The Bar Towel

Torontoblue wrote:

SteelbackGuy wrote:

Torontoblue wrote: If the Board didn't have such a huge mark up then we would have great $5-8$ bottles of Spanish, Italian, Chilean, Argentinian red. The bottles that cost just a little over $10 could easily be sold for less if it wasn't for the huge profit margins involved.

Not trying to sound like an ass , but we do have several wines from Italy, Chile, Argentina, Spain that are all under $10.00, lots around $8.00.

Heck, that new Argentina Fuzion wine is creating quite a buzz. 70% shiraz, 30% malbec (maybe the other way around) and is getting praise from wine writers country wide. And it is $7.45.

Len, I see the mark up everyday on wines, and once an agent has to put their own mark up on a wine, you're looking at at least a 90% mark up on the original quoted price per case!!!

Ok. Then we need to start asking the agents some questions. A 90% increase is lunacy.

And getting back to what I was saying earlier, there ARE decent wines available at a good price. Maybe not a lot of them. But they are available.

SteelbackGuy wrote:

Torontoblue wrote:

SteelbackGuy wrote:
Not trying to sound like an ass , but we do have several wines from Italy, Chile, Argentina, Spain that are all under $10.00, lots around $8.00.

Heck, that new Argentina Fuzion wine is creating quite a buzz. 70% shiraz, 30% malbec (maybe the other way around) and is getting praise from wine writers country wide. And it is $7.45.

Len, I see the mark up everyday on wines, and once an agent has to put their own mark up on a wine, you're looking at at least a 90% mark up on the original quoted price per case!!!

Ok. Then we need to start asking the agents some questions. A 90% increase is lunacy.

And getting back to what I was saying earlier, there ARE decent wines available at a good price. Maybe not a lot of them. But they are available.

You misread me. The Agents don't increase the margin by 90%. The LCBO make approx. 66.67% mark up on wines, then anything on top of that is made by the agency, and anything less than 25% mark up by an agent is going to ruin them. Why should the board have such a huge markup in the 1st place?

Last night I finally got round to trying the Grand River Town Hall Lager and it was fantastic. Really full on malt profile that underlines the quality of the ingredients, and a decent bitterness throughout. I got lots of biscuit flavour from it and maybe some toffee too. Big thanks to Derek for the bottle - I was retiscent ordering it on draft, but no more!

I followed this up with a beer called Great White from the Lost Coast Brewery that a guy in Alberta sent me in a trade. It was an inoffensive brew and had some nice muted coriander notes, but after the Grand River it was a bit of a letdown. Nice to see the local beer give the American one a sound whupping.

Tonight is Cask Days, so I'm looking forward to trying some of the one-offs, especially the sweet potato nutbrown, the blackforest stout and the milds. I was excited to see DDC coming, but then realised that I had tried every single one of the beers they are bring at their pub about 3 weeks ago. Péché aside I think the best of the top-notch bunch is the Penombre, which I found similar to a Kostriitzer - Corne du Diable mix.

Torontoblue wrote:

SteelbackGuy wrote:
Not trying to sound like an ass , but we do have several wines from Italy, Chile, Argentina, Spain that are all under $10.00, lots around $8.00.

Heck, that new Argentina Fuzion wine is creating quite a buzz. 70% shiraz, 30% malbec (maybe the other way around) and is getting praise from wine writers country wide. And it is $7.45.

...The Agents don't increase the margin by 90%. The LCBO make approx. 66.67% mark up on wines, then anything on top of that is made by the agency, and anything less than 25% mark up by an agent is going to ruin them. Why should the board have such a huge markup in the 1st place?

The Fuzion may be worth a try,
"A fruity, but not too sweet, workmanlike table wine. Excellent value for money."
"Workmanlike" translates to 'would sell for a buck or two at Trader Joe's' in the USA so it may still be overpriced plonk. I'd LOVE to see a 'top ten cheap reds' list that wasn't full of pathetic disappointments.

I still say quality generally takes a back-seat to the WAY the LCBO does business (blithely based on policies of mass-buying, lousy business tact and aggressive mark-ups) -- and as a result we here are usually getting raped financially for inferior wines.

SB I don't think of sub-$10.00 Italian cheapies Citra and Farnese as 'wines' so much as miserable compromises - they are still way "over-margined" cost-wise for the extremely marginal stuff they are. IME one can get a wine five times as good in Germany for less than half or third the cost. So, the Ontario consumer loses out in some way nearly every time he gambles on a bottle, whatever the cost.

