Recommended Online Wine Retailers

My first post discussed how I got into wine over 10 years ago. Buying wine online has a lot of benefits - you can get some really good wine at solid prices which may not be available at your local retailer, especially if you live in a smaller city or rural area. From that aspect, The Wall Street Journal Wine Club, which is actually one of several branded wine clubs run by Laithwaite’s, a respected wine trader and retailer founded in 1969, is worth a look. If you’re just getting into wine and would like to try some good quality wines from around the world at a solid price, this is a great club to start with. They have a “Discovery” and “Premium” club level and I think the best values are at the lower tier. It should be noted that their wine selections aren’t usually available in stores or other online retailers as they have exclusive import and distribution arrangements with their winemaker suppliers. This also means you won’t see a lot of wine magazine or online reviews and ratings. I was a subscriber for nearly a decade so trust me that they offer good wine and a great way to get exposure to different wine regions and varieties. They also have solid customer service with a satisfaction policy where they will give you 100% credit for any bottles that don’t meet your expectations. This way, you can explore and discover new types of wine without risk. That being said, Laithwaite’s definitely caters to crowd-pleaser big, rich velvety smooth red wines and crisp, tart white wines. Many of their reds are over-extracted with too much oak. I also noticed they raised prices during the pandemic so I was not seeing the Quality Price Ratio with this club anymore. Note they do still have great discounts for new subscribers. In 2022, I moved on to other online retailers.

Wine Retailers I Recommend

(In No Particular Order - Full Disclosure: Some Referral Links)

• Wine Spies
  This is an online retailer with a spy theme to denote mystery and exclusivity. Like Last Bottle and WTSO, they feature a daily featured wine notified via email or the website. One of their unique features is you can buy one or more bottles from the daily deal or their regular store and you don't have to ship it immediately. You can store it in your online Locker and once you get to 12 bottles, the locker ships for free. I've ordered a full bottles shipped as a locker in December 2022 & 2023. One of the best finds was a 2001 'Vino de Autor' Voché Rioja that drank beautifully after ~20 years. They tend to feature more premium wines so I haven't ordered from them recently as I'm looking for a lower average price per bottle and my wine fridge has a few "premium" shelves. For those I'm laying down the bottles to age and those are currently full. I don't want to order another 12 higher priced bottles just yet.
  Pros: Locker feature to build a collection gradually without having to ship in hot/inclemenent weather; often have some great aged wines.
  Cons: Can only ship your wine once your Locker case of 12 bottles is full; pricier bottles.
• Last Bottle
  This online retailer was founded in 2011 as Bucker Wagner Pierce Wine Merchants and have since rebranded to Last Bottle. LB features a daily deal notified via website, mobile app and SMS text message. Out of these three I've ordered the most wines from this outfit. BTW, the name "Last Bottle" means if you literally order the last bottle of a wine out of inventory, they will give you a $50 instant credit to purchase wine. Fairly often they will feature a quite attractively priced wine from a region/AOC I'm familiar with. They also offer free shipping on smaller orders depending on the bottle price. Under $20 you have to buy 6 for free shipping, but higher price points can ship free at 4, 3 or even 2 bottles. Another cool event they have is 3 times a year they will have a Marathon event where they feature constantly changing offers that often sell out quickly or they just rotate every few minutes. During Marathon events that last 2 days, you can order 1 - 12 wines in series until you fill up a case and then they will ship it for free a few weeks later. Sometimes there are real gems at great prices during these events but there are also duds plus some very expensive bottles that don't sell out quickly. Here's a pro-tip: for their daily offers they always feature a picture of the bottle label on the website which you can save to your mobile device. You can then use Delectable, Vivino or other wine label search apps to get ratings. Their own wine descriptions tend to be breathless and overhyped so it's good to get an independent review. Lastly, with climate change and hot summers a problem nearly everywhere in the US, they now offer a ice-pack option with the shipping at a reasonable $8 add-on price.
  Pros: Often solid daily offers; Marathon Events to build mixed cases; ice-pack shipping option
  Cons: Too many overextracted Napa Cabs in daily deals; silly hype in wine descriptions
• WTSO (Wines 'Til Sold Out)
  Founded in 2006 in Pennsauken, New Jersey, they've sold over 26 million bottles. This is also a daily deal website, app and email retailer. Frankly, when I look back at my account and some of the wines I scored, I wonder why I don't order from WTSO more often. Out of the three, WTSO probably has the most hidden gems at a great price that you would have a hard time finding elsewhere. There are also some great daily specials such as today's deal (at the time of this post) - a Varela Gran Reserva Rioja 2010 for $20. Rioja Gran Reserva wines are made to age so you're getting 14 years of bottle age at pretty good price. They too have seasonal sales like Last Bottle, but these are more of case sales where you can get a great per-bottle price. Finally their website has a nice "My Cellar" feature to easily show wines you purchased before and allows easy ordering of that same vintage or another vintage if available.
  Pros: Probably strongest QPR on average of the 3 online retailers reviewed, My Cellar feature
  Cons: Mobile app and website can be a bit cluttered; higher-end wines aren't as much of a deal
• Wine Bid
  Unlike the previous 3 online retailers, WineBid is an auction site. As you start really getting into wine, this is one of the best sites to find more famous and exclusive wines especially if you are seeking aged wines. For example, a great gift for a wine lover will be a bottle from their birth year vintage, assuming they are 21 to 40 years old. The website is well laid out and the advanced search and sorting options make it easy to hone in one what you're looking for. They do a good job showing the actual bottle picture and description of the condition. Be warned though, they tack on fees to the purchase price and their shipping can get pricey. There are occassional coupons and new customer discounts.
  Pros: Nice website; advanced search and sorting options; great options for aged wines
  Cons: Fees at checkout are significant, shipping is not cheap