444539 Tue Sep 25 00:18:54 -0700 2007 42 34 Wine 0 2973163 Do you buy a bottle at a time, or do you stock up? Do you buy based on reviews or do you just explore on your own? And do you buy from specialty stores, grocery stores, or online vendors? Curious about all these things! Personally, I still prefer to buy from a local small specialty store as well as sometime online, when I'm looking for something specific. Being in the biz makes me very particular about how I do my wine buying, but if it's something I'm not carrying, the thing that is paramount for me is supporting my local wine stores (and secondarily, getting a decent price). Tue Sep 25 00:18:54 -0700 2007 113663 domaine547 1 2973165 In person... a great wineshop for me is like an escape... I've always treated a winestore like a library... a place to buy, but also a place to just roam the aisles and learn.... Bring your notes of what you're searching for and just see what they have. Tue Sep 25 00:21:35 -0700 2007 2973163 42549 Chicago Mike 1 2973520 I buy most of my wines from small specialty wine merchants. Some I buy direct from the wholesaler/importer or from the producer. (A lifetime of working in the wine trade has left me with some connections.) If I am "stocking up" on wine, then I usually buy a mixed case or two -- 3-4 of each wine. There are too many great choices out there for me to stock up on wine a case at a time . . . I would rather have fewer bottles and more variety. Very rarely do I later say, "D'oh! I should have bought a case!" Tue Sep 25 06:58:13 -0700 2007 2973163 28122 zin1953 1 2973607 I do probably about 1/3 of my wine buying from a wonderful boutique wine shop which happens to be a block from my office. Agree with CM that a good wine shop where you've got a relationship with the proprietor often becomes a "Third Place". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Place Another 1/3 or so is direct-from-winery purchases. Mostly these are mailing lists, some are wine clubs though not many (I usually like to pick myself but sometimes like to be surprised, like the Bonny Doon "Distinctive and Esoteric Wine Network" ). Sometimes will buy direct just because I've either tried and liked something at a restaurant or heard of it somewhere (though I'll then usually put myself on the mailing list). I work with a few other vinophiles and we'll often make swaps where one of us may be on one list and someone else is on another, or where somebody orders more than they want of a particular wine to reduce shipping cost. Remainder is from other retailers, either brick & mortar or online. Tue Sep 25 07:25:49 -0700 2007 2973163 35525 Frodnesor 2 2973623 Always from a local wine shop. I love getting recommendations from the people that taste the wines they buy. Like zin1953 I buy a case with 3 or 4 of each wine to keep things interesting. Tue Sep 25 07:34:56 -0700 2007 2973607 96905 bubbles4me 1 2973678 In NYC, you can only buy wine from licensed liquor stores, so that simplifies it a bit. There are very few "big" retailers -- almost every shop is a divey liquor store or a boutique. Two of my favorite wine shops send me a random assortment of 3 bottles in the $30 price range monthly. They're chosen by the shop owners based on what my husband and I like to drink. I love getting my monthly surprises and we've rarely been disappointed. The rest I buy myself wandering into my favorite wine shops. I'll buy based on something I read occasionally, but usually tasting notes not scores. Most often I'm just exploring a region that I find appealing. In familiar wine shops, I'll trust the shopkeepers. In unfamiliar ones, I'll buy based on the importer or a familiar producer. Occasionally, I'll just go with my gut! I have bought online, but it's so much fun to browse a wine store and just peer at all the labels, that I don't do it often. Sadly my smallish apartment and 28-bottle cooler prevent me from buying in bulk. I do a bottle at a time. Tue Sep 25 07:51:10 -0700 2007 2973163 16011 oolah 1 2974038 There are a handful of wine stores in LA that I frequent; I tend to shop, browse and loiter around those closest to my home (wine house, 20/20, wine expo). Although reading isn't as preferable as tasting, I do read A LOT. Typical sources are magazines, newspapers, newsletters from wine merchants and wine and food focused websites such as this board, cellartracker, vinocellar