Saturday, January 13, 2007
To charge or not to charge (for tasting)?
One of the many thoughts that have been running through my head lately regarding winery operations is the issue of charging for wine tasting. Are free wine tastings really a big advertising pull? Will customers be willing to pay a small fee to taste your wine or walk out the door in disgust?
I have run the gamut in my tasting adventures. From places like Sandhill Crane Vineyards in Jackson, MI where you can (and strongly encouraged!) taste all 16 of their wines for free, to OH & NY wineries that charge a few bucks to taste a limited flight of wines, to some CA wineries that wanted $15 for the privilege of tasting their wine and then had the audacity to charge more for their reserve wine list (OK, I did walk away from that one). But other charging practices include a price to taste, but refunded/waived if you purchase a bottle. Now, one also has to take into account the state & local laws regarding wine tasting--this is alcohol we're talking about after all. CA & MI have pretty liberal laws that allow wineries to offer free wine tastings. Other states require a fee (can't have these liberal wineries pouring free alcohol to any Tom, Dick, or Susan!), so the question becomes a moot point.
From a taster's perspective, I have to admit that I love free wine tastings! I'm probably also more apt to purchase a bottle after a free wine tasting. I have to like it, but I may be more encouraged to like it and purchase a bottle as a gesture of appreciation (I find it extremely difficult to walk into a winery and not buy something). However, from the winery's perspective, free wine tastings could be a financial nightmare. You're literally pouring your product out the door in hopes of attracting sales. Which has to lead to higher bottle prices because the winery has to recoup the production cost of the tasting room wine in every bottle that's sold. I think this is especially a concern of smaller wineries. If you only make 200 gal of a wine, how much can you afford to pour away in order to sell the rest?
I open the floor for debate. If the practice is up to the winery, would you choose to patronize a winery because they did or did not charge a tasting fee? If you're willing to pay a small fee to taste a winery's product, how much is too much? And is that price location dependant?
I look forward to your comments!
Regards,
a Wine Student
I have run the gamut in my tasting adventures. From places like Sandhill Crane Vineyards in Jackson, MI where you can (and strongly encouraged!) taste all 16 of their wines for free, to OH & NY wineries that charge a few bucks to taste a limited flight of wines, to some CA wineries that wanted $15 for the privilege of tasting their wine and then had the audacity to charge more for their reserve wine list (OK, I did walk away from that one). But other charging practices include a price to taste, but refunded/waived if you purchase a bottle. Now, one also has to take into account the state & local laws regarding wine tasting--this is alcohol we're talking about after all. CA & MI have pretty liberal laws that allow wineries to offer free wine tastings. Other states require a fee (can't have these liberal wineries pouring free alcohol to any Tom, Dick, or Susan!), so the question becomes a moot point.
From a taster's perspective, I have to admit that I love free wine tastings! I'm probably also more apt to purchase a bottle after a free wine tasting. I have to like it, but I may be more encouraged to like it and purchase a bottle as a gesture of appreciation (I find it extremely difficult to walk into a winery and not buy something). However, from the winery's perspective, free wine tastings could be a financial nightmare. You're literally pouring your product out the door in hopes of attracting sales. Which has to lead to higher bottle prices because the winery has to recoup the production cost of the tasting room wine in every bottle that's sold. I think this is especially a concern of smaller wineries. If you only make 200 gal of a wine, how much can you afford to pour away in order to sell the rest?
I open the floor for debate. If the practice is up to the winery, would you choose to patronize a winery because they did or did not charge a tasting fee? If you're willing to pay a small fee to taste a winery's product, how much is too much? And is that price location dependant?
I look forward to your comments!
Regards,
a Wine Student
Raven's Glenn Winery Visit
Tasting the zinfandel from Raven's Glenn last night (see previous post) inspired me to dig out my notes from our visit to Raven's Glenn Winery (www.ravensglenn.com) in spring 2006. Ironically, it was that visit that inspired me to start a blog of my tasting adventures and I fully intended to start the blog with a description of Raven's Glenn. Well, as you can see it's taken 9 months to dig out my notes and put pen to paper. Thankfully, it didn't take that long to start the blog!
