Traditionally, bulk-buying anything usually indicates (or, in the mind of many, appears to indicate) items of low-quality or end-of-line batches of products. For this reason, there are wine connoisseurs who turn their nose up at the idea of package wine deals, believing that it indicates that the wine available is low-quality. This is, however, completely incorrect.
Major buyers and retailers have asserted that this is, instead, the fastest growing section of the wine industry, due to the numerous wide-ranging benefits that such an approach can offer to buyers.
So, what exactly are these benefits, and how can buyers, retailers, restauranteurs, and sommeliers take advantage of them?
Power to the People
Ecommerce wine sellers, Underground Cellar, posit that one of the main benefits of package wine deals – also referred to as bulk buying – is that this rapidly expanding way of marketing wines puts the power back into the hands of the consumer.
Previously, retailers and consumers alike would be offered the opportunity to witness the production of wine at the vineyards of various distributors, with the proviso being that they would be expected to purchase from the brand; bulk wine selling has revealed the inner workings of the wine industry without such commitments and stipulations, allowing major wine buyers to connect with producers and importers without the middle-man.
Essentially, this entails the cocreation of wines that are blended and created with the retailer’s needs and desires in mind, preventing buyers from feeling beholden to particular brands selling their wares.
Transparency and Trust
Whilst you could argue that being invited to the production units of various brands of wine allows the opportunity to peek behind the veil of mystery in the wine world, and thus representing a form of transparency, the rarity of this occasion – and the obligation to buy that accompanies it – belies that assertion.
With bulk buying and package wine deals, the proof is in the proverbial pudding: each stage of the production process and supply chain is explicitly available for buyers and retailers to view for themselves, including the cost of each stage. This prevents buyers from being overcharged for their purchases when procuring wine from certain, well-known brands.
It makes sense, then, that large retailers and buyers are increasingly choosing to stock and create wines that they have complete control over – from blending and bottling at the winery to the shipping and stocking in stores and restaurants.
The Rise of Private Labels
Recent years have witnessed a rise in demand for items that are free of the grasping hands and greed of large corporations, with a much larger proportion of the public instead supporting smaller, independent businesses with clearer ethics and pricing.
With the transparency afforded by package wine deals and bulkbuying for wine retailers and stockists, there has been an absolute boom in the private label sector of the wine industry. Akin to purchasing a made-to-measure item of clothing in essence, private label wine-making consists of the micro-management of the entire production process, where each element of the wine can be hand-picked.
Via private label production – which is becoming increasingly common in many stores – the wants and needs of certain retailers’ and restaurants’ consumers are uniquely catered to, creating a loyal following.
Whatever your prior qualms with the notion of purchasing package-deal wines may be, it’s impossible to argue against the overwhelming benefits that this rapidly growing sector is offering to retailers and consumers, revitalizing traditional business models and drawing back the veil of a secretive industry.
