Buying Wine Online

I was at a wine tasting over the weekend, that was being held in one our local grocery stores (yeah, I know, standing in a grocery store, tasting wine in the aisles, seems a bit pathetic).....anyway, the conversation turned to where I buy my wine. Obviously, when I need wine now, I do go to my local grocery store (we don't have any wine shops in the area), or if I have some time, I drive to the closest wine shop that carries the variety I prefer. I am a bit picky in my choices, and my pricing.

Occasionally, I will stop at BevMo, or Total Wine, but I find these shops are best for liquor and beer, and not necessarily for their wine selection (unless I am only looking for domestic wines... which they both have very good selections).

But, when I am looking for a deal, steal, or just downright gotta have it at the best price, I turn to the internet. Through the internet, you can have wine shipped to most states, and wine websites are all over the internet. I still prefer to go to my favorite wine shop, and discuss my wine options (and occasionally get a free taste before purchasing).  I work too hard to just pay anything for a good bottle of wine, so some specialty websites offer deals too good to pass up (particularly if I don't need the wine right away).

Here are some of the wine internet websites that I have used, and found to have great deals. I have not had any issues with the shipping, or the wines that I ordered. I know there are many more wine websites out there, but these are the ones I can verify are reliable, and on the internet now:

www.lot18.com
www.wtso.com
www.wineexpress.com
www.winex.com
www.TheWineClub.com
www.KLWines.com
www.wine.com
www.2020wines.com

When I find a wine that interests me, I typically will do some online research. There are, once again, numerous websites that will give information and tasting notes on different wines, but I have found some are more reliable than others. Here are the internet sites I go to:

www.snooth.com
www.winespectator.com (you will need to join to get the full benefits)
www.wine-searcher.com
www.cellartracker.com

Lastly, nothing beats actually meeting with the winemakers at their winery, or in the vineyard. The relationships you build with the people actually working the vineyards, and tending to the wine in the cellar, is part of the wine experience. Most of the time, you can't get out to winery, but sometimes the winery comes to you. In that case, you need to know where and when the next wine event is coming to your town. I have found that www.localwineevents.com has a good amount of information on it.

If you have some good websites to share, please add them in the comments section below. We are all looking for a great deal, so might as well "share the wealth". Ahhh...the wonders of the internet community! but don't forget your local wine expert, and their suggestions.