The Auswine Forum

Will it's that time again...

Let's all have a perve at the Grays auction and see who can find the silliest prices.

Ive only got to page one and already found a single bottle of 98 Fox Creek Reserve Shiraz at $158++, and theres still three days to go...

... the single bottle of 2000 Langi Shiraz for $144++ has hit the lead.

...only to be overtaken by the single bottle of 96 389 for $179++

Yeah, I'm a bit dizzy from shaking my head so much. All those single bottles are still available elsewhere at specialist wine merchants for much less, there are in some cases 6-packs of the same wines that were being bid at lesser prices than the single bottles when I looked this morning.

I've still got a few live bids, but don't expect to win anything they way the mug punters are bidding. Lucky I don't need any more wine, but my friends are expecting me to get them some bargain reds.

I'm sure the unfortunate punter who bid $144 for the 2000 Langhi Shiraz must have mistaken it for a six pack. Almost all the six pack bids are less than this so far.

We have a winner!!!

EH of williamstown bidding $259 for 1 X 1998 FOX CREEK `RESERVE` SHIRAZ -

A fool and his money are soon parted seems like a massive understatement.

More like an flaming idiot with more loose change than marbles, are soon parted.

monkeyboy wrote:We have a winner!!!

EH of williamstown bidding $259 for 1 X 1998 FOX CREEK `RESERVE` SHIRAZ -

How high will he/she go? Up to $299 now, with over a day to go.

If you don't mind me asking, why such craziness on this auction site??? Usually browse the Langton's site, and don't usually see this crazy bidding unless a mistake. Do the people on this Gray's auction not bid on Langton's too??

Cheers,

Monghead

monghead wrote:If you don't mind me asking, why such craziness on this auction site??? Usually browse the Langton's site, and don't usually see this crazy bidding unless a mistake. Do the people on this Gray's auction not bid on Langton's too??

Cheers,

Monghead

I think it has to do with all the publicity they manage to generate, with promises of "half-price" bargains etc. So the people who know what they are doing give up early or find the more obscure bargains the punters don't know about. There must be a significant number of people bidding who have no real idea what they are bidding on. I'm sure Langtons would love it if some of them come over their way, but Langtons usually have realistic price estimates, whereas Grays only have (in some cases wildly optomistic) ORP or RRP quotes on a minority of wines.

There are still some relative bargains to be had on some good wines, if you are in the market for certain wines/vintages. I've still got 3 live bids all sitting on my maximum, out of about 12 I bid on, I don't really expect to win any as the people I'm buying for are looking for $10-$15pb prices.

Wirra Wirra 'The Angelus" 2001...$194

Sounds like a dead ringer for a rip-off!

Cheers,

Mark

maybe mistakes? probably they think it's a carton price??

Red Bigot wrote:

monkeyboy wrote:We have a winner!!!

EH of williamstown bidding $259 for 1 X 1998 FOX CREEK `RESERVE` SHIRAZ -

How high will he/she go? Up to $299 now, with over a day to go.

$324 and counting...

Wine-Searcher finds 7 Aussie suppliers offering the 98 reserve for between $100 and $130. That's pretty funny.

Dummy bidding?

(Terrible pun intended)

n4sir wrote:Dummy bidding?

(Terrible pun intended)

It does get you thinking - such practices do occur, but even that would be a bizarre explanation for these bids.

I'd initially thought these bizarre bids were linked in some way to the Heritage sales (i.e. talking up the prices), but I don't think even that holds water at these levels.

Ian S wrote:

n4sir wrote:Dummy bidding?

(Terrible pun intended)

It does get you thinking - such practices do occur, but even that would be a bizarre explanation for these bids.

I'd initially thought these bizarre bids were linked in some way to the Heritage sales (i.e. talking up the prices), but I don't think even that holds water at these levels.

Yes. It's highly puzzling. It scarcely seems possible that there are TWO people who've heard of Fox Creek and think the 98 reserve is worth over $300...
cheers,
Graeme

I went along to the tasting night in Melbourne on Wednesday. Not a lot of wine that I thought was particularly impressive. Did get to catch up with Max Allen, which was good, an I think he was of a similar feeling...

But.. there are a couple I thought were pretty reasonable...

So we did this week's podcast on the wine's we liked from the auction:

Wine Week 45: Aged wines from a failed investment scheme

I really didn't know the Gartner before the night. I've since been told the company went belly up themselves a few years back... the 1999 was damn good and seems to be an actual bargain at the auction most of the time. Worth a look in my opinion.

Goodness. I hope Greys paid you for that else it looks like a fine case of blogsploitation...anyway.. the 99 Gartner is a lovely wine. Always was. Records show buying 6 in July 2002 for 24.99 from Auswine I do believe. It has regularily sold on Langtons for about $11 which is a great bargain.

GW

spoke to soon! 2001 Kilikanoon Oracle - I guess someone really likes this wine.

