More Secrets to Playing the Wine Auction Game
The United States only has commercial wine auctions in Illinois and California with New York attempting to get bills passed so that they can join the wine auction arena. As of yet, however, New York has seen little success. As a result, people come from all over, converging on Chicago to get in on the best bargains. In Britain, wine auctions are also quite popular and are held throughout the country during the fall and winter months. There are also retail wine chains that have flourished. In addition, one change has even expanded and bought up a wine retailer on the American West Coast.
Wine auctions are considered by the British wine trade as being a way of sparking interest in wines and looks to it to increase sales for everyone. In Australia, wine auctions are plentiful especially online wine sales and auctions. There are a number of online wine communities devoted to sharing tasting notes and critiques about various wines they have encountered. Biggest amongst those communities is Auswine Discussion Forum, where you can search critiques and get advice on various wines from the comfort of your own living room. From your armchair, you can enjoy the benefits of buying fine wines at an online wine sale or auction.
Wine Auction Bidding and Tasting Tips
Setting out into the virtual or real world of wine auctions should be handled about the same. Do your research and figure out what you are willing to pay for the wines you are looking to bid on in the auction. It is a good idea to get maximum and minimum prices paid for a comparable bottle of wine prior to the commencement of the wine auction. That way you will have a good idea of what should be charged for the wines. Try to attend a pre-auction tasting session so that you can get the wine you like. Sometimes there will also be end of line mixed cases available at hugely discounted prices that you will want to keep an eye out for. The trade bidders are not that interested in those, so there will be bargains galore.
Another idea that is very good includes attending a wine warehouse tasting to see what brands are out there. Then you will gain a better appreciation for what you are bidding for instead of simply taking a wine at label value. You can also form a collective of your colleagues and friends to buy in groups further reducing your per bottle costs and increase the variety you can purchase.
My preference is to do the online auctions on a paper basis first to get acquainted with the procedure. Just write down your bid for your preferred lots, write down the final selling price, and judge your own effort. Do not bid until you are confident. If you are going to a tasting, please ensure you get someone else to do the driving!
Wine auctions are not the socially limiting situations that most people perceive; instead, they are fun places to go where bargains await the person who has done adequate research. A well-known international auction house representative recently commented, “I think online wine auctions are still in their infancy.” If that is the case, online wine sales and wine auctions are a great opportunity not to be missed by wine lovers everywhere. Do some research and then jump right in!
