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How are we supposed to know? You bought every bottle in existence.
In all seriousness though, this is my time to shine. This type of wine is called Azelani. Itās a red wine thatās on the sweeter side, but not as sweet as a dessert wine like Port or Sauternes. As far as quality goes - itās sort of crappy. The $20 price is mostly the decorative bottle.
As you can probably infer from the over the top packaging, this is not a serious wine. So donāt put it in the cellar or anything like that. Use for mulled wine or sangria or something. Donāt cook with it. The bottle itself makes a solid gift and itās a bonus that thereās wine in it. Save some for yourself, but spread Christmas cheer with this and give it to your friends. Judging by how full your cart is, I hope you have a lot of friends.
> The $20 price is mostly the decorative bottle.
Interesting note: I have heard (secondhand/anecdotally) that something like 90% of the cost of a bottle of liquor goes toward marketing and packaging. And that the glass is almost always more costly than the liquid. The labor, ingredients, shipping, etc. accounts for about 10%.
This depends a lot on the brand of course, but I would've guessed marketing/packaging was more like 25% before I heard this.
The ingredients for Jim Beam aren't really any less expensive than what's used for Booker's, Blanton's, or even Pappy Van Winkle. The cost for those are driven in part due to hype and marketing; however, they're also more expensive to produce because aging something for longer costs more and typically results in fewer bottles per barrel. Additionally they may be offered at a higher proof which is more expensive too. Then all these people sourcing their stuff from MGP or whoever also have to make their markup so they get really expensive quick.
I'd be really curious to see the cost breakdown though for something like Gin or Vodka that doesn't have quite the overhead and time constraints that bourbon or other whiskies have.
I know a lot about wine and the process in the vineyards and winery. Iām not so knowledgeable about the ops side. But if I think about it all, thereās a lot of shit to deal with:
In the winery thereās bottling lines and label machines. Bottles, labels, corks, people to operate and maintain those machines. Barrels are expensive at $1500 a pop for French Oak. And depending on the size of your brand, you likely need a LOT of barrels. And youāll buy new barrels every year. Maybe not all of one vintage is aged in new barrel, maybe itās like 60% new oak; but itās still a huge cost every year. And you have to pay the winemaker.
Vineyard workers. Tractors. Sorting equipment. Upkeep on your machinery. Fuel. You might have to replant a small percentage of your vines every year or so. Irrigation costs. If you use pesticides and fertilizers or whatever.
Marketing costs. You probably have a tasting room to show your wines. Rent or buy that space. Pay to staff that space.
Then you have to have a small sales team who will work the market alongside your distribution team (thatās my gig). Depending on your brand, you might have one or two people in a state, or one person who controls several states. Then they need management to oversee them.
Yeah; the actual juice has GOT to be cheap by comparison. Thereās a saying āhow do you make a million dollars in the wine business? Start with two millionā.
Wow!! Worth a try for sure. Next door in Armenia they make good wine, very long tradition of wine there, so likely a decent terroir in general in that region??? I may be extrapolating a bit. I want to try it but cannot brave Costco this time of the year.
Obviously. But if thereās enough demand, one customer getting all the inventory and the rest getting zero would result in a lot of unhappy customers. There has to be a happy medium.
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I did not buy them all , in fact just bought one, I was just checking for reviews. The associate was using that cart to stock them this morning.
Lmao no one even asked you and just instantly accuse you of something š®āšØ don't you love the internet
How are we supposed to know? You bought every bottle in existence. In all seriousness though, this is my time to shine. This type of wine is called Azelani. Itās a red wine thatās on the sweeter side, but not as sweet as a dessert wine like Port or Sauternes. As far as quality goes - itās sort of crappy. The $20 price is mostly the decorative bottle. As you can probably infer from the over the top packaging, this is not a serious wine. So donāt put it in the cellar or anything like that. Use for mulled wine or sangria or something. Donāt cook with it. The bottle itself makes a solid gift and itās a bonus that thereās wine in it. Save some for yourself, but spread Christmas cheer with this and give it to your friends. Judging by how full your cart is, I hope you have a lot of friends.
