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In article >,
says...
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>Meridian is a huge winery based in Paso Robles, but they get fruit from
>everywhere. Most of their wine is undistinguished, but good for what it
>is. However, they also make wines under a Reserve label that are usually
>a bit better and mostly only found at the winery. For whatever reason,
>Vons/Safeway has these wines in stock right now for $6/bottle. They are
>usually $10-14. The chardonnay is not too exciting (but definitely better
>than the regular $7 bottle) but the pinot is very, very good at this price
>point. I would say I like it better than Rex Goliath. It's Santa Barbara
>County pinot. Sure, it's fruit forward. However, for $6/bottle I can't do
>any better (for my palate). Check it out if you haven't already. Perfect
>wine to serve at a large gathering. It can be distinguished from the
>regular bottling by the gold label.
>
>
>Dimitri

Ah, Meridian. Many years ago, it was the Chardonnay that got me into whites,
though the years of my wife's attempts might have also played a role. In the
first "Slammer Whites of Summer" drink-off at our house, it won the coveted
title of "Slammer of the year." Back then, the upper price-point cut was ~US$
5/btl. It was subsequently replaced the next year, but I can't recall who that
winner was. Now, the pp has climbed quite a bit, but it would be interesting
to see how their newer Reserve offering might fare. I have never tried their
PN, but will keep an eye out, as Safeway has a big presence in AZ. When I see
their wines on restaurant wine lists these days, they are marked up ~500%, so
I'm usually interested in going with the mid -> upper range starter wine, that
doesn't get such a hefty markup.

An aside, why do restaurants use a sliding scale of markup for wines (perhaps
a gross over-generalization here) with less expensive wines being hit with
MAJOR markups, and more expensive (at wholesale) wines seeing a much more
equitable markup? Even in by-the-glass selections, it is not uncommon to have
a glass of less-expensive wine priced at 200% of wholesale/btl for one glass!
When I first came to AZ, a tony little wine bar in an upscale shopping area
touted Lindeman's Bin 65(?) Chard, at US$25/glass. Heck, a btl was only US$4.
99, and this was 7 years ago. I'd think that a constant markup of say 200%
would work better, Some wine lists are starting to go with the +US$10/btl on
retail, as their pricing. Most seem to be making the same profit and selling
one heck of a lot more wine with their meals.

Hunt