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Spec's vs. Costco vs. Total Wine


Lidig8r

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Greetings fellow Bacchanalians and Oenophiles!

We are located in North Dallas and have ready access to all three wine providers.

A good friend is throwing 4 parties in the next 6 weeks. And so, I am wondering price wise, does anyone have experience comparing the prices for mostly middle of the road, "John Mackovic would not drink this stuff" wines.

We will be buying by the case so the $10 - $12 per bottle price range is the target. (With some very good bottles stashed away for the true VIPs).

Any thoughts are appreciated.

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8 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

Trader Joe's.  Two Buck Chuck Shiraz.  Break it out in hour 3 and use the savings to subsidize some better stuff for early and really good stuff for the VIPs.

But there's always one guy who nurses his glass, so he finishes glass 1 or 2 in hour 3.  You didn't invite him but he showed up somehow - he's someone's date, your spouse's co-worker who overheard, whatever.  And then when you pop the cork on the low-end stuff he calls you out, because, well, that's what guys like that do.

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1 minute ago, Liquor and Poker said:

But there's always one guy who nurses his glass, so he finishes glass 1 or 2 in hour 3.  You didn't invite him but he showed up somehow - he's someone's date, your spouse's co-worker who overheard, whatever.  And then when you pop the cork on the low-end stuff he calls you out, because, well, that's what guys like that do.

Right.  Fuck that guy.  (I quite literally broke my hand at one of my own house parties when an uninvited but not unknown guy showed up and bitched about the beer selection.  Rather than being a rude host, I punched a back wall . . . they call me "stud finder".  Wait, that sounds bad.  Anyway, you get the idea.)

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22 minutes ago, Liquor and Poker said:

But there's always one guy who nurses his glass, so he finishes glass 1 or 2 in hour 3.  You didn't invite him but he showed up somehow - he's someone's date, your spouse's co-worker who overheard, whatever.  And then when you pop the cork on the low-end stuff he calls you out, because, well, that's what guys like that do.

You call his ass out in return.  "Who invited you anyway?"

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25 minutes ago, Fondren & Main said:

You call his ass out in return.  "Who invited you anyway?"

Seems there's always some impediment to that.  His date is wife's boss, or he's the guy in charge of yard-of-the-month and your wife wants that shit so bad, whatever.  It is always the wife's fault, though.

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Total Wine does not give mixed case discount on liquor. Spec's does. Spec's are hit and miss on wine depending on location. They have a lot of smaller stores around DFW that were old Centennial locations. Most of those focus on liquor and beer. For wine I go to Beverage Depot in FW or Goody Goody in Dallas. Usually find good liquor deals there, too. They also give mixed case discounts.

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On ‎4‎/‎12‎/‎2019 at 6:58 PM, RPM said:

Total Wine does not give mixed case discount on liquor. Spec's does. Spec's are hit and miss on wine depending on location. They have a lot of smaller stores around DFW that were old Centennial locations. Most of those focus on liquor and beer. For wine I go to Beverage Depot in FW or Goody Goody in Dallas. Usually find good liquor deals there, too. They also give mixed case discounts.

I don't drink much hard liquor.  But I bought a handle of Tito's a couple weeks ago at a small Spec's near Memorial Park a couple weeks ago.  It was about $5 more than the price at the big Spec's near my house.  I noticed the prices were all higher at the small Spec's.  Is that common?

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1 hour ago, Johnny Sack said:

I don't drink much hard liquor.  But I bought a handle of Tito's a couple weeks ago at a small Spec's near Memorial Park a couple weeks ago.  It was about $5 more than the price at the big Spec's near my house.  I noticed the prices were all higher at the small Spec's.  Is that common?

Yeah, that's common practice. Basically, the Spec's Warehouse downtown has all the special pricing, and the local neighborhood specs are more like typical liquor store rates. I only bother going to specs if it is the big downtown one. 

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Total Wine is by far my favorite.

Costco if you know exactly what you want, liquor wise - supposedly their house brand isn't bad, or their house brand wines inside.

Specs, least favorite of the 3 (*), but closest so it gets my dollars usually.

 

(*) And Twin Liquor can suck a dick. That place is fucking expensive even compared to my podunk Specs'.

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  • 5 years later...
41 minutes ago, Horn_Spanker said:

Fuck Spec's!

In south Austin just drive two blocks south on Brodie to get to a Total Wine.

