Thursday, July 10 2008
Two-Buck Dundee?
Whoa, now that's truth in advertising!
Australian retailer Dan Murphy's has noticed an amazing phenomenon: inexpensively priced wine sells quite well. In fact, they sold 100,000 cases of wine at $1.99 per bottle in only seven days.
I wonder if they call it 'two dollah Danny', since two-buck Chuck is taken.
The sale was prompted by a temporary oversupply in the Aussie market--there were dire predictions for the last harvest, but it was much larger than expected, leading to 'changes in contracts' (read: dumping product) and a Riverland's producer wanted to drop inventory.
Australian anti-alcohol neoprohibitionist groups are naturally incensed, claiming that inexpensive wine leads to teenage drinking, cats and dogs co-habiting and the moral collapse of all nations, as well as the loss of keys and increased incidence of hangnails and coffee spots on your tie. I wonder what it is about being anti-something that makes your brain all creamy and smooth? Teens don't drink wine--at least, I never did when I was a naughty teenager. Wine isn't cool enough for teens (thank goodness! As I've come to say recently, one of the best things about getting old is being able to reject the insipid pleasures of youth. That, and shaking my cane at those darn kids on my lawn).
I personally love it. I wish there was a two-buck producer in Canada to lead more people down the garden path to enjoying wine as an everyday beverage--well, I mean a two-buck producer other than Winexpert. Thomas Jefferson (George and Weezie's other son) had a great handle on it: "No nation is drunken where wine is cheap; and none sober, where the dearness of wine substitutes ardent spirits as the common beverage."
And as usual, I'll drink to that.
| Posted by Tim AT 12:07PM | 0 Comments |  |
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