UpFront in the May 15, 2007, issue of Wine Spectator addresses a topic of interest to practically every wine lover: return policies at retailers. When you open a bottle that’s corked or cooked or oxidized, do you always return it? Should you always be able to return it? Is there ever an expiration date after which the retailer should not be expected to make good? And what is a fair exchange for a bad bottle? Does a refund of the original purchase price suffice? A previous Forum thread suggests that the answer to all these questions is “it depends.”

I invite any consumers, retailers, distributors or wine producers to share their perspective and experiences.

(Previous discussions on this topic can be found here and here. I'll post a link to the UpFront story in the May 15 issue when it goes live next Thursday. —RT)

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Robert Taylor,

I believe that you should be able to return wine to the point of purchase for refund if it's flawed.
Unfortunately I hardly ever keep receipts, so unless it's a recent purchase or still has the shop's
sticker on it I'd have trouble taking things back and have only done so once.

However I've returned wine to wineries on several occasions, and only rarely had any hassle over it.

I once bought two bottles of 1998 Penfold's Yattarna from an Internet store - I shan't reveal which,
but their name rhymes with Flopper's Pinyard - both were off, one badly so. I wrote to them and CC'd
Penfolds. They ignored me, but Penfolds got back to me and sent me a 2000 Yattarna and two reds.

I think all retailers should post their return policy clearly.

Dave,

I've found a wide range of responses here in San Francisco. Most places accept returns without a hassle. However, some retailers refuse them whatever the reason.

I agree that retailers ought to state return policies up front: perhaps a clear explanation should be on every receipt.

I've also noticed that some California retailers' websites (and email offerings) indicate that they cannot by law accept returns, which is untrue. California law leaves the decision entirely to the discretion of the retailer.

ive had retailers here in LA refuse returns made a few days after purchase... their repsonse most of the time was there's no way to prove i didn't mishandle the wine after purchase. nice insinuation hunh? i responded by never going back to these places... some retailers i've dealt with have replaced bottles, but mostly because im a regular customer & friendly with the staff, so there's a level of trust there between us i would have to guess... the only place ive been to where they accept returns without question was Costco, but that's also their policy on most all items, wine as well...

to answer some of your questions Daniel, i think store credit is a fair recompense for an off or damaged bottle... in general id think a few days would be enough to accept returns. obviously repetitive, multiple, returns by the same person would come into question their validity...

the good thing about our LCBO in Ontario is that you can return a corked bottle of wine with no hassles. It doesn't even matter when you bought it and you don't need a reciept

My local wine store will take bottles back if the bottles are in any way off; I expect to be able to return corked bottles, but this policy is rather generous, I think. If a retailer wouldn't be willing to at least give me credit for a corked bottle, I wouldn't give them my business, unless their prices were at least 10% less than any other.

But then, I'm not talking about wines purchased 10 years ago on futures. That situation is way out of my league.

Last week, I returned a bottle of 2002 Beckmen Cab Sav to Moore Brothers Wines in NJ that I bought 1.5 years ago. I kept in a coler at 56 degrees. I opened it last week and found it was corked. I took it back, and was given a new bottle of the 2005 with no questions asked. Now that is a great wine store. No receipt required; they knew their stock. To those in NYC, Pensauken, NJ, Phila and Wilmington Delaware, Moore Brothers is a great place to shop

In my experience it just varies from store to store. I've purchased wine from stores that would under no circumstances take them back, I've also purchased wine from merchants who don't think twice about it. In fact, from what I've been told, the merchants can just as easily return these wines to their wholesaler, who in turn returns them to the vineyard. This could all be untrue but its a nice concept.

Once you find that one store that you can trust will take your wines back for any reason, I feel it is in one's best interest to shop there as often as possible.

Point in case: I bought a bottle of 2003 Opus One from a local dealer. 2 days later I decided I didn't want it after all and tried to return it. The shopkeeper refused. I went down the street to another local merchant who was so mind-blowingly helpful, he offered to take the bottle off my hands and give me the full retail amount in store credit (which I used towards my 2001 Henschke Hill of Grace).

... and the villagers rejoiced.

If a retailer refuses to accept the return of a corked bottle, you should NEVER do business with them again. No ifs ands or buts.

Here in DE, all of the vendors I purchase from give me credit for corked bottles at my restaurant/wine bar. I purchase from the same distributors that retailers do.

For a retailer to not give credit for a corked bottle doesn't make any sense, since they will get credit for it anyway (at least here in Delaware).

FYI, our corkage rate is 1-2% of total bottles, much less than the quoted 5%. We offer extensive training to our bartenders who pour all of our wines BTG to "sniff after opening and before pouring", so I don't think we're missing a lot of "off" bottles.

The policy should be posted or explained clearly.

