When Giaconda winemaker and owner Rick Kinzbrunner decided to conduct his 2000 release by tender over the Internet he did not imagine the reaction it would cause amongst many buyers. Faced by the almost insurmountable problem that he had three times as many people on his mailing list than he had half-dozen boxes of wine to sell, Kinzbrunner found that he was spending most of his day explaining to people why he could not provide them with wine. That hardly left much time for looking after his vineyards, his wines and his winery. It would appear from comments made to me that many Giaconda buyers have confused the ‘tender’ approach with that of a pure auction means of allocation. It is possible that this message has not been explained adequately on either the Giaconda internet site itself or via the media coverage the release has generated. I have known Rick Kinzbrunner for many years and have no difficulty accepting his comments that the allocation of Giaconda wine will not be subject to price alone and that if regular buyers submit bids within a sensible range then they should expect to receive wine. Kinzbrunner has expressed his concern to me that the means of allocation is not as well understood as it might be and that those critical of the approach he has taken might not be fully familiar with it. For a full and detailed analysis of the latest Giaconda release, simply subscribe to Jeremy Oliver’s OnWine Report, using the button on the left of your screen.
