Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
When reading a few comments about wine on another thread I started thinking about wine ordering via the net. How many of you belong to a wine club or have ordered from different wine distributors over the net? We have started doing this a lot. We have found a few that have very good wine, and if they are running a sale or free shipping, sometimes both, the cost is under $10 a bottle. We did play around with several, buying the packages offered and deciding which wines we liked. Now, we order about once every 90 days and know just what we want.
It sounds like you have the right idea, try wines and find the ones you like and then order more of it!
I have ordered online from a couple if online wine merchants. I do not belong to a wine club. Like you, I will take advantage of the free shipping or out of state merchant.
Ralph's and Von's are two markets in my area that have decent deals when you buy 6 (30% off) or 12 (40% off) bottles. Their MSRP is a little more than you can find at a Bevmo or Total Wine but when you factor in 40% off, it comes out cheaper than their price. As an example back in Jan2017, Ralph's was having a 40% off sale when you buy 12 bottles. They had Silver Oak (Alexander Valley) with their regular price of $79.99, which was $5 more than Total Wine, but when you factor in 40% off it comes out it $54.42 a bottle tax included. It was a good deal. So it pays to shop around.
It sounds like you have the right idea, try wines and find the ones you like and then order more of it!
I have ordered online from a couple if online wine merchants. I do not belong to a wine club. Like you, I will take advantage of the free shipping or out of state merchant.
Ralph's and Von's are two markets in my area that have decent deals when you buy 6 (30% off) or 12 (40% off) bottles. Their MSRP is a little more than you can find at a Bevmo or Total Wine but when you factor in 40% off, it comes out cheaper than their price. As an example back in Jan2017, Ralph's was having a 40% off sale when you buy 12 bottles. They had Silver Oak (Alexander Valley) with their regular price of $79.99, which was $5 more than Total Wine, but when you factor in 40% off it comes out it $54.42 a bottle tax included. It was a good deal. So it pays to shop around.
wow, with 30 or 40% off it would be tempting to just buy from the stores, but we live in an area that just went wet a few years ago and we also have no major national grocery stores in the state. In fact we have just passed a bill that goes into effect in Oct to sell liquor in grocery store and sell wines that are not manufactured here in Ar. OK, so we are really backwards but we are making progress.
Of course all the new laws might put the moonshiners out of business.
I have belonged to one online wine club (Forbes) and two winery wine clubs. The following is just based on my personal experience with these:
1. I would NOT recommend joining a wine club unless you like at least 75% of the wines from a particular winery. The problem is that, at least the wine clubs I belonged to, you have limited control over what you receive, at least at first. After you know what wines you like, you CAN specify, but it takes a while, and meanwhile, you could spend well over $1,000 on wines you don't like. Of course, that happens when you just take a chance when you purchase from a wine or liquor store, but at least you can read the labels, talk to a wine consultant/salesperson before you purchase, so the odds are better that you will get a wine you like if you purchase it in person. (However, I have been drinking wine for over 40 years, and my average is still just about 75% of choosing a new-to-me wine I like, even though I know what words to look for and which to avoid -- for example, I know that I will not like any wines with lime or grapefruit notes -- although I have learned that label descriptions can be VERY misleading, and a wine can taste very different from person to person, depending on their palate. You have only to read online reviews of the same wine and vintage to verify this, lol!)
2. Another problem is that if you buy wines online to be shipped during very warm months, the wine can arrive "cooked". This is especially a problem with white wines. Some wines I have ordered have sat in a UPS truck for up to eight or so hours in 90 degree heat, and so the bottles would actually be very warm to the touch when I unpacked them -- NOT good!
3. I do not THINK there would be a problem with ordering wines online that you KNOW you like, if you do so during the cooler months and if you can get a good deal, but then you have to figure in shipping costs.
wow, with 30 or 40% off it would be tempting to just buy from the stores, but we live in an area that just went wet a few years ago and we also have no major national grocery stores in the state. In fact we have just passed a bill that goes into effect in Oct to sell liquor in grocery store and sell wines that are not manufactured here in Ar. OK, so we are really backwards but we are making progress.
Of course all the new laws might put the moonshiners out of business.
I forgot about states that don't sell liquor in grocery stores. I lived in the Atlanta area back in early 2000s, so it was a shock when I couldn't buy alcohol on a Sunday.
Glad to hear Ark is making progress!
Quote:
Originally Posted by whocares811
3. I do not THINK there would be a problem with ordering wines online that you KNOW you like, if you do so during the cooler months and if you can get a good deal, but then you have to figure in shipping costs.
Very good point. Some places, such as wine.com, will not ship the wine until the temperatures are low enough as to not potentially affect the wine.