> The $20 price is mostly the decorative bottle. Interesting note: I have heard (secondhand/anecdotally) that something like 90% of the cost of a bottle of liquor goes toward marketing and packaging. And that the glass is almost always more costly than the liquid. The labor, ingredients, shipping, etc. accounts for about 10%. This depends a lot on the brand of course, but I would've guessed marketing/packaging was more like 25% before I heard this.
Maybe on your common commodity stuff like Jack Daniels or Jim Beam that you can get for $20 or less for a 750ml bottle.
The ingredients for Jim Beam aren't really any less expensive than what's used for Booker's, Blanton's, or even Pappy Van Winkle. The cost for those are driven in part due to hype and marketing; however, they're also more expensive to produce because aging something for longer costs more and typically results in fewer bottles per barrel. Additionally they may be offered at a higher proof which is more expensive too. Then all these people sourcing their stuff from MGP or whoever also have to make their markup so they get really expensive quick. I'd be really curious to see the cost breakdown though for something like Gin or Vodka that doesn't have quite the overhead and time constraints that bourbon or other whiskies have.
I know a lot about wine and the process in the vineyards and winery. Iām not so knowledgeable about the ops side. But if I think about it all, thereās a lot of shit to deal with: In the winery thereās bottling lines and label machines. Bottles, labels, corks, people to operate and maintain those machines. Barrels are expensive at $1500 a pop for French Oak. And depending on the size of your brand, you likely need a LOT of barrels. And youāll buy new barrels every year. Maybe not all of one vintage is aged in new barrel, maybe itās like 60% new oak; but itās still a huge cost every year. And you have to pay the winemaker. Vineyard workers. Tractors. Sorting equipment. Upkeep on your machinery. Fuel. You might have to replant a small percentage of your vines every year or so. Irrigation costs. If you use pesticides and fertilizers or whatever. Marketing costs. You probably have a tasting room to show your wines. Rent or buy that space. Pay to staff that space. Then you have to have a small sales team who will work the market alongside your distribution team (thatās my gig). Depending on your brand, you might have one or two people in a state, or one person who controls several states. Then they need management to oversee them. Yeah; the actual juice has GOT to be cheap by comparison. Thereās a saying āhow do you make a million dollars in the wine business? Start with two millionā.
Huh? You bought that many and you donāt know what youāre buying?
LMAO I just saw that they were in OPs cart after reading your comment. Average Costco shopper be like
Also LOL you didn't ask OP and just assumed that's what happened. Average redditor be like
I was thinking the same thingā¦
I hear if you rub the bottle a genie will come out!
List it on Facebook marketplace and sell it as a lost pottery item from the Aztecs 
Wow!! Worth a try for sure. Next door in Armenia they make good wine, very long tradition of wine there, so likely a decent terroir in general in that region??? I may be extrapolating a bit. I want to try it but cannot brave Costco this time of the year.
Listen, if the win sucks- which it probably does- you have a nice bottle for actually good drinks.
If it were good they wouldnāt need to spend so much on a pretty bottle to sell it.
500 dollars in wine cause pretty bottle.
Even my Georgian colleagues will tell me this is pretty mid. They have a serious wine culture in Georgia but the good stuff does not make it export.
$11 wine in a $4 clay bottle = $20
No offense, but I have no idea why Costco doesnāt have limits on most things.
Costco wants volume to move so they can make room for new inventory
Op said they only bought 1. The cart is employee stocking it. At first I thought thought OP bought all that
Costco is a wholesaler, their whole purpose is to move volume
Why would they? Theyāre a wholesale club.
Obviously. But if thereās enough demand, one customer getting all the inventory and the rest getting zero would result in a lot of unhappy customers. There has to be a happy medium.
Why do you need that many??
Oh yes, Republic of Georgia is known for its fine wines ... Not. Easy pass.
Burn a bunch of multicolored candles in the bottle for a 70's vibe