and ebob to name a few. Early on in my addiction to wine, I joined clubs offered directly by wineries, but that habit was broken because I grew tired of paying a premium for wines that I could buy cheaper at retail. However, I still have two clubs that I continue to enjoy because I like the wines and want to support the winery and the winery’s complete wine portfolio is not widely distributed. Also, I’m on several mailing lists of small producers where the distribution is limited and the price of wines at retail is significantly marked up. Last, recommendations from friends and family and within each of those groups, I’m lucky to know people “in the biz” which is beneficial in terms of getting useful wine “intel” and in some cases, great prices. Tue Sep 25 09:21:53 -0700 2007 2973163 74451 vinosnob 1 2974239 1. I taste a lot of things at wine bars and restaurants. If I find something I like, I shop around for a good price. Sometimes I buy online because it's cheaper, sometimes because what I'm looking for is sold out or not distributed locally. 2. I buy mixed cases from a few local wine shops, if I find something I like I go back for a case. 3. I go to distributor tastings and either buy direct, shop around for a good price, or order a case through one of my regular stores. Tue Sep 25 10:05:36 -0700 2007 2973163 11369 Robert Lauriston 1 2974256 Funny this subject would be up now. I'm lucky enough to have not only a couple of locals which offer a sort of a 'wine club 'discount, a couple of specialty wine 'boutiques' and several large discounters all within 10 miles of my home. I drink wine less often than I used to do. I keep desserts, red Bordeaux and Burgundies (not on a great scale). Over the weekend, I discovered that I had no inexpensive, having a steak reds. So yesterday I was heading to the local 'big box' discounter to pick up a couple of bottles, when I thought to myself "Why not support the local? With a 20% discount, eh, it'll cost me a couple bucks more, save the traffic etc." I turned around and headed to the local. I'm looking for wines under $10, preferably under $8, wines I'll have a glass or two of and then cook with the remainder. Hey, alright - they have both Osborne Solaz and Bogle's Petite Sirah, real drinkable $6 wines that I often purchase from the discounter. Problem is, they were $12 and $13 respectively. With my 20% discount, they would only cost me 80% more than at the big uncaring corporate store. This translates to 4 bottles of drinkable, but low-end wine costing $25 or costing $40. They're killing me. (Ended up buying 1 bottle, an Oz Shiraz, Billy Goat on-sale @ $7. Had to CUT off the damned twist-off cap since no pliers were handy. It was satisfactory at the sale-price) Tue Sep 25 10:08:20 -0700 2007 2973163 26666 FrankJBN 2 2974307 Looks like you're comparing an exceptionally deep discounter with a local shop that sells at list price or even above. The cheapest price on Bogle Petite Sirah winesearcher.com finds is $8, most places charge $9-11, highest is $12. Solaz Tempranillo, a couple places at $6 and $7, most $8-10, highest $11. Re the problem twist-off, did you try twisting the whole cap including the part that runs down the neck? Some work that way. Baffling the first time I encountered one. Tue Sep 25 10:19:42 -0700 2007 2974256 11369 Robert Lauriston 3 2974966 "Looks like you're comparing an exceptionally deep discounter with a local shop that sells at list price or even above" Picked up on that, huh? I knew they stocked Bogle wines, and I was hoping/willing to pay $10 off the shelf as opposed to $6 & change. As stated, both prices were higher than the highest on wineSearcher. Boy, if only I had had to search... I probably wouldn't buy there (at the local) if it wasn't for the discount and personal charge they offer). I've commented to others that (as my 'plan' took into consideration) the 20% discount makes them just a bit higher than most. Too bad they were out of an 'everyday' wine I was buying there last year - a very drinkable Sangiovese called Il Bastardo on the shelf at around $8.00. I was touting this wine to any who would listen - so the place isn't always overpriced on the bottom end. (Scored a few v. nice Scheurebe beerenauslese too at $15 the half) Maybe I didn't try to twist whole thing, though I think I did. Seemed pretty well adhered (adhesed?) to neck