I first saw a flyer for Raven's Glenn in the tourist attraction rack in the Hampton Inn in Newcomerstown on I-77 (Exit 65, US-36) in southern Ohio when we were on our way to the Outer Banks, NC for a vacation. We were hitting the road at 8:00 AM, so the winery wasn't open, but I kept the flyer since we would be coming back along the same road. On the return trip, our timing was much better and we were able to stop in while they were open. The winery is located 8 miles west of I-77 on US-36 just east of Coshocton and had been open for 3 years when we visited. Housed in a fairly large gray metal building with a red roof, the tasting room shares space with a 150-seat Italian restaurant (didn't try). We were waited on by Sheila (if I remember correctly) who was willing to give us lots of details about the winery operation (and the wines)--we were the only tasters while we were there. The owners made their fortune in the nursing home and elderly care business and started the winery as a retirement career. Their son learned how to make wine and became the winemaker. The family history in the elder care industry is well evident as the tasting room & restaurant were designed for easy handicap access and bus tours from the nearby Longaberger Basket factory in nearby Newark & Dresden, OH. Very airy and open with a long soapstone tasting bar. The building may be metal on the outside, but nothing but wood ceilings on the inside. Very attractive.
Apparently, these Longaberg Basket factory bus tours are a large part of the winery's business, stopping at the basket factory and then at the winery & restaurant for some wine tasting and lunch or dinner. One of these bus tours came in as we were leaving, and I can definitely see the advantages of having a semi-captive audience of 50+ folks being dropped off at the winery after a long day of shopping. Sheila readily shared that the winery makes wines aimed at the local largely rural community and the bus tours--soft reds, fruity whites, and more sweet wines than dry. For the most part, their customers are not big wine drinkers, so they don't expect big robust and tannic reds, but tend to prefer softer, more fruit forward, and sweeter wines. But the winery does make a range of wines. Checking their webpage with my tasting notes, not much has changed in the past year, although the Chantilly Lace dessert wine is new.
Dry reds: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, and Syrah
Dry whites: Chardonnay & Pinot Grigio
Semi-sweet: Gewurtztraminer, Reisling, Vidal blanc, and White Zinfandel
Sweet: Raven's Rouge (mix of Concord & other estate grapes), White Raven (labrusca varietals), Sweet Sonnet (Niagra/Chardonel blend), and Chantilly Lace (dessert wine from muscat canelli grapes)
Fruit: Apple, Raspberry, Blackberry, Cherry, and Sangria (apple wine based).
Tastings are $2 for a flight of 5 wines. This may be a state law, as I've encountered similar policies at other OH wineries. The red grapes are sourced from Lodi, CA with the white grapes purchased from Ohio, the Finger Lakes, or CA. The vidal blanc, niagra, and chardonnel are estate grown. They use very light or no oak (mostly stainless steel fermentation) to make the red wines, which results in much softer & fruiter wines.
It was an interesting visit and provided a lot of things to consider in opening a winery. Raven's Glenn has taken the big money approach to start big, build nice facilities, and have the financial resources to weather the early years. You have to make wines for your customers, not just what the winemaker likes to drink. They've also made the most of their local tourist attractions by becoming a regular stop on the basket factory bus tours. What similar attractions exist in SE Michigan?
Regards,
a Wine Student
I first saw a flyer for Raven's Glenn in the tourist attraction rack in the Hampton Inn in Newcomerstown on I-77 (Exit 65, US-36) in southern Ohio when we were on our way to the Outer Banks, NC for a vacation. We were hitting the road at 8:00 AM, so the winery wasn't open, but I kept the flyer since we would be coming back along the same road. On the return trip, our timing was much better and we were able to stop in while they were open. The winery is located 8 miles west of I-77 on US-36 just east of Coshocton and had been open for 3 years when we visited. Housed in a fairly large gray metal building with a red roof, the tasting room shares space with a 150-seat Italian restaurant (didn't try). We were waited on by Sheila (if I remember correctly) who was willing to give us lots of details about the winery operation (and the wines)--we were the only tasters while we were there. The owners made their fortune in the nursing home and elderly care business and started the winery as a retirement career. Their son learned how to make wine and became the winemaker. The family history in the elder care industry is well evident as the tasting room & restaurant were designed for easy handicap access and bus tours from the nearby Longaberger Basket factory in nearby Newark & Dresden, OH. Very airy and open with a long soapstone tasting bar. The building may be metal on the outside, but nothing but wood ceilings on the inside. Very attractive.
