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

In article >,
says...
>
>
>
>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

In article >,
says...
>
>
>
>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

In article >, Hunt > wrote:
>
[snip!]
>
>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.


I assume this is because restaurants are looking to make a certain dollar
amount on each sale and not necessarily a percentage. Also playing into it
is simple supply and demand. Lots of people just want a glass of white wine
and it benefits the restaurant to charge a customary amount for that and yet
try to find a cheap bottle to pour. On the other end of the spectrum, luxury
bottles like Dom Perignon also usually see a high markup based on name
recognition. It seems to me that the middle of the list sees the best values. I
assume it is because these wines are less often ordered, as only more
knowledgeable wine drinkers will order them. Restaurants discount the
markup in order to make them more appealing. The couple celebrating an
anniversary is going to want the Dom. The occasional wine drinkers (which
are most of the clientele at an average restaurant) are going to want the
house wine. Only a knowledgeable wine drinker is going to see that
Sonoma-Cutrer is priced just $5/bottle over retail. (Sonoma-Cutrer is
often priced extremely well in my experiences.) That middle range of
$30-60 wines is often a sweet spot, and I will sometimes order wine off of
the list just based on what the markup is rather than trying to find the
'perfect wine' to complement my meal.


You are right, though, that I will see vintage Krug champagne for
something like $240 (retails $180) and Dom Perignon for $200 (retails for
$100 or less). The Krug is obviously the better buy in this case if one is
choosing between just these two. I suspect that lots of people don't know
Krug and won't shell out the extra cash for it, and that is why it is
'priced to sell' as opposed to marking it up to $350 to align with the
Dom.


Just my speculation...


Dimitri

Hunt wrote:
> 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.
> Hunt
>

Are you sure it was Bin 65? Not another premium label?

The bin 65 chardonnay I find hard to believe anyone would get away with
charging US$25 a glass, even now.

I would walk out of a restaurant if they tried to charge that for that,
just out of principle.

It retails here even now for about $7AU, very roughly $5.50US
equivalent. And I don't believe it ages well enough for it to have been
"vintage" of any standing.

"Hunt" > wrote in message
...
> 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.

Meridian's winemaker, Charles Ortman, claims the title "Mr. Chardonnay".

And for all these years I've been thinking that was _I_!

I must admit that he does make decent Chardonnay though. I sometimes buy
his when I'm on vacation and can't get mine. ;^)

Tom S

In article >, Ask@me says...
>
>Hunt wrote:
>> 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.
>> Hunt
>>
>
>Are you sure it was Bin 65? Not another premium label?
>
>The bin 65 chardonnay I find hard to believe anyone would get away with
>charging US$25 a glass, even now.
>
>I would walk out of a restaurant if they tried to charge that for that,
>just out of principle.
>
>It retails here even now for about $7AU, very roughly $5.50US
>equivalent. And I don't believe it ages well enough for it to have been
>"vintage" of any standing.

If Bin 65 (my memory of the Lindeman's line up is cloudy) is their low-end
Chard, then that is it. When I moved to AZ, it was retailing for ~US$5/btl in
case quantity, and had been our "slammer" of choice for two Summers in CO.
This was my SHOCKING introduction to "in" wine destinations in Phoenix!
Needless to say, I did not partake of their by-the-glass offerings, though I
did take note of the prices. Last time that I passed by, their prices were a
bit more in line with what I would expect, but still quite high. Maybe their
location demands that they charge such prices, and Chardonnay was the top
white in those days. Though in '98, that is about what I would expect to pay
in a high-end restaurant for a big Cab, or Bdx. It seems to bare out, that in
Phoenix, there is traffic for paying top price, regardless of value.

Hunt

Hunt wrote:

> If Bin 65 (my memory of the Lindeman's line up is cloudy) is their low-end
> Chard, then that is it. When I moved to AZ, it was retailing for ~US$5/btl in
> case quantity, and had been our "slammer" of choice for two Summers in CO.
> This was my SHOCKING introduction to "in" wine destinations in Phoenix!
> Needless to say, I did not partake of their by-the-glass offerings, though I
> did take note of the prices. Last time that I passed by, their prices were a
> bit more in line with what I would expect, but still quite high. Maybe their
> location demands that they charge such prices, and Chardonnay was the top
> white in those days. Though in '98, that is about what I would expect to pay
> in a high-end restaurant for a big Cab, or Bdx. It seems to bare out, that in
> Phoenix, there is traffic for paying top price, regardless of value.
>
> Hunt
>

There is lower Lindemanns that that. There is the Cawarra range, which I
would struggle to recommend to anyone. I have a number of bottles
sitting around I can't bring myself to drink.

Perhaps they were taking advantage of a naiive dining community. I mean
chardonnay was all the rage around that time.

Oooo, a sophisticated Australian chardonnay, a steal at $25 a glass. If
the place is still in business seems ppl were willing to pay that much.
Despite the 1000% markup.

Sounds like rampant profiteering to me.

In article >, Ask@me says...
>
>Hunt wrote:
>
>> If Bin 65 (my memory of the Lindeman's line up is cloudy) is their low-end
>> Chard, then that is it. When I moved to AZ, it was retailing for ~US$5/btl
in
>> case quantity, and had been our "slammer" of choice for two Summers in CO.
>> This was my SHOCKING introduction to "in" wine destinations in Phoenix!
>> Needless to say, I did not partake of their by-the-glass offerings, though
I
>> did take note of the prices. Last time that I passed by, their prices were
a
>> bit more in line with what I would expect, but still quite high. Maybe
their
>> location demands that they charge such prices, and Chardonnay was the top
>> white in those days. Though in '98, that is about what I would expect to
pay
>> in a high-end restaurant for a big Cab, or Bdx. It seems to bare out, that
in
>> Phoenix, there is traffic for paying top price, regardless of value.
>>
>> Hunt
>>
>
>There is lower Lindemanns that that. There is the Cawarra range, which I
>would struggle to recommend to anyone. I have a number of bottles
>sitting around I can't bring myself to drink.
>
>Perhaps they were taking advantage of a naiive dining community. I mean
>chardonnay was all the rage around that time.
>
>Oooo, a sophisticated Australian chardonnay, a steal at $25 a glass. If
>the place is still in business seems ppl were willing to pay that much.
>Despite the 1000% markup.
>
>Sounds like rampant profiteering to me.

It is, or at least WAS. They are still there, but I give them a wide berth
when in that area. Much of the retail in the Phoenix area is hype for what is
considered chic, at that moment in time. I hope that their offerings are more
in line, nowadays, with reality, but cannot comment there.

Hunt