That being said, Wine is a perishable item that needs care at all levels of storage. I think many people return wines for credit because of their own mishandling, but the question is, how do you know for sure?

Almost all wineries will replace spoilage for a retailer, so the cost isn't the issue. This leads me to believe that perhaps getting the replacement from the distributor may be a hassle. Do the distributors take care of this promptly? Is the question of vintages an issue? Again, I am in the camp that wine is a perishable consumer product. Would a store take back a pound of beef a year later because the custtomer changed his mind? If they said it was spoiled?

Just trying to look at it from as many points of view as possible.

I've never returned a bottle before, so let me as a question: do you need to bring in the wine for inspection, or bring it in period, or bring in the empty bottle? Obviously, some of us have places where we do enough business that our word is good enough, but as far as somewhere that isn't in that category, what is the right approach for the customer to take?

Thanks.

Agree it varies by retailer. I started a thread here a few months ago on the topic. I had purchased a nice Burgundy on futures from a reputable online retailer (who was quoted in this article). Upon receipt, I stored in my wine fridge for 2 years. Upon opening, it was bad (and I am not talking not to my liking, it was undrinkable). I contacted the retailer. My first line of contact said they would not take it back. I pushed and they agreed to have their mamnager call me back the following day to discuss. He never called and I have not done business with them since.

The feedback I received from forum members here was mixed..some thought they should take the bottle back, others thought that it had been too long, others that this is part of the risk of collecting wine. Obviously lots of opinions here...

My perspective as a customer is that if I pay good money for wine and store it properly, the retailer should take it back (maybe not refund, but credit or exchange). This is one of the benefits of building a relationship with a local wineshop.

quote:

Originally posted by DRLSUBARU:
I bought a bottle of 2003 Opus One from a local dealer. 2 days later I decided I didn't want it after all and tried to return it.

?????????

I wouldn't accept that as a return either unless you were a VERY good customer.

Spenser,

You make an interesting point that you'd only continue to buy from a retailer who refuses returns if their prices were at least 10 percent below the market. I suppose we're all making a sort of actuarial assessment. If the prices are good enough, or the wine couldn't otherwise be purchased, then you may be comfortable with the risk. I'm not because the frequency with which I find some degree of TCA contamination makes that a losing proposition.

Kumazam,

I think you're right that we all have to ultimately vote with our feet. Retailers determine their policies, but those decisions are in response to the market. If enough consumers expect the right to return defective bottles, you can bet that most retailers would fall into line. But except in the case of the most liberal policies (such as Costco), I believe it often depends on relationships.

Ratso,

That is indeed an accommodating policy. But you can make the case that it's perfectly appropriate for corked wine. Corked bottles are essentially defective from the moment they come off the bottling line. So when does the warranty expire? Many people spend the most for wines intended for long-term cellaring.

Tom,

It sounds like you have a good relationship with your distributors. Other retailers and restaurateurs, however, emphasize that this is not always the case. So it's a mistake to assume that wines can always be passed back up the chain. The most expensive, sought-after bottlings are often very difficult for a retailer/restaurateur to return. Perhaps the wine was acquired from the gray market, brokers based mostly in Europe who, I'm told, rarely give credits. Importers representing high-end, small-volume estates (from regions such as Burgundy, Priorat and Piedmont) might also have to eat returns.

If a bottle is corked and a current vintage you should always attempt to return it. Bring it back to wherever you bought it with the remander wine in the bottle. Don't pour the corked wine down the sink and then bring an empty bottle in for a refund. They can usually turn a corked bottle in to the distributor for a replacement or credit. The distributor then gets a credit from the winery. If it is an older bottling or very rare you may have a bit of a problem and your best bet would be to call the winery and see what their policy is. I can tell you that if a customer called me with a corked bottle and actually sent in (ups ground) the remander I would replace it in a heart beat as would most CA wineries, I hope. It never hurts to call, especially if the retailer will not take it back. If you bring back to a retailer or winery an empty bottle I think you lower your chances, especially on a rare bottling.
If you buy a bottle of wine and then decide you do not want it a few days later you are putting the retailer in a very bad position. They do not know how you stored it. You could have left it in your car at 100 degrees for 4 hours or left it on your porch in the snow. They have no idea and not many people would readily admit to being so foolish. So you are asking them to take back a product and resell it without knowing what happened to it while it was out of their care. Wineries and distributors go to a great deal of effort to make sure the wine bottle gets to the retailer in perfect condition so that they can sell it to the consumer in perfect condition. They are not being rude if they do not take it back, they are being protective of the future buyer which as a customer you want. Can you imagine if you bought a $100+ wine and stored it in your cellar for 10 years, opened it up for a wedding anniversary and it was cooked because the store you bought it from had accepted it as a return from a guy who left it in his car for 3 days in the summer. You would be unhappy to say the least and the store would lose you as a client. If you were a customer who they know well then they probably would let you return it if they knew you were very cautious with your storage.

