The best places to buy wine online
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Are you craving a glass of your favorite red or gearing up to test new wines? It was much harder to get your favorite spirits back in the day. You had to seek individual wine shops, travel to them and purchase your choice on the spot.
Luckily, the power of the internet has empowered sommeliers and wine enthusiasts. You can discover the best places to buy wine online and find your favorite bottle today with ease.
Determining the Best Place to Buy Wine Online
There are tons of websites that sell and distribute wine, but there are several indicators that mark one as the best place to buy. Here are some of the factors to consider.
A Varied Selection
Most shops will only carry a select number of wines, often going by the most popular flavor. About 31% of Americans love their reds, while cabernet sauvignon is a close second with 22% of the votes. While other options like riesling or Syrah aren’t the most popular, some still favor these. Adventurous drinkers enjoy trying them out.
Luckily, online wine marketplaces now help buyers browse through a wide variety of bottles, including reds, whites and rose wines. Some of these stores partner with independent wineries, so you can get small-batch favorites.
Customer Service
Buying wine online is extremely convenient –- you just have to perform a few clicks and wait for the box to arrive at your doorstep. However, what sets some of the best places to buy wine online apart from other sites is the customer service. Talking to an agent in real time instead of chatting with a bot brings a different experience.
You can ask them about your order updates or request assistance with your account. Some even offer personalized services, giving you insight into your potential choices or making recommendations based on your tastes.
Easy-to-Use Website
The perfect online wine marketplace will be easy to navigate, while some websites are way too confusing in their layout and look. It can be hard to take advantage of the wide selection and excellent customer service even if it’s available. Thus, you should be on the lookout for stores with a simple look, readable fonts, a search bar and the like.
Great Deals
Buying wine is always an expense, but some marketplaces offer a good deal when you purchase for the first time or get a bulk order. You should also take advantage of free shipping and seasonal discounts when applicable. That way, you can minimize your expenses further and use the savings for future liquor purchases.
Red Flags to Be Careful Of
While an online wine marketplace may seem perfect, it’s still best to be careful. One red flag of these websites includes ignoring alcohol-delivery restrictions. Seven states, including Oklahoma and Alabama, do not allow the shipment of alcohol. Distributors bent on breaking the rules are not as reputable as you think.
Another red flag is too many similar five-star user reviews and eerily good prices. This combination usually indicates that a website is fake. Online shopping scams were responsible for 41.9% of fraud in 2023. You must save your hard-earned money for legitimate sellers so you get the products you’re expecting.
Where to Buy Wine Online
Scouring the internet to find the best website to buy your spirits from can be time-consuming. Here are several suggestions for where to buy wine online.
1. Marketview Liquor
Marketview Liquor is a wine and liquor store with an amazing selection of discounted and hard-to-find wines. It was a family-run neighborhood shop in a Rochester suburb until it started to expand, thanks to advertising and an accessible location. It was a pioneer in the online wine marketplace scene, launching the website in 2007 to ship to numerous states.
How It Works
Marketview Liquor still has a location for in-store tastings and spirit seminars. It also offers a variety of wines online. The website makes it easy to check out popular offerings, such as red and white wine, as well as high-end and boxed options.
Key Features
One of the key features of Marketview Liquor is that you can count on high-quality wine to get delivered fast. It offers national delivery for all states that permit the shipment of alcohol. Local delivery is also available for wine enthusiasts within a 10-mile radius of its stores.
Pricing
Marketview Liquor prioritizes bang for your buck in various ways. For example, you can get a 10% discount when you order select wines by the case. Purchasing 12 bottles of certain bottles also qualifies you for free shipping. If you’re not looking to buy bulk, there are 90-point wines that go as low as $15. There are also quality bottles that go under $8.
2. First Bottle Wines
First Bottle Wines is a beautiful website that allows you to explore the world of wines. Its owners are the same folks behind Last Bottle, a popular site known for selling one specific wine per day at a discounted price. While that shop has a good premise, First Bottle Wines focuses on presenting many more options to curious and adventurous drinkers.
How It Works
First Bottle Wines focuses on wine quality, connecting with hundreds of wineries, distributors and importers to offer a wide range. It offers around 55,000 wines and provides truthful insight into what you’ll get from a bottle. It also focuses on providing the best prices possible.
Key Features
Every wine drinker can appreciate how First Bottle Wines offers six-bottle samples from various wine producers. You can go with a case featuring high scores, grower Champagnes and more. It also provides educational content on all things food and wine.
Pricing
Depending on the brand and size, the prices for the bottles can range from below $25 to as high as $540. The six-bottle sampler starts at $202.70, and you get free ground shipping. If you’re looking for extra savings, there are memberships where you can invite friends and earn back dollars from your purchases.
3. K&L Wines
K&L Wines is another popular family-owned wine retailer, founded in Northern California in 1976. It has several physical stores and offers shipments across the state. It partners with local wineries and brokers and also goes on frequent buying trips to provide unique tastes from around the world.
How It Works
The K&L Wines website offers many search features that allow you to filter out wines by variety, country and other categories. You can look through the vast inventory and add them to your shopping cart for checkout. Shipping may take a while since the company needs to funnel your requested bottles into one warehouse before sending the package out.
Key Features
If you have a specific taste but desire to be adventurous, K&L Wines offers a Personal Sommelier Service that may be right up your alley. Share your interests and get a personalized selection of wines every month. It has also introduced fine wine auctions, where you can get rare bottles and sell your own collections if you wish.
