WINE ISSUES: WINE AND BEVERAGE COOLER INDUSTRY REALITY

EdgeStar 26 Bottle Dual Zone Wine Refrigerator.Wine and beverage coolers are great appliances to have in the home.  They are especially designed to store your favorite vintages and other beverages at just the right temperatures and provide easy access when entertaining.  Since the first of the year, the manufacturers are making many changes that will affect your ability to find and purchase these appliances.

BACK ORDER REALITY

The wine cooler and beverage center manufacturers enjoyed record sales for the months of November and December last year.  Up to that time, the industry showed a great reluctance to maintain high stock levels of their products.  As a result, manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers were faced with many orders that they couldn’t fill.  Back orders of these products became the rule rather than the exception.  Demand exceeding expected levels and lack of stock caused many a customer frustration.  The back order situation is still an issue as we start 2012.

NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT 

The last couple of years, manufacturers generally did not expend a lot of money with new product development because of the general state of the economy.  For the last couple of years, the cooler models available for purchase remained a relative steady and unchanging list for customers to consider.  Since the first of the year, our business experienced an increase of discontinued models.  In our case, the discontinued models accounted for about 6 to 8 percent of our offered products.  Manufacturers at the same time began introducing new replacement wine cooler models, but the reality is they are still trying to catch up.

PRICE ESCALATION

Another customer reality is that prices on beverage and wine cooling appliances are increasing.  Pricing on many items have increased anywhere from 5 to 15 percent in the last 30 days.  Everyone will be paying more for these products as the year progresses.  Most manufactures now employ MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) pricing strategies for most of their best-selling top of the line models.  Customers will find it harder to find deals on the MAP priced products as everyone is required to advertise them at the same minimum price.  Retailers that violate MAP pricing directives can be suspended from offering these products in the future.  Pricing competition is obviously reduced as manufacturers and suppliers seek higher profits after a couple of tough years of declining business revenues.

THE FUTURE STATE 

I believe that the industry will use 2012 to settle into a situation where they will continue to develop new and innovative products to sell and get a better handle on demand so they can reduce the constant back order situation we are now in.  Of course, the state of our American economy and its ability to sustain consistent growth will ultimately define any industry outcome.

MY RECOMENDATIONS 

I do have some recommendations for you the consumer.  First, if you run into a situation of a back ordered product, don’t be reluctant to get on the list for the first restocked items.  Sometimes it is better to wait a bit rather than “miss the boat” on what you want.  Be sure and ask for price protection as newly stocked items might come with a price increase if you wait to purchase them later. Second, seek out a company where customer service is important.  Call the company and talk to a real human-being rather than a menu.  Companies that value you as a customer should make personal contact with you as your order moves forward.  Third, when purchasing the more expensive appliances, call the company sales people and ask for delivery capabilities and price breaks.  You will never know what is possible unless you ask.  Fourth, large companies don’t always have the best deals nor are they necessarily able to provide the best personalized customer services.  Some smaller retailers will be able to fill your needs just as well.  Lastly, when buying anything of significant price, do your research and perhaps go beyond page one of the search engine listing.

Ronald Senn, Vice-president, Ideal Wine Coolers, 1/24/2012

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Wine Types: Wine Bottle Sizes & Shapes

A client called me the other day inquiring about a wine cooler that could store Magnum bottles of wine.  I knew a Magnum bottle of wine held about twice what a standard 750 ml bottle held, but I did not know what the specific bottle dimensions were.  I needed a quick lesson on wine bottle sizes in order to respond to customer questions.  What I found out is wine bottle shapes and sizes can vary by region, state, country and even wine type.  Also, I came to realize that they are so many different bottle sizes that a single article about all of them would be impossible.  Subsequently, I decided to concentrate my research on a few of the basic standard size wine bottles.

WINE BOTTLE SIZES

Wine Bottle Sizes and ShapesMost wine will come in a standard 750 ml. bottle and in fact this size bottle is the basis for naming many of the other bottle sizes.  Wine cooler and chillers are typically sized to handle the standard 750 ml. bottle.  Some of the standard sized wine bottles that you are most likely to come across are: Split (1/4 bottle, 0.1875 liters ), Half (1/2 bottle, 0.375 liters), Bottle (full bottle; 0.750 liters), Magnum (2 bottles, 1.5  liters), Double Magnum (4 bottles; 3.0  liters), Jeroboam  ( 6 bottles, 4 ½ liters), Methuselah (8 bottles, 6.0 liters), Salmanazar (12 bottles; 12.0 liters), Balthazar (16 bottles; 12.0 liter), and Nebuchadnezzar (20 bottles; 15.0 l.).  It is interesting to note that many of the larger sized wine bottles were named after Biblical Kings and other figures.  The United States waited until 1979 to adopt the metric measurements for bottles of wine and use the 750 ml. standard bottle.

