There are several places that you can find good and even rare wines. The key is to do your research and be prepared for the hunt, especially if it is a rare wine or one that is not readily available in your area. The prospect of finding a good wine or a particular wine has dramatically increased since the world has been taken over by the Internet. Don’t be discouraged if you can’t find a wine locally, because chances are that you will be able to find one on the ‘net.
Depending on where you are located, you may have numerous great wine stores or you may have the option of a few wines that are sitting in the corner of your liquor store. Wine stores vary in size, selection and price. For some people, the best wine store may be there local grocery store, as many of them are carrying wide selections of wines these days. If you know what you want or if you have something you fond in a newspaper or magazine, go to your local wine store and find someone who knows what they are doing. They may be able to hunt down that wine you are looking for. Many of the people who work in these stores have tasted a lot of their wines and will be able to direct you to what you are looking for. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
If your state allows in-store tastings; check them out, as they are great resources. This is the best way to buy wine. You get to check the wine out first and then make a decision on whether or not you like the wine. Don’t expect these to be fancy tastings with actual glasses, just use the opportunity to your advantage.
Warehouses and Superstores are great if you need a large quantity of an “inexpensive” wine. If you need to buy in bulk, you can find really good prices at these stores. They have strong purchasing power and will typically buy a brand by the trailer load. Because the store buys for less, they are able to afford a lower markup. Some of the wines at these stores are selling for lower prices that what the smaller wine stores pay wholesale. These are great if you are looking to buy for a wedding or other large group gathering.
Check out the “bin” sales. As stores bring in more inventory, they will sell their “older” wines at discount prices. There is a good chance that you may run into some decent buys and possible treasures. If you are unsure about a particular bottle, buy one and try it. If you like it, come back the next day for more.
Buying by the case is another viable option if you find a wine that you like. There are retailers that will offer case discounts on many of their wines. You may even be able to mix and match with different wines. The usual discount is ten percent and some merchants may give a bigger discount if you buy a case of one type of wine. This is a great buy if you buy wine regularly.
The Internet has opened up a new world of wine for many consumers. If your state allows you to buy wine, you may have found the jackpot. The selection is limitless and wine drinkers are able to buy from their favorite producers directly. There are also several Internet only sellers, wineries, individuals and traditional retailers that are doing business over the Internet. You can even search for your wines by varietal, region, vintage year, price, producer and name.
If you are looking for rare wine finds, then you will want to check out a wine auction. Don’t expect to pay bargain prices, but do expect to find the rare and old wines. Many of the wines have been kept in cellars and not on the open market for years. You reduce the risk when you deal with an auction house that has a good reputation and long history. Also if you are buying wines at an auction house, expect to pay a buyer’s premium of ten to fifteen percent of your bid. Be sure that you have a plan when you go to buy so that you don’t get caught up in the excitement of outbidding someone. Take a look at the catalog before you go and make your bidding limits ahead of time.
To keep finding bottles that you like take notes on different wines that you try and save the names so that you can find them the next time you go shopping. Another great idea is to save the wine labels in a scrapbook so that you know exactly what the label looks like when you go shopping.