tho' - couldn't get a knife point under it. Tue Sep 25 12:30:13 -0700 2007 2974307 26666 FrankJBN 4 3229861 You're describing exactly why most small wine merchants try very hard to avoid carrying wines that are available at deep discounters. It's hard to do at the lower price points but most low-priced wines are subject to very deep volume discounts that make it even harder for the small guy to compete. I can tell you that a small retailer pays something close to $7.50 for that bottle of Bogle Petite Sirah (depending on where he's located), so you can see why it's going to cost more in his shop unless he's using it as a leader. I really can't imagine how any retailer could be charging $6 for that bottle, but then I learn new things about wine pricing every day. Fri Dec 21 19:33:00 -0800 2007 2974966 11405 Midlife 3 2976135 I have had that issue with the stelvin enclosures as well. You have to turn counter-clockwise I think, which is counter-intuitive. Or, you just hold the neck and turn the bottle... I used to just search for the best price and buy there. But I love having places that "curate" wine selections for me, and therefore I am more into the stores of the local and small variety. But now I'm in the wine business so I don't do as much store buying as I used to. Tue Sep 25 17:33:35 -0700 2007 2974307 113663 domaine547 1 2974286 3-4 weeks before Christmas every year, my wife and I go to a smallish wine shop here in Calgary. There is a sommelier that we've gotten to know over the years and she seems to have a similar pallette to ours. We spend 2-3 hours talking, tasting and buying wine. When we're done we usually end up with about 4 or 5 cases of different wines, that usually lasts us well into spring. We spend a lot of money on that one day but we learn all about the wines we buy and have turned it into a very special part of our Christmas experience. With so many delicious choices, we rarely get more than 2 bottles of the same wine ever. Tue Sep 25 10:15:20 -0700 2007 2973163 108590 Major_9000 1 2974357 We are actually struggling with that right now. We just moved to Dallas and haven't yet found a wine store we really love and trust with a great selection. There are some decent places (Central Market, for example) but none that have had consistently good advice. While living in Seattle and NYC we found local wine shops we really loved (Esquin & Pete's in Seattle; Chambers in NYC) and trusted. We also usually buy a case while travelling to wine making locations (i.e. France, Argentina) from visits to wineries and local shops. So, we pick up a few bottles from Central Market (a high-end grocery store) but we are thinking more seriously about ordering from our favorite wine shops in Seattle and NYC where we have had positive experiences. I still have a number of shops to visit, so we'll see.... Tue Sep 25 10:28:18 -0700 2007 2973163 52088 huruta 1 2975984 With somone else's money ;-) Tue Sep 25 16:41:56 -0700 2007 2973163 50041 whiner 1 2980278 Living in California....there are wineries located throughout the state. My husband and I spend lots of our free time exploring the wine country and sampling wine from the wine tasting rooms of wineries. It's fun to discover new wines this way and we buy much our wine at tasting rooms. Often there will be wines that are only available at the winery. Another plus is buying wines before they are "discovered" at a wine competition....it's nice to buy before the price has skyrocketed. http://www.cheers2wine.com Wed Sep 26 18:27:19 -0700 2007 2973163 11800 howefortunate 2 2982204 This is the my wife and I buy a lot of our wine, too. We have a few vineyards we like that have "wine clubs" so we get regular shipments from them and when we like something in the club shipment, we'll order a half case or so. Otherwise, we make note of wines we particularly like in restaurants and go to local wineshops (we like Plumpjack on 24th in San Francisco) or BevMo. We also take frequent chances on wines from Trader Joe's. Most of them we happily live without, but it seems that we find one or two every 6 months or so that we enjoy and will pick up a few bottles when we're at the store. Thu Sep 27 10:26:01 -0700 2007 2980278 80141 ccbweb 1 2980466 I buy more by telephone, than locally in PHX. Much great wine never makes it here, due to distributors going for the more familiar. I also buy from "big box" stores