April 9, 2019 – For a select group of hard-core wine-lovers, the pursuit of hard-to-find, small-batch wines is a thrill sport. The ultimate prize is a spot on the pre-release mailing list of the most coveted cult wines from Napa and Sonoma. But to secure a case of those rare wines from the Burgundy region of France, until now nothing short of a plane ticket would do.
Now, thanks to BurgDirect, U.S. wine lovers can order the hard-to-find Burgundies direct from the winery for home delivery. This unique, web-based, direct-to-consumer service arranges for delivery of rare Burgundy wines direct to buyers in the U.S. Because BurgDirect has relationships with wineries in Burgundy, it enables U.S. consumers to buy wine directly from the source, as if they were standing in the cellar of a Burgundy winemaker.
Before BurgDirect, buyers of fine, imported wines, including French Burgundies, had to be concerned about the wine’s authenticity, provenance and handling. BurgDirect all but eliminates these issues because the wine is expertly handled by just a few parties and arrives at the customers’ doors months faster than traditional channels could deliver (assuming the wine is even available through traditional channels).
BurgDirect is the brainchild of Jeff Rubin and Bill Hebert, two Burgundy wine lovers who were frustrated that their favorite French wines were rarely and inconsistently available at wine shops in the U.S. By arranging for wine lovers in the U.S. to buy Burgundy wine from the winemakers themselves, and having them delivered directly in the same method used by domestic cult wines, the pair are disrupting the traditional market for fine Burgundy wines. They’ve also reduced the selection anxiety sometimes associated with confusing French labels by explaining right on the website the differences among appellations, clarifying the classification of wines into grand crus, premier crus and village wines, and offering one all-inclusive delivered price. BurgDirect also supplies scores and reviews of the wines written by recognized, professional critics, and all of this information can be carefully considered and understood by customers in a relaxed setting, without the sales pressure often found in a retail store environment.
Today, the direct-to-consumer model for wine sales is booming, rising 15.5% in 2018 over the prior year. But nearly all of that $2.7 billion market is focused on domestic labels. BurgDirect is applying the increasingly popular DTC model to a curated selection of fine Burgundy wines and providing unprecedented value and convenience to its customers.
