In article . com>,
says...
>
>On Apr 8, 4:50 pm, Steve Slatcher > wrote:
>> On 8 Apr 2007 13:11:12 -0700, "

[SNIP]
>
>100 miles in the UK must seem like a long way? We don't do it often,
>but our real-big-time shopping. We always check in at the Costco's
>along the way as some of them will carry different goods depending on
>the ethnicity of the area; i.e., when we visit Connecticut, there are
>always jars of goodie Italian things; near to the DC area, one sees
>more Asian type foods.
>
>And typically in VA, different Costco's will sell some different
>wines. Don't know why.
>Dee

With Costco, is all demographics. When the store opens, the wine buyer gets a
list of what the home office, thinks they can move, based on a study of the
general buying habits of that area. The buyer can get more/better wines, only
if they can justify them.

In PHX, we have several Costcos. The store in Scottsdale (generally wealthy
suburb) gets the "full list," depending of availability. The new store, that
just opened close to me, gets all but two - I do not recall which they are,
but my store has several 1er Cru Bdx, all at en premiere prices, or very
close. It saves me having to drive to Scottsdale. The store has only been open
for about 18 months, but the buyer says that if things progress, he'll soon
have the full portfolio. One store, also near me, has maybe 50% the selection,
and it tops out with petite Ch. Bdx., if at all. They just cannot convince the
home office, that they could sell these wines, and I do not think that they
could either.

We have another store, not too far away, and it's at about 80% of the level,
as the Scottsdale store, and the one close to me. Their demographics are
really mixed, but they seem to be holding their own.

Hunt

Hunt wrote:

> It is understandable why much of Europe (and the UK especially) has such a low
> impression of US wines. Maybe someone can shed some light on the importation
> to Europe/UK, of US wines, and why they are so horribly expensive there.

The vast majority of CA wines are not exported. Most wineries in the
USA are rather small and don't distribute nationwide let alone over
seas. The larger wineries that do distribute are often the lower end.
Mondavi does produce wines of all levels but their main production is on
the low side such as Woodbridge. Thats why perhaps people in Europe
have a low impression of CA wines. A poor selection of the better US wines.

Are there high import tarrifs on USA wines? That might explain the high
prices.

Hunt wrote:
>
> In PHX, we have several Costcos. The store in Scottsdale (generally wealthy
> suburb) gets the "full list," depending of availability.

I work near the Scottsdale Costco so visit there often. They have the
best selection I've found. Cost Plus World Market and A to Z Wines in
Scottsdale also has a good selection.

What other metro Phoenix area Costco's have a good selection? The
newest one I know of is 101/Cave Creek but their selection isn't all
that great.

On Apr 8, 11:29 pm, miles > wrote:
> Dee Dee wrote:
> > On Apr 8, 7:00 pm, miles > wrote:
> >> Dee Dee wrote:
> >>> And, back on topic, perhaps Costco doesn't sell California wines or
> >>> any wines in your country. In our state (commonwealth), Virginia,
> >>> they sell wine, but in the other states we travel through to visit
> >>> family, none carry wine.
> >> Thats interesting. Every Costco I've been to in Arizona, California or
> >> Nevada has had a good selection of wines.
>
> > I didn't say that they didn't have a good selection of wines.
> > Dee
>
> You mentioned some don't carry wine. I hadn't experieced that at the
> Costco's in the southwest where they all carry wine.

Some STATES that Costco operates in do not carry wine. If you look on
Costco's site, you can see what states that Costco is in that do sell
wine; quite a few don't on the states that we travel through going
from Virginia to Connecticut.

Dee

>
> With Costco, is all demographics. When the store opens, the wine buyer gets a
> list of what the home office, thinks they can move, based on a study of the
> general buying habits of that area. The buyer can get more/better wines, only
> if they can justify them.
>
> In PHX, we have several Costcos. The store in Scottsdale (generally wealthy
> suburb) gets the "full list," depending of availability. The new store, that
> just opened close to me, gets all but two - I do not recall which they are,
> but my store has several 1er Cru Bdx, all at en premiere prices, or very
> close. It saves me having to drive to Scottsdale. The store has only been open
> for about 18 months, but the buyer says that if things progress, he'll soon
> have the full portfolio. One store, also near me, has maybe 50% the selection,
> and it tops out with petite Ch. Bdx., if at all. They just cannot convince the
> home office, that they could sell these wines, and I do not think that they
> could either.
>
> We have another store, not too far away, and it's at about 80% of the level,
> as the Scottsdale store, and the one close to me. Their demographics are
> really mixed, but they seem to be holding their own.
>
> Hunt

Thanks. Our Virginia Costco's have wines that I 'cannot afford' nor
would buy if I could because I'm not that knowledgeable 'yet.'

