What's in a Name?

It has been fascinating to learn what branding is and can do, even for an unfinished product such as bulk wine.

Merlot is a case in point as to what branding can do.  We have had clients send the same wine out to buyers labeled as Merlot and as a Bordeaux Blend. 

Both wines represent truth in advertising.  All wines are blends by nature.  Even if they are a blend of 100% Merlot, they are a blend of various barrels, vineyards, vinification styles, and time.  Merlot is a Bordelais varietal, and fits the description of a Bordeaux blend. 

The results on landed deals on a Merlot sale versus a Bordeaux blend, not to mention the average sale price per gallon are higher across the board.

Similarly, Riesling with small amounts of red wine blended into it, and sold as blush wine, has a much greater rate of sales as well as a higher average price.

We all learn as we go, but this info is greatly helpful to us as we try to bring more knowledge of the bulk wine market to our buyer.

Cabernet Sauvignon Peak Season

Hot-selling red wine producers have quickly shifted their focus from 2015 vintage to getting 2014 reds in bottle to meet market demands.  November through February see a flourish of bulk wine activity, mostly centered around previous vintage red wines. 

Cabernet Sauvignon in 2014 in Washington was of excellent quality and volume.  Now is gthe best time to cherry pick barrel aged lots to enhance an existing blend, or to start a new sku in your portfolio, if it is missing a Washington Cabernet.

Opportunity Knocking

Business and Life are funny sometimes.  You can pursue different ideas thinking those are your next big opportunities, and then the phone rings, and you drop everything to chase what just fell in your lap.

A superstar producer in Washington has given me some imminently sale-able high quality wines in two categories that sell far above the industry average.

Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. 

If you need to fold either of these wines into brands that move the meter in your sale portfolio, look no further.

Please contact us for details.

A Buyer's Market for White Wines

Like in real estate, bulk wine prices are subject to market demands.  With the abundance of white wines available in the Pacific Northwest, pricing pressures have been headed steeply downward. 

Washington Riesling has scored 93 points in major publications and Washington Chardonnay has scored upwards of 96 points, and yet the market is saturated with these world class white wines between $3-10/gallon. 

With supply from the US Market appearing to have diminished with the 2015 harvest, an increase in demand is sure to follow.

Now may be the best time to begin a Washington based white wine project.

Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

The most sought after varietal in Washington winemaking in terms of price and demand is Cabernet Sauvignon.

The top average prices on Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and bulk wine come from Washington's smallest AVA on Red Mountain. 

The Southwest facing slope in one of Washington's hottest regions sees up to 17 hours of sunlight a day during the peak of summer.

We have some excellent 2012 and 2013 bottle ready Cabernet Sauvignon at below market prices.

Please contact us for details.

2014 Washington Reds at a Premium

The 2014 vintage in Washington was abundant, as were its two predecessors.  Sales of these wines from the 2012 -2014 vintage have been on a significant upswing, both in DTC, on premise, and off premise markets.

The 2015 vintage was the hottest seen in Washington State, and some vineyards suffered significant crop reductions due to extreme heat and dessication.  The lesser projected inventories on 2015 wines are putting the 2014 reds at a premium.  Interest in these 2014s is already at a high level, even before the completion of harvest in some areas.

If you are looking at enhancing your position on 2014 reds or starting a Washington sku in your portfolio, timing is of the essence

Cab is King

From shelf space to wine lists, it is no secret that Cab is King in the American Wine Industry.  The highest average price per bottle and revenue generators for the preponderance of US brands are resulting from sales of King Cabernet.

We have excellent 2013 and 2014 Cabernet Sauvignons from 2 excellent consecutive vintages in Washington.

Some vineyards in Washington suffered reduced yields due to heat, dessication, and water stresses in 2015, creating a greater need for Cabs from the two previous vintages.

Please contact us to discuss your options in Cabernet Sauvignon for the upcoming winter bottling season.

World Class Sparkling Wine Base

There are precious few eponymous sparkling wine programs in North America. 

The Incredible Bulk Wine Company has an ongoing source for top quality sparkling base wine upon which to build a world class sparkling program. 

This producer expects exponential growth of this sparkling base in future years, giving their buyer clients room to grow with their own sales projections.

Please contact us for more information on this Incredible opportunity.

White Wine Opportunities for Entrepreneurs

The quality to price ratio in aromatic whites from Washington and Oregon are off the charts at the moment.

Aromatic whites from Oregon are available in the $5-12 range. 

Riesling, Pinot Gris, and Chardonnay are available in abundance from high quality vineyards in Washington between $3-12/gallon.

The ability to produce wines for under $30/case and sell in the market for $80-90 creates a great opportunity for any entrepreneur with the capability of selling wine in the marketplace.

Reduced Yields in California Lead To Opportunities in Oregon Pinot

On the heels of 3 large vintages in California, 2015 volumes were down 20-30% in some areas.  Pinot Noir continues to be one of the lead-selling red varietals in the domestic wine market.

Oregon had a bumper crop with spectacular quality in 2015.  We have nearly 200,000 gallons of 2015 bulk Willamette Valley Pinot Noir with prices ranging between $15-25/gallon.

