Gård Vintners Columbia Valley Freyja White Wine Case
$99.99 $̶2̶0̶5̶.̶0̶0̶ 51% off List Price
2010 Freyja White Wine, Columbia Valley
CT link above
Im pretty new to wine woot and I just want to say thank you to all you commenters! I am opening a beer/wine bar and I have an idea I am going to try. I am going to have a room with various wines to choose from. You pay a certain price point (depends on inventory but probably about $25-30). You will then get a certain amount of time (Im thinking about 2 - 5 mins) to choose any bottle you like. If you know your wine you will be able to find some great deals. Im stating this because over the past few weeks, I have read almost all of your comments and they have been the sole deciding factor on whether I purchase the deal of the day or not. Once again THANK YOU for all your input and notes on the wines. I have copied a few of them for descriptions of the wines that will be purchased by my customers. Having said that, would you recommend todays deal?
Welcome. Looks like people went to bed early tonight. Be sure to check back later in the day for some more comments.
Yeah most of my purchases are made the next day when everyone have given their opinion. I owe you a big Thank You. You give some great information about a lot of wine (not saying you are an alcoholic). Very informative.
My apologies for sounding rude, but I’ve been an entrepreneur too long to be sparing on my advice about startups. The idea, at least as I read it, sounds terrible. I only say this as I’m probably the demo you’re aiming for and I can’t think of a reason why I’d pay $25-30 for a bottle of $15 wine to drink in a wine bar. Not to mention the pressure of having to decide quickly. And if you’re providing the occasional $50 bottle for the “great deal”, you’d have to offset the cost with $5 offerings. That would make it even riskier for the customer and set them up for having an unpleasant experience.
Sure, I’d buy the $15 bottle for $25 at a restaurant if I were sharing the bottle with friends, and be drinking over a period of time with a meal. But as I understand your business model, everyone would have to pay the “cover charge”. Alternatively, I’d pay $25-30 for four glasses of wine at a wine bar, because I like variety. But for a single bottle, forget it. Hopefully, you’ve conducted your market research thoroughly and have ample evidence to support your biz model. After all, unsolicited advice is usually worth what you paid for it. 
Best of luck to you.
We bought a case of this last year - 2009 vintage, so not the exact same. Overall, it was decent, but nothing spectacular.
Looking through my private notes in CT it appears this paired pretty well with Asian dishes. We had it with potstickers, soft rolls, Pad Thai, and pan-roasted chicken in sherry sauce… and all those combinations got positive marks.
Don’t know that I’d go in blind on a whole case but it might be a perfect offer to split with a friend (or two!) if you’re at all interested.
For those who will be looking, this appears to be:
78% Roussanne
17% Riesling
5% Viognier
12.5g/L residual sugar
8.1g/L titratable acid
pH: 3.3
13.9% alcohol
And with that said, it sounds interesting and, according to Riesling (only) profiles, this would be on the medium-sweet end - however, I’ve seen plenty-a-rousanne in the 1.2% RS range characterized as off-dry. This may be on the cusp of my sweetness level.
Anyone had a chance to try this?
Also keep in mind that this blend is quite different than the 2009, which was:
Blend:
49% Roussanne,
42% Riesling,
9% Pinot Gris
Alcohol: 13.5%
Production: 200 cases
I really enjoyed the 09 but am sad to see less riesling in this blend. There was some extensive discussion about this wine in the plus deal a few weeks ago. They now have a new winemaker since the 2009 vintage and this blend is changing significantly. I believe it was mentioned that the 2011 was almost all Viognier. If this was closer in blend to the 2009, I would be in for a case without a second guess, but will probably pass on this.
[QUOTE=North316, post:9, topic:383354]
Also keep in mind that this blend is quite different than the 2009, which was:
Blend:
49% Roussanne,
42% Riesling,
9% Pinot Gris
Alcohol: 13.5%
Production: 200 cases
I really enjoyed the 09 but am sad to see less riesling in this blend. There was some extensive discussion about this wine in the plus deal a few weeks ago. They now have a new winemaker since the 2009 vintage and this blend is changing significantly. I believe it was mentioned that the 2011 was almost all Viognier. If this was closer in blend to the 2009, I would be in for a case without a second guess, but will probably pass on this.