I want to ask you if you know, per chance. I have bought all of the
Kirkland wines with the exception of Chateauneuf du Pape (and one
other which is a white wine and I'm not interested that much in). The
du Pape is unorderable online from Costco from Virginia. Have you or
anyone else tasted this Kirkland du Pape and am I missing something.
Dee

On 8 Apr 2007 15:45:55 -0700, "Dee Dee" > wrote:

>On Apr 8, 4:50 pm, Steve Slatcher > wrote:
>> On 8 Apr 2007 13:11:12 -0700, "
>>
>> > wrote:
>> >We have a Costco about 100 miles from us but it is a sort of warehouse
>> >where you have to be a member to shop and you have to buy in bulk and
>> >one also has to pay a hefy subscription annually to join!
>>
>> Some goods are only sold in large packets, but I can assure you that
>> if you so wish you could pop into a UK CostCo and buy a single bottle
>> of wine. Whenever I have compared prices they are very competitive
>> too. Hardly worth a 200mile round trip, but if you were closer I
>> would recommend checking them out.
>
>100 miles in the UK must seem like a long way?

The 10 or so miles to my nearest CostCo seems like a long way! Mainly
because there are 1001 retail opportunities closer than 10 miles for
practically everything CostCo sells. I don't think the cost of petrol
is the issue - it's more the time. Also, for many things, you DO have
to buy in large quantities so storage space comes into the equation.

In many places in the US I think you tend to have larger houses and
much less inbetween them - both factors tending to favour making fewer
but longer shopping trips.

--
Steve Slatcher
http://pobox.com/~steve.slatcher

I am sure there is local discretion but there is a mandatory list of the
items that to in the wood bins.

Local distributors stock the items and each state will vary a little. The
fancy section with the wood boxes I have been told is virtually all
controlled by HQ and Regional office. I would imagine the bargain stuff on
pallets is more local.

Either way, Costco owns a distributor system for self distributing Bordeaux,
Italian wines etc....recently there was a lawsuit over their right to self
distribute.

This lawsuit is not the one I was looking for but could not locate...this is
still good
http://zinquisition.blogspot.com/200...ould-care.html


"miles" > wrote in message
...
> Richard Neidich wrote:
>> In my case I have a working relationship with Costco (not for wine) and I
>> can tell you virtually all buying decisions on wine are done at their HQ
>> and then the regional buyer has some latitude. Little discretion at
>> store level.
>
> Thats interesting. In some Costco's here they have a full time wine
> knowledgeable person helping people with their selections. That person
> has told me they handle the ordering and selection of wines. It might be
> that they have to work off a list from HQ, I dont know.

On Apr 9, 3:58 am, Steve Slatcher > wrote:
> The 10 or so miles to my nearest CostCo seems like a long way! Mainly
> because there are 1001 retail opportunities closer than 10 miles for
> practically everything CostCo sells. I don't think the cost of petrol
> is the issue - it's more the time. Also, for many things, you DO have
> to buy in large quantities so storage space comes into the equation.
>
> In many places in the US I think you tend to have larger houses and
> much less inbetween them - both factors tending to favour making fewer
> but longer shopping trips.
>
> --
> Steve Slatcherhttp://pobox.com/~steve.slatcher


The cost of petrol is not so much of an issue here in my household,
but the time that it takes to shop more often for necessities is THE
costly feature in my life. I know some people shop frequently for
things that they could keep in larder. Perhaps that is a small part
of why people keep wine at hand. :-))

BTW, your Curriculum Vitae is quite impressive. I am always pleased
to see a picture. Thanks.
Dee

miles wrote:

> Ken Blake wrote:
>
>> What do you mean by "good selection"? I think most people would
>> interpret that term as rmeaning a *large* selection, but my
>> experience has generally been that the selection has been small, but
>> interesting and well-chosen.
>
> I mean fairly large with low end to high end wines. Some Costco's do
> have better selections than others but all of them have been good.