Please contact us for details.

Niche Varietals Increasing in Demand

Malbec, Zinfandel, and Petit Verdot are not varietals synonymous with stand alone bottlings in mass quantity in many Pacific Northwest wine programs. 

However, we have sales and interest in each of these varietals from buyers within the region and without.

The past 3 vintages in Washington have been some of the warmest on record and quality producers have these wines available in bulk to a point of quality where the wines could be bottled as stand alone wines or greatly enhance an existing blend.  They lend spice, weight, depth, and aromatics that lead wine consumers back to their glass for a closer investigation

Bulk Wine Market Remains Strong in Spite of Fast Approaching Harvest

Interest in Oregon Pinot Noir, Washington Bordeaux varieties, Washington Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay remain strong.  

Record heat has pushed harvest as near as 3 weeks from today, perhaps sooner for Sauvignon Blanc in warmer sites in Washington.

There are many positive indications that wine sales among wineries across the United States continue to increase for producers with strong sales acumen.

We have built a network into 15 different states and 2 foreign countries, and continue to seek new buyers for our selling clients.

Interest heating up around Oregon 2014 Pinot Noir

Interest in 2014 Willamette Valley and Oregon Pinot Noir has been escalating in the last two weeks.

Buyers with interest in California, Texas, Washington, and Virginia have contacted us recently with interest in Oregon Pinot between 1,000 and 5,000 gallons in price ranges from $16-22/gallon.

We are working to find suitable matches for all of these buyers before the onset of the early 2015 harvest, expected to start as early as the first week of September

Bulk Market Staying Strong

Activity on this year's bulk market remains strong, despite a fast approaching harvest.

We have bulk wine moving within Washington, as well as to Idaho, Colorado, Texas, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Canada.

Thousands of gallons continue to move out each week, which appears to indicate wine sales progressing well in many different parts of North America.

Production Contracts a Service on the Horizon

As we continue to develop networks out of the region, a new opportunity has risen with that of production contracts on tanker volumes and beyond.

For press and go, or press-ferment- and go, there seem to be great opportunities in freeze affected Eastern and Midwestern states to entertain these ideas.

The last two years have decimated vineyard capacities in the Eastern US, and created a venue for Northwestern wineries, producing higher quality QPR wines than California based competitors.

We will continue to aggressively work this marketplace through and into harvest.

Popularity of Rhone Red Wines

Winemakers bemoan the fact that they love to make Rhone wines, but they are difficult to sell to the public.  Rhone wines from Washington make up some of the highest scoring, most popular wines in the area.  Unfortunately, the wine consuming public hasn't caught up to the fact that a Syrah can be as compelling as any Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir.

This creates an opportunity for winemakers looking to soften, richen, or broaden their wines aromatically or in terms of mouthfeel.  Rhone wines add depth and volume to red blends, and can even be used supplimentarily in Cab blends or in red blends.  

Our greatest number of sample requests this month have come from winemakers looking for Rhone wines to complete and soften red blends.

Grenache, Merlot, Riesling, Very Popular

Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay tend to be the varietals most commonly clamored for and sold by wineries across the United States.

However, we have had a call recently for varietals that fly under the radar in terms of national sales exposure.

The quality to price ratio in Riesling from Washington and Oregon is through the roof.  In container loads, Riesling has been sold this year as low as $4/gallon, and sold in wines that retail between $10 and $15/bottle ($0.80/bottle wine cost).  This is a runaway moneymaker for talented wine sellers

Red blends retailing between $15 and $22/bottle are finding high quality values in Washington Merlot and Rhone blenders (between $12 and $18/gallon).  

With the right label, and in the hands of the right marketer, there are entrepreneurial opportunities abound in the Pacific Northwest wine market.

Bulk Wine Sales Remain Active

In 2014, bulk wine sales slowed to a stand still in early June.  This year however, bulk sales remain active.  

We received new requests for Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, Columbia Valley Pinot Gris, Washington Cabernet, Washington Chardonnay, and Washington Muscat.

We also made sales this week on Walla Walla Syrah, Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon and Ancient Lakes Pinot Gris.

We have increased marketing efforts and continue to pursue new clients and markets.

Incredible Bulk Wine Company

Life is full of important lessons, and every cloud has a silver lining.

Due to trademark issues, we have renamed our company, and we like the new name even better than the last one!  

Incredible Bulk Wine Company will continue to provide you the best in bulk wines from the Pacific Northwest, and we look forward to maintaining and improving upon our established relationships, as well as forging new ones.

Thank you all for your continued support and patronage.

2013s and 2014s are in a rush to the (bulk) market

Red wine sales of 2013 and 2014 bulk wines are at an all time high from our experience in the bulk wine market.  We had large sales in 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2013 Malbec, Merlot, and BDX style red blends this week. 

We also saw a good deal of movement on 2014 Riesling and 2013 Pinot Gris for our market in Texas.  The need in Texas for quality Pacific Northwest bulk wine is large, and we are just scratching the surface with the potential of this market.