I received my Ovid Mailer and was surprised that it debuts at $175 per bottle, plus $15.50 per bottle shipping! The Ovid Magnums are $400 each!

So many new, small production, glamour wines enter the marketplace each year at even more outrageous prices, and they're after one thing----the generous profits from making fermented grape juice into a product which has super margins! Actually, you're buying a label, bottle, box, a fancy name, & some concentrated fermented grape juice!

Did you think gasoline for $3.90 a gallon, or even milk at $4.15 per gallon had become expensive? Well, this new wine, OVID, at $175.00, plus $15.50 for shipping; costs approximately $950.00 per gallon!!, and perhaps even more next year!

I passed on the Ovid, but who's buying?

Uh, not me. Jerk!

How many miles per gulp do you get for $ 950?

The phrase “fermented grape juice” always makes me cringe. Wine is obviously more than just fermented grape juice to most people on these boards, or we wouldn’t spend so much time and money on it. What makes me laugh is when it’s the 1982 Latour that cost $75 on release and was shared with your wife on your 20th anniversary, it’s considered a great “wine” that is forever part of the memory of that wonderful night. When it’s the 2005 Latour for $1,000 it is just “fermented grape juice”.

If you think the “wine” is too expensive than just don’t buy it.

quote:

Originally posted by latour67:
Did you think gasoline for $3.90 a gallon, or even milk at $4.15 per gallon had become expensive?

Hey, I like milk. But I'm only paying $2.85/gallon for 2%.

It's a blessing to be able to afford all three. We are so lucky to be able to afford wine, with the cost of basic needs so high.

quote:

Originally posted by latour67:

Did you think gasoline for $3.90 a gallon, or even milk at $4.15 per gallon had become expensive? Well, this new wine, OVID, at $175.00, plus $15.50 for shipping; costs approximately $950.00 per gallon!!, and perhaps even more next year!

You could pay 100 times that much, or more, per gallon for perfume. That doesn't bother me. I only drink cheap toilet water.

quote:

Originally posted by pape du neuf:

quote:

Originally posted by latour67:

Did you think gasoline for $3.90 a gallon, or even milk at $4.15 per gallon had become expensive? Well, this new wine, OVID, at $175.00, plus $15.50 for shipping; costs approximately $950.00 per gallon!!, and perhaps even more next year!

You could pay 100 times that much, or more, per gallon for perfume. That doesn't bother me. I only drink cheap toilet water.

toilet water prices have gone up 45% in the past year and are looking to hike up another 20% this year.

At least your car does not run on screaming eagle.

There is too much wine in this upper echelon, some of it has to be squeezed out. There is a chance Ovid will blow up like Scarecrow, there is a greater chance it won't though.

The gist of the thread was supposed to be a discussion about the cost ($175) per bottle of a new small production wine, and the proliferation of these small production, exobitant priced wines vs. the actual value of wine.

Wine costs about $12/$25 to produce, some maybe a little more, many less, but in reality most of the cost is profit in the higher end wines. Why are there so many new small production wineries that sell expensive wine? Is it a perceived value, because it sure isn't as necessary as milk or gasoline.

quote:

Originally posted by latour67:
The gist of the thread was supposed to be a discussion about the cost ($175) per bottle of a new small production wine, and the proliferation of these small production, exobitant priced wines vs. the actual value of wine.

Wine costs about $12/$25 to produce, some maybe a little more, many less, but in reality most of the cost is profit in the higher end wines. Why are there so many new small production wineries that sell expensive wine? Is it a perceived value, because it sure isn't as necessary as milk or gasoline.

What if you're lactose intolerant?

quote:

Originally posted by latour67:
The gist of the thread was supposed to be a discussion about the cost ($175) per bottle of a new small production wine, and the proliferation of these small production, exobitant priced wines vs. the actual value of wine.

But to the gist of your thread.
At that level, wine is an experience and not a commodity. I like it to being a tourist in a new area, you pay for the experiences you want. You can eat ramen in ny on a dime, or you can goto Masa and pay 350$/person for the tasting. Wine is suppose to be like that. ( I mean seriously how much can the cost of food actually be)

Tho, I have to say that personally, I find myself ordering less wine at restaurants. I'm getting tired of paying 3-5x mark up (at any price range) for some fermented grape juice =)

quote:

Originally posted by latour67:
The gist of the thread was supposed to be a discussion about the cost ($175) per bottle of a new small production wine, and the proliferation of these small production, exobitant priced wines vs. the actual value of wine.

Wine costs about $12/$25 to produce, some maybe a little more, many less, but in reality most of the cost is profit in the higher end wines. Why are there so many new small production wineries that sell expensive wine? Is it a perceived value, because it sure isn't as necessary as milk or gasoline.

