Report from the Outback
Champagne sales down in Montana. Cowboys going back to whiskey, do you think?
Too bad we don’t have any commenters who work in Montana-based wine retailing. If we did, perhaps we could get some insight.
Champagne sales down in Montana. Cowboys going back to whiskey, do you think?
Too bad we don’t have any commenters who work in Montana-based wine retailing. If we did, perhaps we could get some insight.
December 31st, 2009 at 2:52 PM
Having opened our store in Red Lodge, Montana on November 4, 2008, I could tell you a couple things about this.
First, the distributors seem to be a bit more worried about the lack of movement in upper-end bubbly than any of the other retailers that I know. We have seen some great discounts coming down the line, some starting with the wineries themselves. J Cuvee 20 took a dramatic drop for around $32 retail to down around $20 retail. The Cristal discount mentioned in the article came from a one week sale from the distributor that cut the wholesale cost by about 25%.
Second, our bubbly sales are far better than last years, but mostly because of the fact that we were a new store and not well known last year. Our average price of bubbly sold so far this week is around $19, this includes our best selling Charles de Fere Brut and Segura Viudas Aria Brut, retailing for $11.99 and $9.99 respectively. To keep interest in the upper end Champagne I have replaced the better know Veuve Cliquot and Moet & Chandon with the lesser known but equally tasty Trouillard Brut and Roland Champion to great success. As of this morning we have all but sold out of our 1997 Pascal Doquet Blanc de Blancs and our Trouillard Blanc de Blancs magnums.
Even though this is considered a resort town, the vast majority of our customers so far are locals. Hopefully this gives you the insight into the local market (and perhaps the local palate) that you were looking for.
As for my friends and me, tonight we will be sharing the Perrier-Jouet Grand Brut and the Champagne Trouillard Brut Extra Selection, and we’ll be spilling some out for our homies.
January 1st, 2010 at 2:21 PM
I can almost hear the bling clanking. Happy New Year. We are headed your way on the 10th