Past Retail prices for Grange at release ?

[markg]

Hi,

I am putting together a summary of prices paid at release compared with average auction price over a decade and was wondering if any of you chaps would happen to have any records of your purchases at retail for Grange going back to the 60's

[dlo]

Mark - what I, or people I know, paid -
1971 - $10
1980 - $30
1986 - $75
1990 - $110

[crusty2]

looking through old wine mags and what Friends and I paid for some
1976 = 21
1978 = 30
1979 = 35
1980 = 40.03 magnum = 80
1981 = 36.25 magnum = 105
1982 = 39
1983 = 43.50 magnum = 150
1984 = magnum = 180
1985 = magnum = 200
1986 = 65 magnum = 200
1987 = magnum = 195
1988 = magnum = 280
1989 = magnum = 254
1990 = magnum = 315 (I was offered 2 doz 750ml bottles @ $100ea and turned them down. what an idiot)
1991 = magnum = 1400
1998 = magnum = 1500

I have seen 2008 magnums advertised at $1400 = time to buy??

will keep looking for older prices for you

cheers
phill

[daz]

Bought a bottle of Grange that was shared with a flat-mate just prior to his departure to Victoria about 1989 so it may have been an 82-84, paid about $70-$80. The second and last bottle of Grange I bought was a 1996 for $320 from Winepros/Vintage Cellars so probably full retail - it's in the wine cooler still.

[Craig(NZ)]

In NZ on release, the vintages I can remember

1990 $199
1992 $220
1993 $230
1996 $260
1998 $400
2002 $499?
2004 $599?

I can still get 2005 and 2006 for $266. Recently seen 2001 at $399 and several other vintages at $499. Plenty to suggest RRP is not market price

The 2008 seems to be at and intro price of $750, the cost price which I hear is $650+GST would suggest it will settle well north of $800 if a retail buys it. But will anyone buy it at that price.

[monghead]

May not be retail price, but I paid $450 for the 2004.

[Phil Wilkins]

I paid £35 p/b for the 1990 Grange back on release here in the UK.

[Mike Hawkins]

Mark,

I can recall paying $41 for the 83, $45 for 84 and 85 and $50 for the 86 (it may well have been cheaper elsewhere), and I don't recall thereafter. I know a mate of mine paid $18 for the 71.

Mike

[Chuck]

I recall buying a 6 pack of 1990 for $120 each and a few Bin 90A for $110 on release. A couple of years earlierI bought a few 1985's at auction for $55 and recall it was just under release price. Not sure how much though.

Also bought some birth years (92 and 95) for the kids for around $230 on release. Have not bought since.

Cheers

Carl

[Luke W]

If memory serves me correctly my first grange was $11.75 at the Wilsonton Hotel in Toowoomba and that was the 1975. I couldn't believe it when the 76 was $18 on release (and that was discounted $2). The 77, 78, and 79 were all low 20's and then the 80 again skyrocketed to $28. Prices slowly crept up 81, 82 around $30, 83, 84 closer to $40 and then 85, 86 around $50. The 87,88 and 89 kept the trend up towards $70-80. The 90 really buggered everything up and started around $90, then quickly went to $120 and after Decanter even went as high as $200 in some bottle shops. That meant that vintages following 90 startedhigher usually $150-200 for the 91, 92 and 93. I think the 95 was about $240 and the 96 was $275 -300 but you often saw it discounted to low $200's. The only other one that I remember was the 2001 which I bought 6 of for 30% off $495. Not a bad mark up for a wine that costs Pennies around $25 to make.....

[sjw_11]

If memory serves me correctly my first grange was $11.75 at the Wilsonton Hotel in Toowoomba and that was the 1975......

That makes it roughly 12% compounded average growth in price from 1975 to 2013!... Well above CPI, and a better return than property or shares! This thread is wonderful, I am really enjoying all the anecdotes and old pricing.

I recently stole..er borrowed...a book from my father (who was Production GM for Blass in the late 80's) which was a c1986 copy of a pictorial wine atlas of Australia and some of the pricing data for the current releases was most interesting (as were the 1980s photos!)

E.g. Wolf Blass Grey Label, current release then being c1984 was around $11 according to this book, vs around $30ish now, or just around 4% similar to CPI growth, versus Grange going up 12% on average.

[Craig(NZ)]

what other wines show this type of growth? Jim Barry Amargh comes to mind? I bought the 1994 for $41 a bottle which was a good price. Current vintage $250? Penfolds 707?.....

[Brucer]

I bought 84 and 85 for around $55 at retail, and $93 for 1986 at retail, and $140 for 1990 at retail.

and $36 for 1990 HOG at retail.

[markg]

what other wines show this type of growth? Jim Barry Amargh comes to mind? I bought the 1994 for $41 a bottle which was a good price. Current vintage $250? Penfolds 707?.....

I would say the 707 is an anomaly Craig, given the source and reason behind the demand. It is way over its "organic market value". <-- I just made that term up.. I think I will use it more

The Armagh does it based on quality and has increased in price organically (hehe)..

[Mike Hawkins]

what other wines show this type of growth? Jim Barry Amargh comes to mind? I bought the 1994 for $41 a bottle which was a good price. Current vintage $250? Penfolds 707?.....

I recall nervously paying $96 (total) for a 3 pack of 1990 HOG at cellar door. $32 seemed outrageously highly for anything other than Grange at the time - and I remember kicking myself an hour later at Rockford seeing how cheap BP was. Now, new releases of HOG are almost 20-fold that price.....

[Craig(NZ)]

A bit of price competion here. One retailer released on their website this morning at $849. This afternoon the price has changed to $755. 707 the same $349 --> $299

[phillisc]

A case of 90 HOG for $360 and a case of 90 707 for $300 ( you know, the big boxes that they used to come in).
Sold all the HOG at auction after comission, $350 pb....insane and 10 of the 707 at $155pb ! ( 1000 and 600 percent respectively).

We will all be a long long time dead before we see 08 Grange at $7500 pb.

Had a 71 Grange that has the sticker of $8:99 on it from the Royal Oak here in Adelaide.
6 '81s at $19pb, Wynns white label shiraz at the time was about 60 cents, so 3 cases for a bottle of Grange...takes 6-7 cases now.

86 at $75 and 90 at $125.
My boys birth years will be got at auction at some stage for about $450 each.

Cheers Craig.

[markg]

Thank you chaps, you have been most helpful.

I have been able to put together some preliminary data based on my observations of the secondary market and your input as well:

Per decade, Average price achieved at auction(s) over the past 12 months compared with average price paid on release, compared with average annual inflation rate:

2000 to 2007: $405 (Average release: $530) : 2.5%
1990 to 1999 : $403 (Average release: $266) : 2.5%
1980 to 1989 : $362 (Average release: $76) : 8.4%
1970 to 1979: $416 (Average release: $19) : 9.7%
1960 to 1969: $675 (Average release: $4) : 2.6%

Sales data includes Bin 95 only and includes bottles with ullage and/or label damage or cliniced.

This will form the basis of an article or two I am writing.

[dlo]

A bit of price competion here. One retailer released on their website this morning at $849. This afternoon the price has changed to $755. 707 the same $349 --> $299

Yeah, I think know this guy, Craig ..... Richard Cranium? ..... or am I thinking of someone else?