D.P - galston NSW 2/11/2007 1:56:54 PM AEDT A$1444 2 2 2/11/2007 1:40:39 PM AEDT
E.P - Ultimo NSW 2/11/2007 1:56:54 PM AEDT A$1444 1 0 2/11/2007 1:11:05 PM AEDT
J.G - North Bondi NSW 2/11/2007 1:11:06 PM AEDT A$904 1 0 2/11/2007 11:14:19 AM AEDT


I had to post the bidding - incredible!

The $189 + 15% for a single bottle of 2000 Torbreck 'The Steading' isn't too clever either!

Gary W wrote:Goodness. I hope Greys paid you for that else it looks like a fine case of blogsploitation...anyway.. the 99 Gartner is a lovely wine. Always was. Records show buying 6 in July 2002 for 24.99 from Auswine I do believe. It has regularily sold on Langtons for about $11 which is a great bargain.

GW

No, Grays didn't pay for the 'ad' (which some will see it as)... we decided to do a filming live from the event as it was something different, and I also wanted to be able to suggest to some people what the wine they would be bidding on might 'really' be worth....

Danny wrote:

Gary W wrote:Goodness. I hope Greys paid you for that else it looks like a fine case of blogsploitation...anyway.. the 99 Gartner is a lovely wine. Always was. Records show buying 6 in July 2002 for 24.99 from Auswine I do believe. It has regularily sold on Langtons for about $11 which is a great bargain.

GW

No, Grays didn't pay for the 'ad' (which some will see it as)... we decided to do a filming live from the event as it was something different, and I also wanted to be able to suggest to some people what the wine they would be bidding on might 'really' be worth....

Interesting selection, I thought there were some others as well/instead of and your indicated top prices are way over what anyone should pay in this sort of auction.

Red Bigot wrote:

Danny wrote:

Gary W wrote:Goodness. I hope Greys paid you for that else it looks like a fine case of blogsploitation...anyway.. the 99 Gartner is a lovely wine. Always was. Records show buying 6 in July 2002 for 24.99 from Auswine I do believe. It has regularily sold on Langtons for about $11 which is a great bargain.

GW

No, Grays didn't pay for the 'ad' (which some will see it as)... we decided to do a filming live from the event as it was something different, and I also wanted to be able to suggest to some people what the wine they would be bidding on might 'really' be worth....

Interesting selection, I thought there were some others as well/instead of and your indicated top prices are way over what anyone should pay in this sort of auction.

Maybe price wise... but we simple put a price on rough full cop retail to give people an idea... and our pricing was a lot less than what some people have just paid for some bottles.

As far as our choices... I don't think there was much else at the tasting that was anything better. I had a chat with Max Allen after we'd filmed (he didn't know what we'd chosen to 'review') and after he'd been through 85% of the bottles asked him his thoughts. It's up to him to relay his actual words of course, but when pressed for his picks his first two wines were two of the four we'd just picked ourselves.

I got my MLG Langi Shiraz 2000 for $26 delivered.

Well the others I've bought from past HFW auctions and enjoyed, along with the friends who took most of it, were:
Hanging Rock Heathcote Shiraz 2002

Mouthpiece Paul Lindner Barossa Shiraz 2002 (just scored another case for a couple friends, the third of this, it's ready to go now, but a bargain at just over $11 delivered, despite the fact HFW actually paid less for it)

Willespie MR Shiraz 99 at around $15 delivered, half RRP, I've been trying to get some more for friends who wanted a lot more, but the price paid has jumped a bit.

Willow Bridge Reserve Shiraz 2001 is OK at under $10 delivered if you don't mind high alcohol.

Plus a few others I won't mention, if at the right price, there may be more HFW auctions to come.

It would be interesting though to see Max's or your comments on a lot of the other wines, for example, did you find the Xanadu Cow Rock (re-badged Lagans) 99 Cab-blend very volatile?

Danny wrote:Maybe price wise... but we simple put a price on rough full cop retail to give people an idea... and our pricing was a lot less than what some people have just paid for some bottles.

On further considered reflection and after checking out your website I think your simplistic (and possibly cavalier) attitude to suggest prices people could expect to pay at Grays (+15%+delivery) is somewhat at odds with this (my bolding):

"Welcome to Wine Week - the website created with the value-conscious wine buyer in mind.

Every week Brad Paton and Danny Bishop will provide you with a short video containing tips on the best value wines available in Australia.

Wine Week was created as a way for us to share our knowledge about those wines which represent excellent value for money at their price point."

If that is really your aim, you missed the target this time.

I had a bite at some 2000 La Testa Blend at about $12.50 a bottle delivered.

If you pick wisely from the 99 and 00 vintages you can do quite well. They seem to be largely avoided in favour of the more renowned years.

LL

roughred wrote:I had a bite at some 2000 La Testa Blend at about $12.50 a bottle delivered.

If you pick wisely from the 99 and 00 vintages you can do quite well. They seem to be largely avoided in favour of the more renowned years.

LL

Especially if you want something to drink right now or over the next year or two.

I finished the last of my 6 La Testa Blend 2000 earlier this year, it had peaked but was still holding and I was happy to have paid twice the price you mentioned. I still have some 2001 of this too, must get into that soonish too.