory is available to select from, and where the shipping/delivery options are sensitive to weather conditions or the temporary inability to receive a shipment (for whatever reason).

Key elements of Vinfolio's personal wine clubs

1. Suitable for all knowledge levels - Our program is designed to serve all wine knowledge levels from novices to experts.
2. Complete customization - Customer's club choice is amplified by any specific preferences desired.  E.g., mix of red and white wine, price range per bottle, preferred (or disliked) producers, varietal preferences (or dislikes), etc.
3. Unique wines per customer from large inventory - Customer's assigned EWS hand-picks wine drawn from Vinfolio's complete retail wine inventory of almost 2,000 wines before each shipment which meet the criteria.  
4. Transparent pricing model - The price of a shipment is simply the total of published retail prices of each wine selected (constrained by price range per bottle specified) plus shipping costs.
5. Vinfolio's "finer" customer service - One week prior to a shipment, we email a reminder so the customer has plenty of time to modify preferences, skip a shipment, request a different ship date, ask for the wine to be added to free storage for later shipment, or cancel altogether.  Weather holds are automatically applied if conditions do not permit the safe shipment of your wine (just as we do with all retail purchases)
   
6. VinCellar integration - All items purchased are automatically added to the customer's VinCellar online cellar management software account (also standard for any retail purchase).

If Vinfolio's redefined, personalized approach to wine clubs appeals to you, learn more.  It's really just a more structured way to build your wine collection and to try wines you might not otherwise buy.

A press release from the Wine School of Philadelphia caught my eye today.  The school's founder, Keith Wallace, states that consumer interest in wine education has "exploded."  Certification programs have tripled and "waiting lists are longer than our class lists."

Most wine collectors initially learn about wine through experimentation, joining a wine tasting group, and reading well-written wine books such as Karen MacNeil's The Wine Bible (see "The best-selling wine book of all time?"). Taking more formal classes, in person or online, is a logical extension of the above methods.

For those seeking an online offering, the Wine Spectator School, launched in 2002 (a year after the Wine School of Philadelphia), offers 9 online courses for consumers (ranging from $29-$195) and 3 for the trade.  If "free" sounds better to you (to get started at least), you might check out two online courses from a UK wine events company called Taste of the Vine.  

For the more serious collector or those who aspire to work in the wine industry and wish an independent certification, the Society of Wine Educators offers two certification programs, including the Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW).

One of the highest regarded wine education providers is the Wine & Spirit Education Trust based in London.  While they offer education programs targeted primarily at industry professionals, they also provide courses aimed at enthusiasts.  While most of enthusiast-oriented courses are held in person at their London facilities, their site lists an online classroom and an online course available as of April 1, 2007 called Great Grapes of the World (80 GBP).

Learning about wine is an enjoyable experience that never ends so you might as well get started. 

Wine collectors have an inherent curiosity to explore because they know that the more wine they taste, the more they will notice and appreciate subtle differences, both positive and negative.

A tasting group setting facilitates comparison and encourages a greater mental focus on the wine than casually having a bottle of wine with dinner. I’ve been in a tasting group of seven friends for the past eight or nine years. It’s been the single most important step in developing my own personal preferences. Here’s how our group functions:

1. We meet 6-7 times per year over dinner at one of our homes or in a restaurant.
2. The host selects the wine theme and obtains seven bottles for the tasting. Examples of recent tastings include 1999 Grand Cru Burgundy (red), Cheval Blanc vertical, 2002 Australian Shiraz, Phelps Insignia vertical, 1996 Bordeaux, and a 1997 World of Syrah tasting.
3. We split the cost of the wine equally; the host covers dinner and provides pre and post dinner white wine, champagne, dessert wine, or port. Note: I use a car service to and from these events!
4. Generally, we know the identity of the wines included in the tasting but all wine is served blind in numbered glasses.
5. We each “force rank” the wine from 1 to 7 to create a composite score for each wine. The lowest score wins.
6. We then go around the table and defend our rankings.

A few observations:

1. A rotating focus over time on various regions, varietals, single producers, etc. develops a broad range of tasting experiences.
2. Having the ability to taste seven great wines for the price of one bottle is economically efficient.
3. The top rated wines from critics rarely match the group’s preferences.
4. The price of the wine is not a good predictor of quality either.
5. The process of force ranking requires a real self-examination of one’s true preferences and builds self-confidence in one’s tasting skills.
6. We have a lot of fun and generally can’t wait for the next tasting!