Thanks. We must shop at different Costcos. As I said, my experience is that
the selection is small.


--
Ken Blake
Please reply to the newsgroup

Ken Blake wrote:

> Thanks. We must shop at different Costcos. As I said, my experience is that
> the selection is small.

Try Costco's in more upscale parts of town. They really do vary from
one store to another. Sams Club (Costco style warehouse version of
Walmart) also has good wine selections.

miles wrote:

> Ken Blake wrote:
>
>> Thanks. We must shop at different Costcos. As I said, my experience
>> is that the selection is small.
>
> Try Costco's in more upscale parts of town. They really do vary from
> one store to another. Sams Club (Costco style warehouse version of
> Walmart) also has good wine selections.



I'm sure you're right that they vary. There's one Costco near me, but the
other in town (and Sam's Club) are all far, so I get there very seldom.

--
Ken Blake
Please reply to the newsgroup

When I travel I do get into various Costco Warehouse Club Stores and find
some treasures. I do find the West Coast locations are much more upscale vs
the East Coast.

Regional availablity, demographics. etc.

I have not found any stores here as good as the ones in San Fran or Seattle.


"Ken Blake" > wrote in message
...
> miles wrote:
>
>> Ken Blake wrote:
>>
>>> Thanks. We must shop at different Costcos. As I said, my experience
>>> is that the selection is small.
>>
>> Try Costco's in more upscale parts of town. They really do vary from
>> one store to another. Sams Club (Costco style warehouse version of
>> Walmart) also has good wine selections.
>
>
>
> I'm sure you're right that they vary. There's one Costco near me, but the
> other in town (and Sam's Club) are all far, so I get there very seldom.
>
> --
> Ken Blake
> Please reply to the newsgroup
>

Richard Neidich wrote:
> When I travel I do get into various Costco Warehouse Club Stores and find
> some treasures. I do find the West Coast locations are much more upscale vs
> the East Coast.
>
> Regional availablity, demographics. etc.
>
> I have not found any stores here as good as the ones in San Fran or Seattle.

So far the best Costco's for wine I've found are North
Scottsdale-Arizona, Santa Maria-California or San Luis
Obisbo-California. The worst have been in the Los Angeles region.

In article >, says...
>
>Hunt wrote:
>>
>> In PHX, we have several Costcos. The store in Scottsdale (generally wealthy
>> suburb) gets the "full list," depending of availability.
>
>I work near the Scottsdale Costco so visit there often. They have the
>best selection I've found. Cost Plus World Market and A to Z Wines in
>Scottsdale also has a good selection.
>
>What other metro Phoenix area Costco's have a good selection? The
>newest one I know of is 101/Cave Creek but their selection isn't all
>that great.

Actually, that's the one that I shop at. They have the full portfolio, save
two, from the home office. I'll check with the buyer, and find out which two
those are. Now, that said, he's not a fan of white Burgs, so I have to twist
his arm to get them. He can, but chooses not to. Same with GR Rieslings. He'd
rather put in a dozen Chilean wines, than one Montrachet! Still, I have been
working on him to improve the selection.

The selection at Scottsdale is a bit better (best in the area), but it's
crowded and farther from me. I'd rather have their selection, and go to the
store closer to me. Time will tell if "I can have my cake, and eat it too."

Hunt

In article . com>,
says...
>
>
>>
>> With Costco, is all demographics. When the store opens, the wine buyer gets
a
>> list of what the home office, thinks they can move, based on a study of the
>> general buying habits of that area. The buyer can get more/better wines,
only
>> if they can justify them.
>>
>> In PHX, we have several Costcos. The store in Scottsdale (generally wealthy
>> suburb) gets the "full list," depending of availability. The new store,
that
>> just opened close to me, gets all but two - I do not recall which they are,
>> but my store has several 1er Cru Bdx, all at en premiere prices, or very
>> close. It saves me having to drive to Scottsdale. The store has only been
open
>> for about 18 months, but the buyer says that if things progress, he'll soon
>> have the full portfolio. One store, also near me, has maybe 50% the
selection,
>> and it tops out with petite Ch. Bdx., if at all. They just cannot convince
the
>> home office, that they could sell these wines, and I do not think that they
>> could either.
>>
>> We have another store, not too far away, and it's at about 80% of the
level,
>> as the Scottsdale store, and the one close to me. Their demographics are
>> really mixed, but they seem to be holding their own.
>>
>> Hunt
>
>Thanks. Our Virginia Costco's have wines that I 'cannot afford' nor
>would buy if I could because I'm not that knowledgeable 'yet.'
>
>I want to ask you if you know, per chance. I have bought all of the
>Kirkland wines with the exception of Chateauneuf du Pape (and one
>other which is a white wine and I'm not interested that much in). The
>du Pape is unorderable online from Costco from Virginia. Have you or
>anyone else tasted this Kirkland du Pape and am I missing something.
>Dee