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Yes, I’m not finding much(anything?) about the 2010. Wine Enthusiast gives the 2011 87 pts, while Cellar Tracker gives the 2009 82 pts. Given the difference in blend for all three years, I can’t find a way to remotely guess whether I’d like this one or not. No case for me.
I think its a great idea, actually. Or I should say an idea you could definitely make work. The idea is only a small part of a successful business. I agree that some of the points nfurlong makes, but these are things that you can get around. For example I agree it would be silly if you made everyone that came in the door get a bottle and pay the $25, simply because that would mean if 4 people come in they would be sitting there with four bottles of wine and they probably only wanted two. However, you could easily just allow people to specify how many they want (so not like a cover charge). I think your plan, in order to be successful, needs some type of food. All in all, you can definitely make it work.
If only this had been offered 10+ days ago, it would have arrived in time for the Wooster gathering. I would definitely be interested in splitting (especially 3 ways) but unless WD can send this to Ohio with Scott Harvey, guess I am also out. Even if my cellar wasn’t overflowing with wine I don’t drink enough of it to buy it by the case unless it’s something I’ve already tried.
[QUOTE=nfurlong, post:6, topic:383354]
My apologies for sounding rude, but I’ve been an entrepreneur too long to be sparing on my advice about startups. The idea, at least as I read it, sounds terrible…
Sure, I’d buy the $15 bottle for $25 at a restaurant if I were sharing the bottle with friends, and be drinking over a period of time with a meal. But as I understand your business model, everyone would have to pay the “cover charge”…After all, unsolicited advice is usually worth what you paid for it. 
Best of luck to you.
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I appreciate your input. In general, I prefer to know what Im doing wrong rather than what Im doing right. As a fellow entrepreneur you know every market is different. In the town I live in (central florida) people pay $23+ for a bottle of Beringer White Zinfandel (in the store its about $8). There are few places in this town to actually get a variety of wine. As a former (I guess technically still current) bartender, I have seen countless people pick wines based solely on the name (it sounds cool), label or simply because it was the closest to them.
I want to believe replying to this will somehow lead to more knowledge but lets be real, its just words that are justifying what Im gonna do regardless of any advice. lol
(going back into the shadows of the wine woot message board where I will study all your notes like a borderline creeper)
Sorry one last point on the “idea”, This isnt you pay $25 to get in the bar. This is something if you are filling adventurous and want to try something new with friends. There will still be a wine menu where you pay the typical market value for wine by the bottle and by the glass. Just think of the “idea” as an addition to the bar. Something to break up the monotony of typical bars.
I went in on this, but would prefer to split the order. Anyone interested let me know. Seattle area.
[QUOTE=jackiecanev2, post:8, topic:383354]
For those who will be looking, this appears to be:
78% Roussanne
17% Riesling
5% Viognier
12.5g/L residual sugar
8.1g/L titratable acid
pH: 3.3
13.9% alcohol
And with that said, it sounds interesting and, according to Riesling (only) profiles, this would be on the medium-sweet end - however, I’ve seen plenty-a-rousanne in the 1.2% RS range characterized as off-dry. This may be on the cusp of my sweetness level.
Anyone had a chance to try this?
[/quote]
Hi folks - thanks for your interest in our 2010 Freyja. Yes, there is a detectable sweetness to this wine, but it’s not overly sweet and balances nicely with higher acid levels. See our spec sheet at http://www.gardvintners.com/2010_Freyja.pdf. This is a very food-friendly wine and will make for a nice summer sipper.
I’ll split it with ya, I’m in Seattle.
This winery shipped to Maryland a few weeks back. Perhaps the wineries license expired in the interim, but why isn’t it shipping to Maryland this time?
I’m so on the fence with this one…I’m in desperate need of summer whites, but the info/input on this offer seems to be sorely lacking…bring back the Rats!
Yes, sorry - we are currently unable to ship to Maryland. My apologies!