Most wine buyers assume discounts mean flawed wine, distressed producers, or leftovers no one wanted. Most people think cheap wine is cheap for a reason.
They’re wrong. :P
That belief is costing them access to better bottles at better prices
In this episode, I sit down with Agent Cru, AKA Addison Rex, the man behind the curtain at Wine Spies. For years. One wine a day. Unspeakable quantities moved. And more wine tasted than most people will see in a lifetime.
Agent Cru explains how Wine Spies actually works and why selling a wine at huge discounts can often be a sign of strength, not failure. We talk about the one moment when wineries panic, the when inventory becomes a liability, and how the smartest producers turn “discounts” into long-term demand.
There’s also a surprisingly vulnerable moment where we admit something most wine professionals never say out loud. The more you know about wine, the more aware you become of how little you truly understand.
The most profitable insight comes from how they predict demand. After years of PhDs, algorithms, and AI models, the final call still comes down to human judgment. Not spreadsheets. Not scores. Taste, timing, and instinct.
When we turn to the industry at large, we don’t shy from the large topics looming on the horizon. The wine industry is not collapsing because of seltzers, Gen Z, or Dry January. It’s choking on its own overreactions. Those who understand the mechanics will thrive. Those who don’t will keep paying more for less.
Expect to Learn
- The moment a winery decides a wine must disappear fast
- Why “best price in the world today” matters more than scores
- How tasting panels actually reject wine most people would buy
- The prediction mistakes that AI makes with wine demand
- Why most wine education may make people worse buyers, not better
Links
- Wine Spies official site
- Free the Grapes advocacy initiative
- Deerfield Ranch Winery
- Vinitaly international wine fair
Service starts now.
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I talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. Check out the Podcast Website Here and get in touch with me!
Classic Episodes You May Like:
- #22:Doug Frost MW MS
- #23:Jeffrey Morgenthaler
- #31:ET: Entrepreneur (and creator of Surfer on Acid)
- #38:Aaron Goldfarb Hunting for Ancient Booze
- #39:Edward Slingerland's Masterful work on Intoxication
- #46:Andrew Hurley of Vegas.Wine
As always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.
Cheers
