I'm Still on the Waitlist

Clearly the multi-year waitlist thing is working for some right now, but will that continue to be the case?

Last month, I got my annual “better luck next time” email from Saxum, a wait-listed allocation model winery on the Central Coast. The email, as ever, was short and to the point: I signed up in 2022, the waitlist is usually 4-5 years, and I might get in around 2026-2027.

Every year, when I get this email, I have some pretty mixed feelings about it.

Hi! Post-article-writing-Heather here, with a quick caveat before you keep reading: this post isn’t intended to be a takedown of allocation models. As we will get into soon, they obviously work; some wineries have thriving waitlists that stretch for years. My curiosity (and, tbh nosiness) is for how the experience feels for people, and whether this model needs to evolve as the customer base shifts. Okay, as you were.

This photo has nothing to do with allocation models, but not enough people have seen how cute Billy from Foxen is with his border terriers, so here we are. ©Heather Daenitz of Craft & Cluster for Foxen Winery

To be clear, I don’t really intend to join Saxum’s allocation if or when I’m ever invited in. I really only signed up in the first place because I was curious how their waitlist works and what the marketing looks like to us plebs who don’t have the honor (nay, ppppprivilege) of purchasing their wines.

And all snarkiness aside, they don’t owe me anything beyond what they’re already doing. Clearly, having a multi-year waitlist just to buy their wine indicates that they aren’t hurting for customers, so the traditional marketing methods like regularly posting on social media (they only post a handful of times a year) or more frequent email newsletters aren’t really necessary.

And yet… I still wish they sent me more than one email a year (and I wish the email they *did* send didn’t make me feel like they are calling me a capital L—LOSER).

It’s probably just me having FOMO and generally being spoiled by the content I get from other wineries. But I couldn’t help comparing Saxum’s once-a-year rejection letter with what I’ve had from other wineries who also had waitlists.

Brave & Maiden Estate had a waitlisted allocation for a few years and only recently opened it up. When I worked for Foxen, they literally made a third wine club because their Master & Commander and Anchor Club memberships were waitlisted by about 3-5 years.

To be fair, both Brave & Maiden and Foxen offered other products during their waitlisted years, like tastings, and access to whatever wines made it past their members, so they needed to continue to market and treat their non-members kindly.

Saxum et al aren’t burdened by such trivialities.

Again, this is probably coming across as bitter (and maybe I am a little, OKAY?!), but I really do get it. If you are going to sell out of your wine every year regardless of your marketing (or lack thereof), why spend your time, energy, money, and resources on it?

And yet, something about it niggles at me.

So I took it to Instagram (as I am wont to do when a particular quandary won’t leave me alone), and asked my community a multipart question:

1. Other than Saxum, what other wineries have multi-year waitlisted allocations?

2. If you’re on one (or finally got in), what’s your experience been like?

I didn’t really have an agenda with this other than pure curiosity, but the responses were fascinating and ran along a few themes.

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Theme One: Frustration or Status (depending on who you ask)

Several friends echoed my own reaction to the annual “sorry-not-sorry” emails: they felt dismissive, even bordering on rude.

One friend told me, “I was on the Saxum list forever and finally got off, and by then I was over it. Their customer service is awwwwwful. And their emails are snarky as hell.”

Another friend shared a similar experience with Cayuse: “Once a year, I get an email that says ‘sorry not sorry bitch’ or something to that effect.”

But others saw it differently. Multiple people on the Sine Qua Non waitlist said they actually enjoyed their annual rejection letters, with one telling me, “It’s amazing to see the class they exude in a moment of my disappointment.”

This, to me, points to the downside of being dismissive or short in your communications; it can sour the relationship before it ever really starts. But if you are making the waitlist experience feel more classy, then people will stay excited in the interim.

In other words, scarcity on its own isn’t enough; the tone and experience of the communication matter just as much.

Theme Two: Burnout and Churn

Of course, not everyone stays starry-eyed forever. For every person who relishes the mystique of the waitlist, there are just as many who eventually burn out. The long wait can make it feel almost anticlimactic once you are finally deemed worthy of buying the wine.

One friend described being on the Cayuse list for years: “I usually just got an ‘oh golly gosh darn, you’re still on the waitlist for this upcoming year — hang tough!’” However, by the time he finally got in, he only ended up staying for a few years before dropping off.

Another person echoed that in their experience with Saxum, “I joined the waitlist in college when an advisor got all excited that he was finally in. Off waitlist 5-ish years later, and I was not willing to spend $100+ per bottle. I gave it up pretty quickly.”

The long wait, combined with high price tags, means that some people lose enthusiasm by the time their name is called (which has me really curious about all of these cult wineries’ churn and attrition rates).

Theme Three: Comparisons & Loyalty

And even if they were excited to get their “congrats, you can buy our wine now” letter, that glow doesn’t always last. Some can’t help but measure the wines against what’s available elsewhere, often for less money, and with more (and friendlier) communication.

One person who works in wine said, “I have friends who make wines from the same vineyards that taste on par with Saxum for half the price. So I just didn’t see the point.”

And if all of that wasn’t enough, a few people admitted that being “on the list” isn’t always about the wine itself. One person pointed out that some collectors join these lists primarily for resale value, not necessarily because they’re loyal fans of the winery.

Which raises an uncomfortable question: are allocation models serving a genuine community, or just fueling the secondary market? And does that even matter if the winery is making money regardless? *insert shrug here*

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The Bigger Question

As I was having these conversations in my DMs, a question kept popping up in my mind: how much longer will this model work?

I hate to get into the generation conversation yet again, but in general, Boomers and Gen X collectors have long valued the exclusivity of allocations and waitlists. Younger consumers, though, may not buy in the same way. Scarcity still sells, for sure; Gen Z and many Millennials just tend to expect more transparency, engagement, and storytelling.

If they’re on a waitlist for five years and only hear from a winery once a year with a “not yet, sucker,” will they still be excited when their number is finally called? Or will they, like several people I spoke with (nearly all of whom are younger than 45), decide it’s not worth it and move on to wineries that feel more accessible and communicative?

Again, again, again (I can’t emphasize this enough), it’s clear that these cult wineries aren’t hurting for business right now. But as their customer base ages out, will the model hold?

Maybe allocation models are timeless, the wine equivalent of a Hermès Birkin bag. Or maybe they’ll need to evolve and offer more connection and engagement during the wait.

The Takeaway (for now)

When I sat down to write this, I wasn’t sure what my angle was, and honestly, I still don’t know if I have one beyond wanting to have an even deeper discussion about the cult allocation model.

So if you’ll humor me and answer these questions:

Do allocation models still work in the modern wine world, or are they a relic of an older consumer base? If you’re on a waitlist (or finally made it in), what’s your experience been like?

I’d love to hear your thoughts! And if you work for or run one of these types of wineries, especially the ones mentioned here, I’d really love to talk to you.

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One last reminder: Again, I’m not out to shit on these models. I just think the way people experience them, whether with excitement, frustration, or indifference, is worth talking about.