Dee,

I have not tried any of the Kirkland wines, so I cannot comment. Seems that
Mark Lipton tried one, or more, and had some, not-so-great TNs. Maybe he'll
chime in. I do know that he knows his CndPs, so he'd be a good resource, if
he's tried the Kirkland. I'm more fond of buying from a house, with which I am
familiar, and usually go to other sources, on good recs. from folk, whose
opinion I value. Maybe they have branded and bottled a good wine, but I would
not be inclined to venture there, without someone leading me.

Sorry,
Hunt

In article .net>,
says...
>
>When I travel I do get into various Costco Warehouse Club Stores and find
>some treasures. I do find the West Coast locations are much more upscale vs
>the East Coast.
>
>Regional availablity, demographics. etc.
>
>I have not found any stores here as good as the ones in San Fran or Seattle.

[SNIP]

I agree. The more "local" stores do get a better selection. I used to see some
interesting wines in their magazine, but none ever made it to AZ, not even the
Scottsdale store.

In Hawai`i, the selection is about what I encounter in the lesser AZ stores,
with tons of low-end wine, but enough good ones, to make the stop worthwhile.
While I pick up two cases locally, I'm hard-pressed to find 6 in Hawai`i (all
islands), that I'm likely to pick up, even if we're there for a month. OK, so
I do buy multiples, but the purchases are not that varied.

Hunt

In article >, says...
>
>Dee Dee wrote:
>> On Apr 8, 7:00 pm, miles > wrote:
>>> Dee Dee wrote:
>>>> And, back on topic, perhaps Costco doesn't sell California wines or
>>>> any wines in your country. In our state (commonwealth), Virginia,
>>>> they sell wine, but in the other states we travel through to visit
>>>> family, none carry wine.
>>> Thats interesting. Every Costco I've been to in Arizona, California or
>>> Nevada has had a good selection of wines.
>>
>> I didn't say that they didn't have a good selection of wines.
>> Dee
>
>You mentioned some don't carry wine. I hadn't experieced that at the
>Costco's in the southwest where they all carry wine.

Miles,

It varies by state. For instance, in CO, they carry wine, but as a separate,
non-member, outlet, with two entrances - one from the store, and another from
the sidewalk. Do not know how it works in the East.

Hunt

List is a bit of a mess. But Miles should ask if they'll sell takeout,
and buy all the '96 Grange at $55 they have (what do you think that
really is?).

Does seem cheap for the Grange. I have a couple of bottles of 2001. I think
I paid about $150 at the wine shop.. Haven't tried them yet.

"
List is a bit of a mess. But Miles should ask if they'll sell takeout,
and buy all the '96 Grange at $55 they have (what do you think that
really is?).

Good chance it is Magill. I have seen restaurants misrepresent wines many
times.

Mike

"miles" > wrote in message
...
> Dee Dee wrote:
>> On Apr 8, 7:00 pm, miles > wrote:
>>> Dee Dee wrote:
>>>> And, back on topic, perhaps Costco doesn't sell California wines or
>>>> any wines in your country. In our state (commonwealth), Virginia,
>>>> they sell wine, but in the other states we travel through to visit
>>>> family, none carry wine.
>>> Thats interesting. Every Costco I've been to in Arizona, California or
>>> Nevada has had a good selection of wines.
>>
>> I didn't say that they didn't have a good selection of wines.
>> Dee
>
> You mentioned some don't carry wine. I hadn't experieced that at the
> Costco's in the southwest where they all carry wine.

Pennsylvania stores do not. Alcoholic beverages are state run monopoly here.

Jon