P Monty,

It's reasonable to expect that a retailer should stand by their product. However, I'd never expect a store to replace an empty (or mostly empty) bottle. And unless the salespeople know you well, I think it's fair for a store to request a receipt.

Costco has one of the best return policies around, the one downside is that they usually can't replace the product when it comes to bottling that everyone chases down. Store credit would be given with or without receipt, cash refund is available with receipt.

I've taken a corked bottle of 2000 Latour back to Costco without receipt, which unfortunately they can't replace but at least I got the $$ back.

In Canada we are at the mercy of the Liquor Control Branch. We are VERY limited to what we can find on the shelves and if we want something, we MUST go through them to get it. However having said that, anything we need to return for any reason will be accepted back with a receipt! No questions asked!

Just checked with the winery in Napa whose club I belong to. They will replace a bad bottle.

quote:

Originally posted by BCsBest:
In Canada we are at the mercy of the Liquor Control Branch. We are VERY limited to what we can find on the shelves and if we want something, we MUST go through them to get it. However having said that, anything we need to return for any reason will be accepted back with a receipt! No questions asked!

Full store credit without a receipt.

After reading all these posts The LCBO seems to be head and shoulders above any other retailer or wholesaler for its return policy. I guess the higher prices pay for some things.

Vinfolio has a robust wine guarantee and returns policy on our site which I view as a source of competitive differentiation.

A few months ago, I wrote a post on my blog, The Wine Collector , titled " Returning faulty wine to retailers " which also examines the difference between "fault" and "responsibility."

For those of you interested in the official California rules per the CA ABC Trade Enforcement Index, here is the relevant text verbatim (courtesy of alcoholic beverage firm Hinman & Carmichael in SF):

RETURNS OF ALCOHOL BY CONSUMERS TO RETAILERS

Returns of all types of alcoholic beverages by consumers to sellers were once ruled to be illegal under both state and federal law. In 1961, the Federal Government approved the return by consumers of alcoholic beverages which were spoiled, deteriorated, contaminated, or otherwise unfit for human consumption.

This approval was made on the condition that there would be a bottle-for-bottle exchange or cash refund for the
unsatisfactory merchandise. It was necessary for a consumer to bring back a partially emptied bottle or a bottle which clearly showed deterioration of the product, such as sediment, to qualify for the refund. The Department adopted the federal policy that same year.

In 1995, Section 25600 was amended to allow the return (for refund or exchange) of alcoholic beverages to the seller by dissatisfied consumers. The advertising of "money-back guarantees" by retailers is specifically disapproved.

Please note: State law does not require the seller to accept a return or make an exchange of alcoholic beverages. This is discretionary with the licensee.

Caution: A consumer cannot overbuy for a party and then return any of the unused alcoholic beverages. Neither can the recipient of a gift exchange it for other merchandise or be given a credit, because the recipient is not returning alcoholic beverages; If the retailer gave anything of value for the beverages, the retailer would be buying from other than a wholesaler.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Stephen Bachmann,

The May 15 issue archive is now live. Here's a link to Daniel Sogg's story on returning wine.

I do not frequently return bottles of wine, although it has happened on occasion. Having worked in the tasting room of a winery for 4 years I am well-acquainted with cork taint.

This happened about 2 years ago now. I had purchased 2 bottles of 2002 Paul Hobbs Russian River Valley Chardonnay from a reputable retailer. One Sunday morning my girlfriend and I decided to have a nice brunch at a restaurant in Los Gatos and brought along one of the bottles. It was definitely corked but not severely so, and we managed to get through the bottle, but it was not nearly the experience we were looking forward to. I was aware of the accepted practices for returning corked bottles but left the bottle at the restaurant. I thought I would venture relating this experience to the retailer. The manager listened sympathetically and suggested I contact the winery, which I did. The lady with whom I spoke agreed to send me a replacement bottle, but from another vintage, as the '02 was now gone. I waited a couple of months and nothing arrived. I called back to inquire and she told me she had been very busy traveling and would send it out soon. I still haven't seen it, and have lost respect for the Paul Hobbs organization, regardless of the generally consistent excellence of their wines. Have not bought their wines since.

One of the benefits(albeit few) of a wine monopoly

SAQ: 30 days refund or exchange with a receipt
365 days refund or exchange with a
receipt on a faulty bottle(ie corked, offbottle, didn't like it )

Applies to all Bordeaux futures purchases as well.

Exchange only without a receipt provinding it is still in the system: No time limit

LCBO: I believe the same thing except they are more tolerant of returns for exchange without a receipt than the SAQ.

Best policy around unles that is, you are very friendly with the wine merchant.