The Best Places to Buy Wine

Where should you go to buy wine? There are several options: the internet, grocery stores, liquor stores, wine stores, and wine bars. (In Texas, you can purchase wine at any of these establishments to take home with you.)

Buying wine on the internet

There are two main things you need to think about when buying wine on the internet, shipping costs and the outdoor temperature.

If you’re buying one bottle of wine, you might pay almost as much for shipping as the bottle of wine costs. So it’s best to buy in bulk online.

However, certain internet wine merchants are making this easier on the consumer. Wine.com frequently offers one-cent shipping deals. And there is always free shipping at My Wines Direct when you buy in packages of six bottles. (Wines can also be bought online at Morrell and Wine Messenger).

Outdoor temperature is important because wine is shipped without air-conditioning. Living in Texas, we cannot buy wine online in the summer because it will be cooked before it arrives. Just keep this in mind when ordering.

Wine in Grocery Stores

Grocery stores offer convenience. They are open more hours than the other stores, and some chains keep the mark-up on their wine lower than small liquor stores.

Except for high-end grocery stores, such as Whole Foods or Central Market, most grocery stores offer a limited selections. Inventories are frequently maintained by the sales reps, who probably won’t be there if you have any questions. Most of the wines will be table wines, at best.

Once you know what you are looking for, however, grocery stores can be a great place to pick-up a bargain or get a good wine on closeout.

Wine in High-End Grocery Stores

High-end grocery stores, on the other hand, tend to carry a broad selection of wines. However, these stores offer their wines at a considerable mark-up compared to liquor stores or other grocery chains.

The staff at these grocery stores is typically more knowledgeable about the wines they offer. If you regularly shop at the grocery store where you will buy your wine, try to establish a relationship with someone in the wine department.

Staff in these stores can change over quickly, leaving you without the person who knows what you like to drink. If you can, talk to the actual wine buyer. This person will be tasting lots of wines each week and can suggest the best new arrivals.

In the end, it is not the store that will be selling you the wine. It is the people you build relationships with that will help you discover new favorites.

Wine at Liquor or Wine Stores

Good liquor stores and wine stores can offer a much larger selection of wines than most grocery stores. Wine is a very important part of these businesses and typically they devote time and effort to learning about it.

Liquor stores or wine stores frequently have very knowledgeable staffs, but not all staff is created equal. If you notice that the clerks defer to one person, shop with that person. Often it is better to look for “an older” employee. Young folks in the hospitality business tend to move around. The owner of the store is another good choice. She or he is going to be there most of the time.

Wine at Wine Bars

Wine bars are also a good place to occasionally pick up a bottle of wine. Most wine bars offer wine by the glass and sell wines by the bottle for you to take home if you want. The price you pay reflects the fact that you can try it before you buy it, so these places are too expensive to use all the time. They are, however, great places to try a glass of wine or a flight of wines. If you find something you like, go to your favorite retail wine purveyor and ask them to order it for you.

Get to Know Your Wine Purveyor

The important thing to remember, no matter where you get our wine, is that you buy wine from people. If you invest a little time and effort you will find a wine guide to help you on your way.

An experienced wine purveyor will learn your taste and know the wines you would like to drink before you ask. These folks are much better than the newspaper or wine magazines in suggesting wines that you will like and can afford.