Apparently, these Longaberg Basket factory bus tours are a large part of the winery's business, stopping at the basket factory and then at the winery & restaurant for some wine tasting and lunch or dinner. One of these bus tours came in as we were leaving, and I can definitely see the advantages of having a semi-captive audience of 50+ folks being dropped off at the winery after a long day of shopping. Sheila readily shared that the winery makes wines aimed at the local largely rural community and the bus tours--soft reds, fruity whites, and more sweet wines than dry. For the most part, their customers are not big wine drinkers, so they don't expect big robust and tannic reds, but tend to prefer softer, more fruit forward, and sweeter wines. But the winery does make a range of wines. Checking their webpage with my tasting notes, not much has changed in the past year, although the Chantilly Lace dessert wine is new.
Dry reds: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, and Syrah
Dry whites: Chardonnay & Pinot Grigio
Semi-sweet: Gewurtztraminer, Reisling, Vidal blanc, and White Zinfandel
Sweet: Raven's Rouge (mix of Concord & other estate grapes), White Raven (labrusca varietals), Sweet Sonnet (Niagra/Chardonel blend), and Chantilly Lace (dessert wine from muscat canelli grapes)
Fruit: Apple, Raspberry, Blackberry, Cherry, and Sangria (apple wine based).
Tastings are $2 for a flight of 5 wines. This may be a state law, as I've encountered similar policies at other OH wineries. The red grapes are sourced from Lodi, CA with the white grapes purchased from Ohio, the Finger Lakes, or CA. The vidal blanc, niagra, and chardonnel are estate grown. They use very light or no oak (mostly stainless steel fermentation) to make the red wines, which results in much softer & fruiter wines.
It was an interesting visit and provided a lot of things to consider in opening a winery. Raven's Glenn has taken the big money approach to start big, build nice facilities, and have the financial resources to weather the early years. You have to make wines for your customers, not just what the winemaker likes to drink. They've also made the most of their local tourist attractions by becoming a regular stop on the basket factory bus tours. What similar attractions exist in SE Michigan?
Regards,
a Wine Student
Raven's Glenn American Zinfandel
The wife was making spaghetti & meatballs when I got home from work last night, so I decided a nice red was in order to accompany her efforts and chose the bottle of Raven's Glenn American Zinfandel from Raven's Glenn Winery in West Lafayette, Ohio (www.ravensglenn.com) that I had picked up at a winery visit in spring 2006.
Soft and supple, this wine has seen no oak--stainless steel fermentation only. Good medium garnet color. Fruity nose with some hints of earthiness. Cherries and blackberries on the tongue with a good linger and just a hint of tannins in the aftertaste. 14.5% alcohol and $15 at the winery (they can ship throughout OH).
You may be wondering--how does a winery in Ohio grow Zinfandel and make a wine good enough for this old zinfandel lover to purchase? Well, they don't grow the grapes themselves, but source them from Lodi, CA. And they are definitely not trying to compete with the rich, jammy, and tannic zins that I hold dear to my heart. I was intrigued by this wine because they make a zin for their southern Ohio costumers who like a smoother wine. No oak, very little tannin, but thankfully not sweetened! Very different from the robust zins from CA.
Regards,
a Wine Student
Soft and supple, this wine has seen no oak--stainless steel fermentation only. Good medium garnet color. Fruity nose with some hints of earthiness. Cherries and blackberries on the tongue with a good linger and just a hint of tannins in the aftertaste. 14.5% alcohol and $15 at the winery (they can ship throughout OH).
You may be wondering--how does a winery in Ohio grow Zinfandel and make a wine good enough for this old zinfandel lover to purchase? Well, they don't grow the grapes themselves, but source them from Lodi, CA. And they are definitely not trying to compete with the rich, jammy, and tannic zins that I hold dear to my heart. I was intrigued by this wine because they make a zin for their southern Ohio costumers who like a smoother wine. No oak, very little tannin, but thankfully not sweetened! Very different from the robust zins from CA.
Regards,
a Wine Student
