Labor Day Wine Shopping
As predicted the deals are heating up.
Just was notified that the 2013 Alexander’s Crown Rodney Strong Cabernet is a special
Holiday offer direct from the winery for $80.
Given the hyper online wine world, $80 seems sane.
Back to that world, here are my top 7 websites and the reasons for their high ratings.
#1 lastbottlewines.com
Based in Napa and having an importer’s license, these folks somehow manage to secure a wide range of wines in all price brackets.
Discounts are some of the deepest. 50% off is common.
Their strength is California wine, but also amazingly strong in France and Italy.
They also source often hard to find wines.
They don’t solely rely on critics’ scores, and their comments are often amusing.
Frequent all day marathon sales are great buying opportunities.
Best recent offer: Luna Sangiovese Reserve, Napa 2019 $20 (normally $62)
#2 napacabs.com
A major retailer, this site offers much more than Napa Cabs and often comes up with unbeatable case prices on Fridays.
The wine selection is large and includes all types and all regions.
But the place to look is its list for free shipping by the case and also by 6 bottles.
The list of 90+ point wines now exceeds 1000.
Excellent deals on wines for everyday enjoyment, especially Chile’s and Argentina’s favorite producers.
Free shipping on case orders.
Often the lowest prices online for major brands.
Recent deals: 6 bottles of 2018 Silver Oak Cab Alexander Valley
Sean Minor Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast 2019 $19.97
2018 D.V. Catena Tinto Historico $15.97
#3 invino.com
“Curated” is overused by so many others, but it applies perfectly to the wines at this site. Based in the town of Napa, it lists around 100 wines at any one time. But they reflect excellent choices that are not available elsewhere.
Strengths are in wines from Spain, France, and Argentina with frequent surprises from California.
No crazy BS write ups about the latest cult wine from rockstar winemakers
And, best of all, discounts of 50%-60%
Shipping rates are usually free for orders of 6 or more. Free for 3 on pricey wines.
Best Recent Super Deal: Campo alle Comete Bolgheri Stupore 2016 $24.95 (50% off)
#4 winelibrary.com
Headquartered in New Jersey, winelibrary is a major wine retailer. Its current inventory is around 2,000 wines, with 500 selling for under $20 a bottle. It offers online daily wine deals on its cinderellawine.com website. Gary Vee, a techie revered by some people, is part of the team and works with the monthly wine club program. He also rates wines for the site.
Excellent range of good values: My go-to Bubbly, Segura Viudas is only $9.09 here.
Heavy into French wines, especially Rhone and Southern France.
Free shipping on orders of 3 or more.
Best Recent Deals:
2017 Crystal Basin Cellars Reserve Zinfandel, El Dorado $19.99
2018 Molino Della Suga Rosso Di Montalcino $15.44
#5 reversewinesnob.com
Each day brings a new deal accompanied by a detailed, informative background.
Discounts are attractive (30%-50%) and the overall quality of the wines is high.
The way it works is to order a minimum of 6 bottles, but for the six there is a flat shipping fee of $5.
3-bottle packs are sometimes offered.
The offerings truly are for the non-snob. The site also reviews wines from Costco and Trader Joe’s.
Mostly West Coast wines are presented but even the imports are often unusual in that few other sites have access to them.
Best Recent Deal:
Two Jakes 2017 Petite Sirah, Lake County $18.00
Scott Harvey Zinfandel Amador County 2019 $17.
#6 wineaccess.com
Wines direct from the source” is the slogan.
The mantra is that fine wines are made in small quantities.
To shop for the best deals, we suggest going to the “Under $30” list, or see what the daily deal is. The deals are available for 3 days or until the wine is sold out.
Shipping is free for 6 bottles or orders of $120.
Strong in Napa wines, its lists include Vermillion, Vine Cliff, Grgich Hills, Dalla Valle and Bevan Cellars. From other places, there is Foxen Pinot Noir, Bedrock Zinfandel, Meyer Family Syrah, and County Line Rose from Anderson Valley.
Best recent Deal: 2019 Chad Merlot Incline 18 Sonoma Mountain $23.95
#7 wiredforwine.com
A recent end of summer sale of white and rose wines clinched it for me. The 172 whites offered with an additional 10% discount were a wide range of quality imports and US wines.
The website lists unusual and many of the best-known, proven brands at discounts ranging from 12% to 25%.
Excellent selection of Sauvignon Blancs from around the globe.
80 Cabernets start at $15 and show careful curation
Free shipping of 6 bottle orders.
Best recent examples:
Talley Estate Pinot Noir 2019 $34.99
Mulderbosch Sauvignon Blanc 2020 $16.99
Norm Roby's Unfiltered Guide to Savvy Wine Shopping 