Port for sale by retailer

[LGTrotter]

What are Corkr fine wine like to deal with? Anyone know?

[djewesbury]

Why do you ask, is it a complex assignation that you seek to undertake, beyond the placing of 6 bottles in an online shopping cart and the production of a 16-digit code?

[LGTrotter]

Why do you ask, is it a complex assignation that you seek to undertake, beyond the placing of 6 bottles in an online shopping cart and the production of a 16-digit code?

The latter, rather pedestrian I'm afraid. I am aware that brokers vary; some get it together, others less so. Just wondered if anyone had dealings with them before casting my bread upon the waters.

[djewesbury]

Fraid not. At least I don't think so. Always get them confused with Uncorked who are the en primeur people.

[RAYC]

What are Corkr fine wine like to deal with? Anyone know?

I have had no problems when ordering from them. The owner (Alexander) has some connection with Fells / the Symingtons (and used to act as UK importer for them before Fells, or before selling Fells to them....or something like that) and may even have some sort of family relation - I can't remember the exact details....

Their wine-searcher quotes can sometimes be slightly misleading sometimes, in that for a lot of their ports they just replicate the latest Fells stocklist and so the bottles you see listed may / may not be actually available.

[flash_uk]

What are Corkr fine wine like to deal with? Anyone know?

I've bought a couple of cases from them. Alexander is very helpful. They operate a bit like F&R in that some stuff listed for sale is actually privately owned and they might therefore need a bit of time to communicate with the owner to verify if the owner wishes to proceed with a sale.

[idj123]

Agree with Mike-Alexander's a very nice chap-and if you're after a 9L bottle of D94 or W94 at an eye-watering price then Corkr would seem to have it!

[RAYC]

The Waitrose "buy 6, 25% off" sale has started which means that, amongst others, the Waitrose own-label 2011 VP (De La Rosa) is down to £22.50 per bottle all-in.

[idj123]

Saintsbury is also having a buy six and get 25% off and just as I thought it was becoming a little scarcer, my local seemed to have good stock of the D98 Crusted at £20 a pop. Not sure but believe that the offer may only run until tomorrow (Weds).

[DaveRL]

The good news is that Sainsbury's had a small stock of Graham Crusted 98 for sale yesterday, which I hoovered up (with the help of a stool - why do they shove the good stuff at the top, pushed right to the back - although perhaps this is why there was any left at all?)

The bad news is that today not only had they not replenished the shelves, they had a sold out notice in place.

Fingers crossed more appears before the Christmas Sales!

[DaveRL]

Tesco have joined in. 25% off deal. I see they are selling Sandeman Vau 2003 now. Just need to find that extra £15 off coupon they sent me some weeks ago....

[djewesbury]

Yeah I'm sure it's no coincidence that my money-off vouchers finished the week Sainsbury's brought back their own 25% deal. Nectar points + money off + discount would have equalled very cheap GC98.

[idj123]

AWC have the G1882 Ne oublie 'Vintage Port' at £3,750 per bottle In Bond-but better hurry as apparently they only have five bottles in stock

[DRT]

AWC have the G1882 Ne oublie 'Vintage Port' at £3,750 per bottle In Bond-but better hurry as apparently they only have five bottles in stock

i don't think they will have any stock. As far I recall this Port is being bottled and exported when it is sold. The "stock" is still in a barrel in VNG and is still owned by SFE.

[Glenn E.]

AWC have the G1882 Ne oublie 'Vintage Port' at £3,750 per bottle In Bond-but better hurry as apparently they only have five bottles in stock

i don't think they will have any stock. As far I recall this Port is being bottled and exported when it is sold. The "stock" is still in a barrel in VNG and is still owned by SFE.

I believe you are correct. However, it is entirely possible that AWC has purchased 5 bottles from SFE and has them in stock to sell to the public.