I just don't like that the average-consumer product quality level is SO diminished by the LC's out-of-whack desire for fast easy profits - it's not right to destroy the entire heritage and value of wine just to apply 'sin taxes.'

Belgian wrote: IME one can get a wine five times as good in Germany for less than half or third the cost. So, the Ontario consumer loses out in some way nearly every time he gambles on a bottle, whatever the cost.

One bottle I picked up in Germany for something like 12 euros was $50 here.

The best value is direct from the winery. Look for the pricier stuff without VQA on it (usually smaller batches they only sell on premise). "Taste the season" is a great opportunity to try plenty of stuff. Just make sure you pay for some better samples...

http://www.wineriesofniagaraonthelake.c ... eason.html

Back on-topic, LOL...

Had some of the 2006 Chimay Bleue, and it is mellowing VERY nicely... this kind of beer tastes even better as the evenings get cold. Very spicy with nice deep, round fruit flavors... worth having 2-3 of those chalices handy too.

Belgian wrote:Back on-topic, LOL...

Had some of the 2006 Chimay Bleue, and it is mellowing VERY nicely... this kind of beer tastes even better as the evenings get cold. Very spicy with nice deep, round fruit flavors... worth having 2-3 of those chalices handy too.

Yes, Beautiful! I have a few of the 2006 Chimay Blue Magnums left I bought from Peter. Looking forward to opening one up soon.

Currently enjoying a 2004 Orval, another beer that ages very well.

I have a few $10 wines on the LCBO General List. Our price to the LCBO is about $40.00 per case of 12 and I get $4.00 of that. There is another $4.00 or so per case in freight which the LCBO pays and, of course there are federal duties and excise (not very much) and the GST which are all part of the price...you can do the math.

The Post Road Pumpkin Ale is very nice, and I'm impressed by the hops I'm getting in this bottle. Very nice . Classy-looking label as well.

I started the night with some ST IPA, now that I have been drinkign straight time for a while, my requirements drop a notch to the point where I will drink gas if it gets me ripped.

A friend brought me up a six pack of Bells Two Hearted Ale from the states this weekend and I'm having one with lunch right now. Going to do a side-by-side tasting with DFH 60 and Southern Tier when I get more time. Delicious.

esprit wrote:I have a few $10 wines on the LCBO General List. Our price to the LCBO is about $40.00 per case of 12 and I get $4.00 of that. There is another $4.00 or so per case in freight which the LCBO pays and, of course there are federal duties and excise (not very much) and the GST which are all part of the price...you can do the math.

80.00 a case and you make four bucks. Wow!

I believe if ten-dollar wines were not obscenely marked up and taxed, they could then be more DRINKABLE ten-dollar wines... which means importers and producers would make MORE money on wine because more people would be attracted to wine and perhaps enjoy it more often - all adding to the tax revenue flow etc.

I also want to say that BROOKLYN LAGER is the best-tasting India Pale Lager I've ever had for ten bucks.
It 's obviously a touch crisper and less fruity than a pale ale, but still it has plenty of sass & body. A great beer!

Plus the KONINGSHOEVEN TRIPEL - wow. That is a beer to reckon with, especially if you are sipping it slowly. I await the Quadrupel, but this Tripel is very fine stuff for a quite reasonable cost. Definitely NOT Westmalle!!!

From my quick pitstop in Montreal;

L'Achimiste IPA & Escosse
Dieu du Ciel Peche Mortel & Corne de Diable
Harveiston's Bitter & Twisted
Fuller's ESB

Didn't have time to make it downtown to the brewpubs, only had 2 evenings there so mostly had the above bottles and a quick shopping trip to Le Gobelet. I was hoping to find Solstice D'Hiver there but they didn't have any. Still a great, quick trip.

Pyramid Imperial Hefeweizen and now Bieropoholie Vin D'Orge. I'll have one more before turning in. Perhaps the Vache Folle milk stout. Ah... I remember the hayday of mad cow and foot and mouth in the UK. That delightful smell of barbecue and the pyres of burning carcasses whizzing by your train window.

Both the beers I've had so far are quite unique. I'm getting lots of bubblegum out of the Bieropholie, and the Pyramid was far more bitter than any hefe I've come across.