for the everyday wines. I started out buying 3-4 mixed cases of 1 btl. each. I got to sample a lot of different wines, for different parts of the world. Unfortunately, I'd usually be drinking the reds (and some whites) a bit too early, but when I'd hit a great one, everyone was sold out. I went to 2 btls. per wine, and gave a few a bit more time. Still the same problem, when I hit the "big one." I then went to case and half-case and am there still. I seldom have a bad purchase, but have over-filled a 3700 blt. cellar. My "house wines" often come from Costco. My major purchases, are either from a distributor, the winery, or K&L Wines in Redwood City (other locations exist, but I deal with one rep there). Were I in the starting blocks, I'd do about the same thing, all over again. Nothing can compare to samples from around the world. I miss those days, but just cannot buy hundreds of cases, in hopes that they'll all reward me. Not too long ago, I did a trip to the Central Coast, CA, and took 4 empty styro-shippers. I came back with 19 styro-shippers! Too much really good wine, and too little time - and storage space. Note, if one is building a cellar, imagine the max capacity that one can think of. Then, quadruple that, knowing that at some point, you'll also rent space at a storage facility. You think you need 500 bottles? Go for 2000, minimum. Like hard drive space, if you have it, you will fill it up and then some. Hunt Wed Sep 26 19:44:55 -0700 2007 2973163 11329 Bill Hunt 2 3228273 "You think you need 500 bottles? Go for 2000, minimum. Like hard drive space, if you have it, you will fill it up and then some." Where were you (and your marvelous advice) in 2004? We did exactly that and <sigh> it wasn't enough. We're in the laborious process of enlarging the cellar right now. Next house (and I know there will be another) we'll build for 2000 bottles and then I'll sit on Mr CF to keep him under control. hope springs eternal... Fri Dec 21 08:51:25 -0800 2007 2980466 90565 Cookiefiend 3 3245167 Cookiefiend, My parents are spending an extended vacation in France and want to send back some of the wine they have found. Who did you use to ship your wine? Sat Dec 29 11:46:07 -0800 2007 3228273 153249 gqconley 4 3246692 ggconley ~ I've not been to France, though, at some time, I hope to go. We have some friends who were in France last year - I'll send them a note to ask if they sent wine home and if so, who they used. As soon as I find out - I'll post it here Sun Dec 30 07:36:55 -0800 2007 3245167 90565 Cookiefiend 1 2980502 Since I live in a rural area, there isn't really and local wind shop, ust liquor stores for whom yellowtail and its ilk are the upper end. As a result I have cultivated relationship with the wine mgr. of a pretty large specialty wine store in St. Louis and another in Memphis. I stock up on an addortment of stuff I've read about, tried in restaurants, or which they(the store reps) have rec'd to me and usually poured for me as well. the rest is direct ordered from wineries or purchased from wineries on trips. Iv'e had the good fortune to be able to spend a week to 10 days in France every year and ship home several cases. Even paying import duty and shipping, there are significant bargains to be had. I figure that I egt about 25-30% directly from wineeries and modt of the rest from one or the other of the shops I frequent. Wed Sep 26 20:03:47 -0700 2007 2973163 106255 chazzerking 1 2981930 I live in Pa so we have to buy from a state owned store. They have become more sophisticated and are training wine consultants. They have a program called Chairman's Selection which offers great deals on wines. They email me the info then I do my research. Have been able to get some incredible values. When I come across these values , I usually buy a half case. I travel a lot and get to try wines all over the world. When I return home I sometimes try to find those wines or ones that are similar Thu Sep 27 09:30:16 -0700 2007 2973163 21541 tk467 2 2982158 Fortunately Dan Kravitz (Hand Picked Selections) does a lot of business with PA . . . Thu Sep 27 10:18:49 -0700 2007 2981930 28122 zin1953 1 2982169 How do I prefer to buy my wine? Frequently! Thu Sep 27 10:20:13 -0700 2007 2973163 116345 ChefBoyAreMe 1 2983411 I prefer going to the wine store and having them delivered, but I find that I buy way too much when I see the racks