If just one goober, who is throwing all kinds of money at wine trying to replicate some "epiphany" or trying to get some feeling of exclusivity reads this thread and comes to his senses, you have done your good deed for the day, latour67.

I have to raise my prices this Fall on the Uvas Creek Cab. $40 a bottle 6 for $225. Production, 120-125 cases.

I'm seriously thinking of offering a rebate though. Send me your Levy Mcwhatever mailer and I'll give you 10 bottles for $350, send in your OVid mailer and I'll give you 5 bottles for $175. THink anyone would go for it?

latour, you're right. It has just become insane.

I have been a fan of Salon and L'Ermita for years. The current price for the '96 Salon in our market is $400, and the '04 Ermita pushing $500.

NO WAY, it just is not worth it!

quote:

Originally posted by Stefania Wine:
I have to raise my prices this Fall on the Uvas Creek Cab. $40 a bottle 6 for $225. Production, 120-125 cases.

I'm seriously thinking of offering a rebate though. Send me your Levy Mcwhatever mailer and I'll give you 10 bottles for $350, send in your OVid mailer and I'll give you 5 bottles for $175. Think anyone would go for it?

Shameless, gouging profiteer.

Too late to pull my L&M mailer out of the shredder, and never signed up for Ovid. How 'bout if I send you one Harlan unused mailer and a couple of nonsensical postcards from them instead?

Oh wait, that's right. I didn't order the CS last year. Can I apply the discount to the Syrah instead?

Moo

I understand your point about a bottle of wine costoing $12 - $24, but that is based on a set of assumptions that may be out of date now. Did you use the David Coffaro rant from years ago to arrive at that?

If you are an estate in the truest sense of the word, in a premium, high land cost appellation, and you paid multiple millions for land, infrastructure and all of the other costs to get a project to fruition (no pun intended), the cost far exceeds $12 - $24 per bottle.

quote:

Originally posted by Lorrie:
It's a blessing to be able to afford all three. We are so lucky to be able to afford wine, with the cost of basic needs so high.

Hear Hear!!

Paul-

I just tossed my Ovid mailer, but I can print the one I got via e-mail...will you still honor that format?

quote:

Originally posted by cdr:

If you are an estate in the truest sense of the word, in a premium, high land cost appellation, and you paid multiple millions for land, infrastructure and all of the other costs to get a project to fruition (no pun intended), the cost far exceeds $12 - $24 per bottle.

the cost of the land is not a running one, your infrastructure should be depreciated normally like any other business.

The only non-one time costs are water, fertilizer, chemicals, barrels and labor.

I think all those do come to about 12-25$/bottle.

quote:

Originally posted by g-man:

The only non-one time costs are water, fertilizer, chemicals, barrels and labor.

And bottles, closures, labels, electricity and other utilities, fuel for vehicles and tractors, etc., maintenance to keep equipment in operational shape, and marketing costs. Probably more actually.

quote:

Originally posted by latour67:
The gist of the thread was supposed to be a discussion about the cost ($175) per bottle of a new small production wine, and the proliferation of these small production, exobitant priced wines vs. the actual value of wine.

Wine costs about $12/$25 to produce, some maybe a little more, many less, but in reality most of the cost is profit in the higher end wines. Why are there so many new small production wineries that sell expensive wine? Is it a perceived value, because it sure isn't as necessary as milk or gasoline.

I suppose the proliferation of small production, exorbitantly priced wines has to do with the money available to spend on them and the willingness of people who have the money to spend it. I picked perfume as a more extreme example because, even more than with wine, you are paying for a label, bottle, box, a fancy name, & some concentrated volatile scented compounds.

What's the alternative to allocating by price? Rationing?
How are the wealthy going to redistribute their money? It's inevitable that they are going to bid up the price of something that others want, whether it be cars, gems, art, collectibles, waterfront property, wine, or maybe a company you own.

quote:

Originally posted by latour67:
The gist of the thread was supposed to be a discussion about the cost ($175) per bottle of a new small production wine, and the proliferation of these small production, exobitant priced wines vs. the actual value of wine.

Wine costs about $12/$25 to produce, some maybe a little more, many less, but in reality most of the cost is profit in the higher end wines. Why are there so many new small production wineries that sell expensive wine? Is it a perceived value, because it sure isn't as necessary as milk or gasoline.

While I agree with the basis of the thread. Wine (and any other product) is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it. Marked up or not, if someone will pay me 1000 dollars for my boxers, well then, my boxers are worth 1000 dollars.

And yes, I did buy the Ovid. Just not the Mag...

quote:

Originally posted by latour67:
Why are there so many new small production wineries that sell expensive wine?

Because there are people willing to buy it. Why i