Tips for Buying Wine Online
If you’re looking for ways to make your life easier, doing some of your shopping online is a great way of accomplishing that. These days you can get anything online, and shopping online for red wine is not only possible, but in many ways preferable to doing it in the store. Here’s how to go shopping online for red wine, white wine, rosé, and whatever else tickles your fancy.
- Get over your reticence: you’re not doing anything odd! It might seem as if buying a rare wine over the Internet is committing some sort of crime. At the very least, isn’t it somewhat classless? The reality is that everyone from individuals to restaurants goes shopping online for red wine and other vino these days. In 2016, Americans drank almost 950 million gallons of wine, and 38% are drinking red wine. Another 32% drink white wine, and the rest of the wine market is divided up amongst all the other types. There is no reason not to drink wine unless you have a strong family history of alcoholism because research shows that drinking a bit of wine is good for you. Two glasses a day is associated with approximately an 18% drop in the risk of early death. So go for it!
- Check your state regulations. If anything is going to stop you from shopping online for red wine, it’s going to be your state regulations. Some states simply don’t play nicely when it comes to wine or other alcohols. Some ban all shipments of alcohol. Others will allow shipments from certain states, but not from others. Fortunately, about 90% of the United States population can get wine shipped to them wherever they are. Even better, a quick Google search can tell you what your state regulations are. Once you know if you’re going to be allowed to buy white wine online, you can proceed.
- Do you want a deal or fine red wines? This is a very personal thing. Some of us are just looking for the best price that we can get, and in that case you might want to look at flash wine sites and wine clubs that offer significant discounts. Some places will send you whatever comes in at great discounts, so if you’re not particularly concerned with the vintage this can be a great way to score some inexpensive bottles. If you’re pickier, you can go directly to the winery that you want and find out who is selling their product in your area. You can still get some deals even on great wines if you sign up with the right company and use them exclusively.
- Remember that someone needs to be home. Once you’ve made your order, remember that almost every state requires that an adult over 21 be present to sign for a shipment of alcohol. You won’t be able to have the wine delivered to your neighbor’s house, either. So do everyone a favor, and when you’re shopping online for red wine, choose a shipment date and time when you know someone will be home.
- A couple other important considerations. Be sure to buy only from reputable sites. Check out some customer reviews and maybe with the Better Business Bureau to make sure that the retailer you’re looking to buy from is actually a real one. There’s a lot of fake wine out there, and you don’t want to get stuck with any of it. Second, remember that heat is a wine killer. If the temperatures are over 80°F you really don’t want to have your wine out in that. If you need some wine and it’s the middle of summer, you can ask FedEx and UPS to hold your shipment at their air-conditioned facilities where you can come and get it when you’re ready. This is also helpful if you can’t get home during the day to meet a delivery.
Shopping online for red wine or white wine can be a great way to get a deal or to find varieties that you can’t get in your local stores. Just be sure to find a reputable retailer, make sure someone’s home to sign for it, and don’t let it sit out in the heat.