The Split size bottle stands about 7 ½ inches tall with a bottom diameter of about 2 ½ inches.  These wine bottles are often used for desert and sparkling wines and are small enough to drink in one serving as they lose their fizz rapidly after opening.   The most widely sold standard 750 ml. bottle stands about 11 ½ to 12 inches high and is typically 3 ½ inches in diameter at the base.  Magnum bottles stand about 14 inches tall and are around 4 inches in diameter.  Jeroboam bottles stand 19 ½ inches tall with a base diameter of about 5 inches.  The higher capacity bottles such as the Methuselah (22 inches tall) range upward in size to the Nebuchadnezzar that is 31 inches tall.  Imagine picking up a bottle that is over 31 inches tall and pouring its wine into your delicate glass stemware.

WINE BOTTLE SHAPES

Standard 750 ml. Wine Bottle DimensionsWine bottle shapes are as varied as their sizes.  Most wine producers opt for bottle shapes that are most appropriate for their wine.  For example, Chianti and some other Italian wines come in a round-bottomed bottle encased in a straw basket.  Champagne and other sparkling wines come in bottles that are thicker walled because of the excess internal pressures.  Wine producers often choose a wine bottle shape strictly for marketing purposes.  For that reason, a German Company uses a bottle shaped as a “house cat’” for a Riesling wine it produces.

WINE BOTTLE COLORS

There are several traditional colors that you will find being used in wine bottles.  Dark green bottles are typically used for red wines (Bordeaux, Burgundy and Rhone).  Mosel, Rhine and Alsace wines often use a lighter green or amber colored bottle.  Clear bottles seem to be the most popular for white wines in many countries.  Champagne is typically bottled in a dark to medium green color.  Some wine producers also use colors relating to their individual marketing strategies.

FUTURE WINE PACKAGING

The future of wine packaging is wide open.  Many producers are opting for cost reducing screw type caps instead of corks.  Because the weight of the bottle approximates about 40 percent of the total bottled wine weight, plastic bottles and tetra packs are being explored as a lighter alternative that is cheaper to handle and ship.  Packaging wine in lighter containers and exporting wine in bulk quantities then bottling it in smaller bottles closer to the point of consumption are all strategies being explored to improve wine sales and reduce shipping costs.  Perhaps, the cost of a good imported French wine will become more affordable in the future.

Author: Ronald Senn, Vice President, Ideal Wine Coolers

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Wine Storage Solutions: Avanti Wine Coolers & Beverage Centers

Avanti French Door Combination Wine and Beverage Can CoolerIdeal Wine Coolers is pleased to announce that a new product line has been added to our on line store.  Avanti wine cellars, beverage centers, compact refrigerators and mini freezers compliment our other Danby, Haier, Vinotemp, EdgeStar and Summit wine and beverage coolers.

The Avanti wine bottle coolers can be used in counter top, free standing and under counter applications.  Wine bottle capacity ranges from 8 to 166 wine bottles.  Features that are available include French door designs, table top to pantry size classes, dual zone wine compartments, clear and mirrored glass doors, slide out shelves, interior lighting, auto defrost and more.

The Avanti compact refrigerators are perfect when space is an issue as in a apartment, condo or dormitory room.  Avanti mini refrigerators range in capacity from 1.7 to 3.1 cubic foot capacity.  Several models also incorporate a small freezer section that will aid in keeping your food properly preserved.  Another Avanti appliance we carry is a unique ice maker water dispenser that will fit your kitchen counter top and make up to 30 pounds of ice per day.

We also carry two different Avanti Beverage Coolers.  Our Avanti Side-by-Side beverage center model has dual zone storage for both beverage cans and wine bottles and is made for either free standing or under counter applications.  The smaller Avanti beverage can cooler has a storage capacity of 3.1 cubic feet with a reversible door, adjustable shelves, auto defrost, stainless steel door trim and full range temperture control.

Ideal Wine Cooler’s original Mission Statement stated that we would continue to find more quality products to maximize the choices our customer has.  We believe the Avanti products that we have added will provide our customers with the best possible range of choice.

ALSO CHECK OUT OUR HALLOWEEN SALE THAT IS ACTIVE UNTIL THE END OF OCTOBER.  We have reduced pricing on our entire product line at our web store.  Additionally, you can get additional bonus saving of $10 to $30 dollars off the reduced pricing.  Any one purchasing more than a $750 cooler will also receive a FREE 1 year extended in home warranty that will add to the standard factory warranty.  For details CLICK here.

Author: Ronald Senn, Vice-president, Ideal Wine Coolers

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