[DRT]

AWC have the G1882 Ne oublie 'Vintage Port' at £3,750 per bottle In Bond-but better hurry as apparently they only have five bottles in stock

i don't think they will have any stock. As far I recall this Port is being bottled and exported when it is sold. The "stock" is still in a barrel in VNG and is still owned by SFE.

I believe you are correct. However, it is entirely possible that AWC has purchased 5 bottles from SFE and has them in stock to sell to the public.

It is possible, but from the conversations I have had with SFE it is highly unlikely as the strategy was specifically intended to avoid having unsold bottles in the market.

[LGTrotter]

AWC have the G1882 Ne oublie 'Vintage Port' at £3,750 per bottle In Bond-but better hurry as apparently they only have five bottles in stock

I have fought the desire to rant but I can hold out no longer. I cannot imagine a set of circumstances where I would pay four grand for a bottle of port. If in some curious twist of fate I was gifted Gazprom and Disney in the same afternoon I still would never buy it. It bewilders me that anybody who had the wit of a woodlouse would think it a good thing to own. Please note I said own, not drink. They will never get drunk, Graham might just as well have emptied the barrel in the river for all the use that will be made of it. That very short verse from the bible belongs here.

[DRT]

Graham might just as well have emptied the barrel in the river for all the use that will be made of it.

There was a time when I would have agreed with that, but it seems there are enough extremely rich people in the world who are prepared to open things like this to impress their dinner guests or business associates to make it a worthwhile venture for the producers.

Also, there are a few people here who have paid such sums and been generous enough to open their bottles in my company. Without exception, they have been significantly more intelligent than a woodlouse.

[djewesbury]

I agree with Owen (please, everyone, there's no need for that groaning, it's very unladylike). But it does taste quite amazing, by which I mean, genuinely unlike anything else. I think if I were gifted Gazprom and Disney I would buy one. But I wouldn't share it.

[DRT]

I agree with Owen (please, everyone, there's no need for that groaning, it's very unladylike). But it does taste quite amazing, by which I mean, genuinely unlike anything else. I think if I were gifted Gazprom and Disney I would buy one. But I wouldn't share it.

If I was gifted Gazprom and Disney I would buy twelve for me and one for each of you. I would then share most (probably all) of my twelve with people here.

[LGTrotter]

Graham might just as well have emptied the barrel in the river for all the use that will be made of it.

There was a time when I would have agreed with that, but it seems there are enough extremely rich people in the world who are prepared to open things like this to impress their dinner guests or business associates to make it a worthwhile venture for the producers.

Also, there are a few people here who have paid such sums and been generous enough to open their bottles in my company. Without exception, they have been significantly more intelligent than a woodlouse.

I should not dream of casting aspersions on the intelligence of your friends.

I think the point I am making is the same one Alex made recently about these things being trophies rather than drinks. I am no habitué of the super rich but I suppose that those fantastically priced Cognacs in special decanters are aimed at them too. There are other similarly packaged drinks from here and there. I can imagine them all lined up on their illuminated shelf bought with the main purpose of showing off.

I may of course be barking up the wrong tree.

[djewesbury]

Damn. I meant what Derek said. I'd buy you all loads, and share mine with you too. Obviously.

[DRT]

I may of course be barking up the wrong tree.

I don't think you are. I would not buy these things unless I had money to burn. Even then I would think at least twice. But the world has lots of super-rich people and businesses that can lose £4k in a rounding error on a night out.

[DRT]

Damn. I meant what Derek said. I'd buy you all loads, and share mine with you too. Obviously.

Obviously.

[jdaw1]

If in some curious twist of fate I was gifted Gazprom and Disney in the same afternoon

… then you would spend £1k/hr on helicopter travel visiting your far-flung possessions. After a year of that, you would very gladly exchange another four hours in a helicopter for four hours with a special bottle.

If in some curious twist of fate you were gifted Gazprom and Disney in the same afternoon, you wouldn’t yet be accustomed to being rich. A year of afternoons later, the world might look different to you.