and racks of beautiful wine in front of me, especially when the stores offer a mixed case discount. If a store has easy search and interface functions, I would simply order them online. I don't recall ever buying a bottle of wine for myself at a supermarket or a big chain, although I might should they be available in NY. Thu Sep 27 14:43:01 -0700 2007 2973163 97069 mengathon 1 2983522 We buy most of our wine at a couple of small local retailers with a good selection and decent prices. We usually pick up a mixed case when shopping. I like the selection, level of service and convenience of my local retailers, and believe in supporting the local merchant. If we are entertaining a large group or having a party, then we may pick up a some "crowd-pleasers" at our local BevMo, Costco or Trader Joes by the case. We also tend to try various wines we see in TJs when shopping for groceries. Every once in a while, we find something that works as a house wine / summer quaffer, and then we may stock up. Some of the wine that we drink is widely available and priced similar in most places, (Bonny Doon Big House White, for example). These wines we buy on the basis of convenience - at the grocery store, at TJs, at BevMo, or at a local retailer. We will not make a special trip out of our way to buy such widely available wines. Other than this, we tend to buy small amounts of wine at wineries we visit, online, and from other sources. Thu Sep 27 15:11:41 -0700 2007 2973163 78406 scrappydog 2 3220087 I live in California and often visit the different wine regions in the state. I buy a lot of wine at the wineries. This is a great way to buy wine because you get to sample the wine before buying and often find wine not available at the stores. I usually stock up on every less expensive wine wherever I can find it for sale...Bev More, Cost Plus, Costco. Tue Dec 18 16:12:26 -0800 2007 2983522 11800 howefortunate 1 3221339 I buy most of my wine thru allocation directly from the wineries. However, when I find something that I like (usually by tasting it with friends who are wine nuts or due to recommendations from friends whose taste is similar to mine and whom I trust) I tend to call or e-mail a guy I know at a wine shop here in DC and he will get it for me and deliver it. I have a tendency to either buy a half case, or a mixed case when I do order. (Going in to pick it up is dangerous, since he always offers a nice discount and I have a tendency to play the "well I guess I could try this" and end walking out with a case or two more than I went in looking to get.) Wed Dec 19 06:10:58 -0800 2007 2973163 11814 dinwiddie 1 3221505 Most of the wine I have on hand is directly purchased from a winery. I travel a lot and tend to buy more when I am at a winery, especially when I know that wine won't be available at home. I live in Arizona and the laws are weird when it comes to getting wine shipped here, although they are getting better...So most online shopping is out of the question for me. My second source would be a small wine shop, then lastly every once in a while if I'm at TJ's, Cost Plus or BevMo for something else I'll pick up a bottle there. Obviously at the wineries I just buy what I think tastes good, but when I'm at a store I go by the recommendations of the people that work there, or buy one that I've read a good review about. I rarely just buy a bottle without a recommendation from anyone... Wed Dec 19 07:15:14 -0800 2007 2973163 128359 jcoz23 2 3222693 I do most of my buying when visiting wineries -- primarily here in Virginia but also when traveling. (We went up to the Finger Lakes this fall and I brought home a couple of cases -- mainly Rieslings. And last spring I toured the Yadkin Valley, NC wineries and brought home a case or so.) I also order through a few people I know who are distributors/importers, and I buy through distributors who do tastings for groups I belong to (e.g., German Wine Society). I occasionally buy from local small wine shops -- mostly when I need something special or when I'm lured in by a tasting :-) -- and from Total Wine (a sort of wine superstore chain) -- the latter mostly when I need a bunch of wine for an event. Currently I'm putting together wines for an "affordable Bordeaux" tasting for my American Wine Society. I bought most of the wines at Total, filled in a couple of gaps at a local wine shop and will