If you just want wine or beer, go next door to Sam's Club.  Don't need a membership card to buy alcohol in TX.  (works at Costco too)

 

except Texas Sam's Clubs and Costcos have a terrible beer selection.

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Total Wine earned my business a few years back, as I was planning for my daughter's wedding.  Now I have thrown a lot of parties, and I am VERY good at determining what and how much folks will drink.  I knew that since the crowd was going to be a little younger that booze more so, than either beer or wine.tner in Austin  But my wife and daughter were very concerned that I was not conforming to the "suggested guidelines."  Well I discovered that Total Wine would accept RETURNS!!!!!  So I bought a lot more champagne, and wine that made the wife and daughter happy, and made me happy because I was not going to have to drink the leftovers for a year.  So that ability to return unopened bottles was the lynchpin for my loyalty.

I just did some research on Scotch yesterday comparing specs and Total Wine.  I don't think I found a bottle I was interested for less at Specs, and they always beat Costco's Western Beverage partner.  Spec's wins on the cheese front though....

Total wine also has classes I had a lot of credits to, but I never used any of them

 

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Spec’s flagship locations have a good wine selection. 
 

The problem with Total is they beat you to death with Spirit Direct bottles. It’s taken over their shelves to the point where they’ll carry inferior SD bottles over better bottles. I suspect they get a higher percentage on SD products.

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I am a certified somm that worked at TW for two years after leaving the restaurant industry, led the wine program at my store, and taught classes.

Total Wine does get a higher rate on SD and WD products. This is largely because they control the distribution of those products, as opposed to third party distributors that take a slice of the profit. The owners/founders are also from PA, not MD. They absolutely train their associates to push those products, sometimes through questionable claims. I found quite a few of their WD wines were very good. Typically they were European families producing at a mid scale. TW would demand exclusive distribution of their wines in the US in return for wide scale distribution. The WD program also includes First Growth Bordeaux's and other seriously quality bottles.

SD products were more disappointing. Tons of bourbons that source from MGP. Labels that intentionally mimic major brands like Tower Texas Vodka (Tito's) and Lonehand Whiskey (Jack). The classes will only feature SD or WD products, and they offer free tastings of almost all Direct products. They train their staff pretty much exclusively on WD/SD products and offer bulk discounts only on those beverages. The stores keep metrics for % of sales that are WD/SD, and they reward the best performers in each region. I've had much better results with their WD wines than their SD spirits, but just ask for a taste before you buy, as some of them are quite good.

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3 hours ago, VivaNaranja said:

I am a certified somm that worked at TW for two years after leaving the restaurant industry, led the wine program at my store, and taught classes.

Total Wine does get a higher rate on SD and WD products. This is largely because they control the distribution of those products, as opposed to third party distributors that take a slice of the profit. The owners/founders are also from PA, not MD. They absolutely train their associates to push those products, sometimes through questionable claims. I found quite a few of their WD wines were very good. Typically they were European families producing at a mid scale. TW would demand exclusive distribution of their wines in the US in return for wide scale distribution. The WD program also includes First Growth Bordeaux's and other seriously quality bottles.

SD products were more disappointing. Tons of bourbons that source from MGP. Labels that intentionally mimic major brands like Tower Texas Vodka (Tito's) and Lonehand Whiskey (Jack). The classes will only feature SD or WD products, and they offer free tastings of almost all Direct products. They train their staff pretty much exclusively on WD/SD products and offer bulk discounts only on those beverages. The stores keep metrics for % of sales that are WD/SD, and they reward the best performers in each region. I've had much better results with their WD wines than their SD spirits, but just ask for a taste before you buy, as some of them are quite good.

Any recs on WD bottles? I really like Alexander Valley Cab to give you an idea on what flavor profile I enjoy. 

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1 hour ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Any recs on WD bottles? I really like Alexander Valley Cab to give you an idea on what flavor profile I enjoy. 

Try a Nero d'Avola. Sicilian reds grown by Mt Etna. Typically bold, dark fruit forward and medium body - not too earthy. Also usually a phenomenal price point. Nero Oro or Terramore are two WD's. If you want to stick to California River Road is a pretty good Alexander Valley Cab. Iter has a similar profile and price point but they purchase throughout Napa, not just AV. La Mascota is an Argentinian Cab that's a great value as well. 

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