I have belonged to one online wine club (Forbes) and two winery wine clubs. The following is just based on my personal experience with these:
1. I would NOT recommend joining a wine club unless you like at least 75% of the wines from a particular winery. The problem is that, at least the wine clubs I belonged to, you have limited control over what you receive, at least at first. After you know what wines you like, you CAN specify, but it takes a while, and meanwhile, you could spend well over $1,000 on wines you don't like. Of course, that happens when you just take a chance when you purchase from a wine or liquor store, but at least you can read the labels, talk to a wine consultant/salesperson before you purchase, so the odds are better that you will get a wine you like if you purchase it in person. (However, I have been drinking wine for over 40 years, and my average is still just about 75% of choosing a new-to-me wine I like, even though I know what words to look for and which to avoid -- for example, I know that I will not like any wines with lime or grapefruit notes -- although I have learned that label descriptions can be VERY misleading, and a wine can taste very different from person to person, depending on their palate. You have only to read online reviews of the same wine and vintage to verify this, lol!)
2. Another problem is that if you buy wines online to be shipped during very warm months, the wine can arrive "cooked". This is especially a problem with white wines. Some wines I have ordered have sat in a UPS truck for up to eight or so hours in 90 degree heat, and so the bottles would actually be very warm to the touch when I unpacked them -- NOT good!
3. I do not THINK there would be a problem with ordering wines online that you KNOW you like, if you do so during the cooler months and if you can get a good deal, but then you have to figure in shipping costs.
much of what you way is true, some not so. As for spending up to $1000.00 before finding the wines you like: that is an exaggeration I think. Yes, you will spend some, but there are always uses for the wines you may not like or if you get one that you know you do not like, you wait til you have company. Certainly the wine you do not like will be someone else's favorite. As for the wine corking problem. We do live where it is hot: I know what you say, but we have been lucky so far. The wine gets to a central location, is loaded in the truck and seems to arrive in good condition. We have had the opposite happen. In cold weather we have had bottles get to cold and not be drinkable. The companies are always good about replacing them for us.
BtW: I do order from more than just one distributor although many of the online companies are under the same umbrella. We either order when we have a great coupon or when shipping is included. I will say, how much one enjoys their wine club probably has a lot to do with whether they are wine snobs or not. Most of us, just enjoy a good glass of wine, but can not tell the difference between a $10 bottle and a $50 bottle.
much of what you way is true, some not so. As for spending up to $1000.00 before finding the wines you like: that is an exaggeration I think. Yes, you will spend some, but there are always uses for the wines you may not like or if you get one that you know you do not like, you wait til you have company. Certainly the wine you do not like will be someone else's favorite. As for the wine corking problem. We do live where it is hot: I know what you say, but we have been lucky so far. The wine gets to a central location, is loaded in the truck and seems to arrive in good condition. We have had the opposite happen. In cold weather we have had bottles get to cold and not be drinkable. The companies are always good about replacing them for us.
BtW: I do order from more than just one distributor although many of the online companies are under the same umbrella. We either order when we have a great coupon or when shipping is included. I will say, how much one enjoys their wine club probably has a lot to do with whether they are wine snobs or not. Most of us, just enjoy a good glass of wine, but can not tell the difference between a $10 bottle and a $50 bottle.
It actually depends on the wine club, of course. One of those I joined, the average price per bottle was about $55.00, and we got a case every six months, so in our case (no pun intended!), the $1,000 figure I quoted was NOT an exaggeration, but was actually an understatement. (However, the other wine club was much more reasonable with the average per bottle cost being about $20.) Also, these were 12 different bottles of wine -- so your suggestion of saving the ones we did not like for company would not work. Of course, I have only three wine club experiences, so I am not saying that my experience would be the same for everyone -- and that is why I emphasized that my opinion was based on my personal experiences.
It actually depends on the wine club, of course. One of those I joined, the average price per bottle was about $55.00, and we got a case every six months, so in our case (no pun intended!), the $1,000 figure I quoted was NOT an exaggeration, but was actually an understatement. (However, the other wine club was much more reasonable with the average per bottle cost being about $20.) Also, these were 12 different bottles of wine -- so your suggestion of saving the ones we did not like for company would not work. Of course, I have only three wine club experiences, so I am not saying that my experience would be the same for everyone -- and that is why I emphasized that my opinion was based on my personal experiences.
well if the average price is $55 a bottle, you would see me run, not walk to where ever I could get me cheap wine. When we buy from the liquor store we use one in MO, just about 8 miles from our house, It is much less expensive than here. Even though we can buy locally now, the price because of higher taxes is way up there in the clouds. This is why some of us choose clubs or some sort.
As for the 12 bottles, each different, yep, that is true, but what I was thinking was a particular type one may not like. Say, a person isn't a fan of Merlot but likes other reds: save the Merlot for company.
well if the average price is $55 a bottle, you would see me run, not walk to where ever I could get me cheap wine. When we buy from the liquor store we use one in MO, just about 8 miles from our house, It is much less expensive than here. Even though we can buy locally now, the price because of higher taxes is way up there in the clouds. This is why some of us choose clubs or some sort.
As for the 12 bottles, each different, yep, that is true, but what I was thinking was a particular type one may not like. Say, a person isn't a fan of Merlot but likes other reds: save the Merlot for company.
Macadoodles, right? Used to go there myself... A lot better than Fort Smith's selections.
Macadoodles, right? Used to go there myself... A lot better than Fort Smith's selections.
You guessed that right. They are the store of choice for us: great selection of booze and wine, wonderful friendly associates and they even have daily wine tasting. Plus they will match prices offered at say, WalMart just up the street. What more could you ask for?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