check another tomorrow for one last bottle. For the social hour before the meeting I will serve some Bordeaux-style Virginia wines, which I've bought at the wineries. Wed Dec 19 12:26:50 -0800 2007 3221505 147512 chriscatva 1 3226710 both; as to "stocking up", it is usually in a group and we typically deal with the distributors directly and have shipped to local retailer(s). I recently bought some limited release OR pinot from a retailer in Portland as I couldn't fine any other options. No as to grocery stores and very, very little "on line". Thu Dec 20 16:00:22 -0800 2007 2973163 31795 ibstatguy 1 3245589 I live in Eugene, Oregon and am exploring Pinot Noir's still. We are 20 minutes away from several vineyards and I travel to Portland quite often so I travel home through Dundee and Newburg and visit many vineyards. When I find a special drinker I get a case. Otherwise I pick off special wines from many vineyards. The Oregon Wine Company is located in Eugene and has a tasting bar and internet sales. Bob has many of the small producers in stock and is knowledgeable, he has sold me many hard to find PN's. I need to start looking at Costco for other reds however. Sat Dec 29 15:21:28 -0800 2007 2973163 148886 duck833 2 5017533 Re Eugene: I like dealing with Ryan at Marche Wed Sep 09 15:45:48 -0700 2009 3245589 31795 ibstatguy 1 5017400 It's fun to discover a new wine while wine tasting at wineries. There are wines that you can only buy at wineries.Living in California where there are lots if wineries, I probably buy 50% or more of my wine this way. I belong to the wine clubs of a few wineries, and will often buy wines at Costco or Beverages and More. Wed Sep 09 14:56:59 -0700 2009 2973163 11800 howefortunate 1 5017528 by direct negotiations with the reps/distributors, in "bulk" with others to obtain volume discounts Wed Sep 09 15:44:33 -0700 2009 2973163 31795 ibstatguy 1 5017542 Been getting on future lists with select Oregon Pinot Noir producers, I get better prices plus I know I will get the wine, 08 will be a great vintage. I also enjoy visiting the winery to pickup product, talk with the winemakers and do a little barrel tasting, lots of fun to run around Dundee and Carlton loading up the truck with boxes of great stuff. Saves UPS charges and my wine gets better handling than the brown truck gives. Wed Sep 09 15:48:49 -0700 2009 2973163 148886 duck833 2 5034781 That's the best way to buy winery-only wines, futures, or wines that are so small in retail distribution that you'll never get the chance at your local wine shop. If you don't have the info on what is more mass-distributed, however, buying winery direct can be the MOST expensive way to buy some wines. Most wineries are good about telling you want you can and get get a shot at back home, but generally won't offer that help unless you ask. Wed Sep 16 12:50:26 -0700 2009 5017542 11405 Midlife 1 5039736 1) Deeply discounted 2) By the case, for even better discounts 3) Through my employer, without a markup, which is the best discount What can I say? I like a good deal (Lord, I'm my mother's child). Fri Sep 18 09:37:09 -0700 2009 2973163 92744 invinotheresverde 2 5040055 I buy direct from the wineries on mailing lists Fri Sep 18 11:36:51 -0700 2009 5039736 39601 stevel 3 5057688 I buy mostly on line in the under $20/90pt category from several merchants as well as belonging to a local winery wine club for my more expensive purchaces. I order them and let the winery store them in their cellar. After a while the savings makes the drive worth while as the reds will be cellared for several years any way. I now let my wife buy her daily drinkers when shopping and have learned to only buy the ones she likes or I end up drinking the rejects. On vacation it's the fun of the chase. I have been pleasantly satified with the results. Fri Sep 25 08:45:02 -0700 2009 5040055 1111692 dgris 1 5057740 In order to avoid shipping charges, we will order a case of a wine we like from our local store and pick it up. This is for the more reaonably priced daily drinkers, Pinot Gris is my wife's favorite. Pinot Noir is usually bought from the winery and results in a drive and a wine tasting. I have to stay out of the wine department in stores. There is something about wine, pretty women and power tools that upsets a man's reasoning abilities. Fri Sep 25 09:00:36 -0700 2009 2973163 1111692 dgris