Pricing
K&L Wines offers a variety of wine clubs where you can get a couple of good deals. The Best Buy Wine Club starts at $19.95 for two bottles, while the Premium Wine Club is $29.95 for the same number of units. If you prefer sparkling wine, you can get six shipments per year when you join the Champagne Club, priced at $69.95 per shipment.
4. Wine Access
Wine Access began as a vision for a master database of wines. The internet empowered the team to bring that to life, starting off by hosting wine websites. It later evolved to partner with producers and connect inventories. It now provides some of the most exclusive and inspiring wines available.
How It Works
Wine Access has one of the cleanest website designs. You can easily filter its inventory by type, variety, country, region and even food pairings. Shoppers can also get top-tier recommendations from the experts behind the scenes. It’s been praised for excellent customer service and how meaningful each purchase feels.
Key Features
There are a variety of exclusive clubs that you can subscribe to. One favorite is the Unfiltered Podcast Wine Club. It’s based on the podcast where the Wine Access Unfiltered team pops their favorite bottles and shares related stories and moments. The Wine for Normal People Club is targeted toward budding wine enthusiasts and classy casual drinkers.
Pricing
Most of the exclusive clubs offer great deals. For example, the Wine for Normal People Club offers $150 per six-bottle shipment. Membership also means 10% off other Wine Access purchases and complimentary shipping. Take advantage of its limited-time offers if you want a stand-alone order, where there are even bottles under $19.
5. Naked Wines
If you enjoy the novelty of seeking family-owned wine producers, Naked Wines is the ideal online wine marketplace for you. It offers access to many independent winemakers, providing profiles where you can explore their wines and styles. It also has a follower and rating system that allows wine drinkers to speak their minds.
How It Works
Buyers can sort out Naked Wine’s inventory by searching by grape, country or winemaker if they prefer to focus on the bottles rather than the people they come from. You can also join social groups to see what specific wines members are raving about. There are even local meetups to relish in these flavorful spirits.
Key Features
Naked Wines offers Wine Genie, a delivery service that aims to provide you with bottles at great prices. It also offers “Angel” memberships, where you can deposit money into a crowdfund for independent wine labels. In exchange, you get up to 60% off listed prices for future purposes.
Pricing
Naked Wines is a very people-first website, with prices as low as $10 per bottle. These deals are mostly available to people with an “Angel” account. Orders over $100 will likely get you free delivery. There are also frequent vouchers that offer discounts for wine cases and shipping for the ultimate savings.
6. Dry Farm Wines
Dry Farm Wines is many wine drinkers’ go-to for artisan selections. It carefully curates its inventory because of its high standards, which people love and trust. Growers in France, Austria and other European spaces also employ dry farming practices. Eliminating irrigation makes the process more sustainable while making the taste more complex.
How It Works
The website is simple to navigate, as it offers smaller collections. You can pick between classic reds, bold reds, pinot only and more. There’s also a section for wines with extra low alcohol, which is ideal for people who aim to enjoy the flavors.
Key Features
The Design Your Membership option allows shoppers to curate their own selections of rare artisan wine by sharing their preferences. It can be a single purchase or a monthly subscription, and you can set delivery every one, two or three months.
Pricing
Joining as a member can offer more savings. For example, six bottles under the Design Your Membership option can cost $186 compared to $233. You can also increase your savings if you upgrade to 12 artisan bottles per shipment.
7. Total Wine
Total Wine, which started in 1991 as a small store in Delaware, is one of the largest independent wine retailers in America. It expanded to have multiple superstores across numerous states and offers shipments to provide simpler access.
How It Works
Shoppers can easily browse through the website. There are popular categories dedicated to red wine, white wine and Champagne. However, other unique pages display fine and rare wines. You can also explore new and trending bottles.
Key Features
Total Wine offers a rewards program through which you can accumulate shopping discounts with your purchase points. There are also experiences like wine classes, in-store tastings, and other fun events where you can meet fellow wine lovers and connoisseurs.
Pricing
Total Wine has a large selection, so you can expect different price ranges. Some bottles go as low as $10, but other rarer finds can be as expensive as $750. There are limited-time specials where you can save up to $30 on curated collections.
8. Plonk Wine Club
Plonk Wine Club is another unique place to get wine. It prioritizes indigenous grapes and sustainably sourced wine. It’s ideal for eco-conscious drinkers who want to sample the flavors of Hungary, Croatia, Greece and other European regions.
How It Works
Plonk’s organic wine shop allows buyers to build their own case or get a curated pack. They can choose between all reds and all whites or jump into a mixed selection. Mystery cases, dinner party packs and more are also available.
Key Features
Join various organic wine clubs to access rare grape varieties. You can rest assured that all products come from organic, biodynamic and minimal-intervention winemaking practices. Mixed Organic Wine Club is the top-selling group, but there are also ones dedicated to reds or whites.
Pricing
The six-bottle pack of organic wines goes for $175 each. However, you can also buy wine gifts for under $100, treating yourself or a loved one to a three-bottle selection. You can unlock $10 off if you make your first wine club subscription order.
Use a Trusted Wine Distributor
Whether you’re aspiring to be a connoisseur or casually hosting wine Wednesday nights, you need to know the best places to buy wine online. Visit legitimate online marketplaces you can turn to for a good deal and be a smart buyer as you get your favorite bottles
